Five galleries, one independent space and Poliart join the Special Prizes of the Combat 2026 Prize. Each gallery/space, independently of the prize jury, will select one artist from the eighty finalists to realise a new collaboration (solo or group exhibition or site-specific project). All exhibitions and events will be realised in the 2026-27 exhibition season. The project is designed to continue the artistic research and give continuity to the confrontation opened during the participation in the Prize.
A PICK GALLERY is a contemporary art gallery that, as its name suggests, focuses on the careful research and selection of emerging artists on the international scene. The gallery is dedicated to the research of new artistic languages, regularly curating solo and group exhibitions, participating in national and international fairs, and producing events in collaboration with other galleries and organisations. The space of approximately 300 square metres, located in the centre of Turin, allows them to work on exhibitions with large-scale and site-specific works.
Candy Snake Gallery is a contemporary art gallery committed to promoting emerging art, with a primary focus on identifying the most compelling artists of the new generation.Candy Snake Gallery is directed by Andrea Lacarpia and represents the evolution of the previous project Dimora Artica, continuing its curatorial approach. The gallery’s new space is located in Milan’s Lambrate district and hosts both solo and group exhibitions. In addition, Candy Snake Gallery participates in art fairs and organizes exhibitions in external venues, collaborating with a range of institutions and organizations.
LABS Contemporary Art has been operating in the Bolognese territory since October 2014. Since its beginnings, the space was created as a place dedicated to research, with a particular focus on the dialogue between historicised art and contemporary art, attentive to the territory and history of Bologna. There is a strong link between the exhibition space and the history of the city. The building dates back to the 13th century, when the Church of S. Maria della Ceriola stood in the place of the current gallery, an aspect that can still be seen today in the architectural complex of the structure.
Mondoromulo arte contemporanea is a young gallery in Sannio, attentive to a new generation of artists, and focuses on the need to create a new contemporary art audience around itself. Mondoromulo celebrates art as play, exploration and creative freedom, and is a space where artists and visitors meet to share emotions, ideas and authentic visions. With an unconventional spirit, the gallery offers exhibitions and projects that go beyond conventions, focusing on the essence of art: looking, discovering, surprising and rediscovering.
Fondazione The Bank ETS – Institute for the Study of Contemporary Painting is a national institution dedicated to contemporary painting. Founded in August 2023 by collector Antonio Menon, it is a non-profit organization rooted in The Bank collection, installed in a former branch of the Banca Commerciale Italiana. Initiated in 2001, the collection includes over 1,200 paintings from the 1980s to the present, spanning Italy and the international context. Building on this heritage, the Foundation promotes research, specialist training, archives and a dedicated library, as well as the preservation and conservation of artworks, support for painters across generations, and the production of editorial projects.
Since 2019, the SAC – Spazio Arte Contemporanea is the new exhibition venue of the Cultural Association Blob ART. The Cultural Association Blob ART is a non-profit organisation for the promotion of contemporary artistic research, which has been passionately encouraging cultural experimentation in all its forms, in Italy, since 2009.
The company, leader in the processing of expanded polystyrene, will award an artist selected among the finalists, supporting the production of a work. The maximum format can be 200 x 60 x 80 cm. Technical specifications:
Promoted by the newly established marketplace THE PLACE, together with the association Ultracontemporary Art Project aps (U-ART-P aps), and in collaboration with Calcografica Petronilla, the award was created with the aim of bringing intaglio printmaking back to the center of attention for younger generations. This historic artistic technique has helped define important expressive languages within the landscape of Italian art. The award consists of support for the production of an intaglio print.
Promoted by PrintLitoArt, an Italian industrial atelier specialized in the production of certified fine art lithographs. The prize consists of the creation, at the PrintLitoArt atelier located in Salerno, of a lithographic edition of 30 numbered copies, blind-stamped by the Masters in the Art of Printing.Rooted in the Salerno and Amalfi Coast area, a territory with over eight centuries of history in papermaking and fine art printing, PrintLitoArt develops the edition in dialogue with the artist, in full respect of the author’s intention, ensuring technical excellence, consistency, and long-term recognizability.
