Organizer Information
The Prix Avenir Céramique is organized by the Réseau des Centres Céramique (RCC), a network created in 2018 bringing together five major contemporary ceramics centers in France: the Centre Céramique Contemporaine de Giroussens, Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie – Capitale de la Céramique, the Maison de la Céramique du Pays de Dieulefit, the Institut Européen des Arts Céramiques de Guebwiller, and the Centre céramique contemporaine La Borne. The network's founding centers first met in February 2018, and their early collaboration produced a traveling exhibition, "Bouteilles," built around each center's contribution before the network's structure was formalized.
The 2027 edition of the prize will be hosted by the Centre Céramique Contemporaine de Giroussens, a center founded in 2000 by the commune, the Terre et Terres association, and the Arts et Poteries de Giroussens association, and later transferred to the Gaillac Graulhet urban community in 2017. The center is dedicated to promoting contemporary ceramics, including the work of small workshops, and organizes several exhibitions per year alongside two permanent heritage displays.
Title & Description
Prix Avenir Céramique 2027
The Prix Avenir Céramique is an annual competition run by the Réseau des Centres Céramique to support early-career professionals in contemporary ceramics. For its fourth edition, the network will select five artists established as professionals in the contemporary ceramics sector for five years or less, and exhibit their work at the Centre Céramique Contemporaine de Giroussens from 20 February to 11 April 2027. From among the five selected artists, a jury of experts will designate one overall winner of the "Avenir Céramique" prize.
The network intends to renew the competition annually through 2028, showcasing five artists each year across its member centers. By the end of that cycle, 30 artists will have been supported through the program, and the five prize-winners will be reunited in 2029 for a group, traveling exhibition across the network's ceramic centers.
Categories
- Ceramic
- Craft
- Visual Arts
Eligibility
- Applicant must be of legal age
- Applicant must be based in France
- Applicant must have been professionally established in the contemporary ceramics sector for 5 years or less as of the application deadline
- Submitted works must be made by the artist's own hand; mixed techniques, including digital, are accepted, but ceramic materials must predominate
- Incomplete application files will not be reviewed by the selection committee
Program Benefits & Awards
- All 5 selected artists: exhibition of their work at the Centre Céramique Contemporaine de Giroussens (20 February – 11 April 2027)
- Overall prize winner: a digital portfolio featuring a text written by a specialized journalist and professional photographs
- Overall prize winner: €1,000 in creation support funding
- Travel costs for delivering works to the exhibition are reimbursed on a round-trip basis (calculated via Mappy), upon presentation of an expense report with receipts; return travel is reimbursed under the same terms
- Selected artists' accommodation is covered for up to 3 nights (Wednesday 17 to Saturday 20 February 2027)
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Applications are submitted by email to contact@reseaudescentresceramique.com
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 15 September 2026
- Notification of selection: November 2026
- Artist installation/delivery of works: Wednesday, 17 February 2027, 10:00
- Exhibition opening and prize ceremony: 20 February 2027
- Exhibition run: 20 February – 11 April 2027
Location
Giroussens, France
Additional Details
- The selection jury (for the overall prize) is composed of 5 representatives from the contemporary ceramics world and cultural institutions, who will meet during the exhibition to designate the winner; the jury will assess technical quality, the singularity of the artistic approach and process, and the artist's capacity to develop their practice
- The initial selection of the 5 exhibited artists is made by a committee composed of representatives from the network's 5 ceramic centers
- Required application documents (single PDF, max. 10 MB): proof of professional status and start date of activity; a descriptive sheet of submitted works (titles, dimensions, materials, and techniques); good-quality photographs (3 per work, at the candidate's discretion regarding number of pieces, sized for display on 10–15 m²); at least one installation/set-up photograph of the work; a biographical document with an artist statement and CV (background, training, major exhibitions); an optional supplementary portfolio PDF
- By applying, candidates transfer reproduction, exploitation, and publishing rights for photographs of their pieces to the Réseau des Centres Céramique, and authorize photographic, televised, filmed, and digital reproduction of their pieces for promotion of the competition
- Selected artists must be present for the installation of the exhibition and for the opening/prize ceremony on 20 February 2027
- Exhibited work must correspond to what was presented in the application file
- Exhibition design/scenography is the organizers' responsibility, though artists may provide input on the installation of their pieces
- A list of available exhibition equipment, and further details, will be sent to the 5 selected artists along with an exhibition agreement
- Contact: Centre Céramique Contemporaine, 7 Place Lucie Bouniol, 81500 Giroussens — contact@reseaudescentresceramique.com