TARTGET MAGAZINE

TARTGET PRIZE 2025: Global art gathers in Madrid

June 3, 2025

A groundbreaking competition revolutionizing contemporary realism and all pictorial languages in its first edition. Everything is set for a grand night of contemporary art at Spain’s oldest and most prestigious intellectual institution. The event will mark the culmination of a 12-month journey featuring nearly 1,900 submissions from artists across 85 countries. Tartget Prize has achieved an unprecedented milestone: becoming an international reference among painting competitions.

📍 Ateneo de Madrid | 📅 Thursday, June 5 | 🕕 6:50 PM

🎨 Top 100 Exhibition: June 5–13 in the Anselma & Lafón Halls

Prizes That Cross Borders and Styles

Madrid, June 3, 2025 — The Ateneo de Madrid, a cultural hub since 1835 and the heart of Madrid’s “Paisaje de la Luz,” will host the international gala of the Tartget Prize this Thursday, June 5. This new painting competition has achieved in months what others take years to accomplish: establishing itself as a global benchmark for figurative painting… and much more.

Everything is set for a grand night of contemporary art at Spain’s oldest and most prestigious intellectual institution. The event will mark the culmination of a 12-month journey featuring nearly 1,900 submissions from artists across 85 countries. Tartget Prize has achieved an unprecedented milestone: becoming an international reference among painting competitions.

In the end, 100 works from 24 countries were selected. The prize—headquartered in Spain but with a universal vision—celebrates the transcendent power of painting in all its forms: from realism to surrealism, abstraction to conceptual art, as well as collage, illustration, symbolic figuration, and new visual languages.

“This is neither a themed contest nor one limited to a single movement,” explain the organizers. “While figuration has shone brightly, especially among the top awards, the jury has recognized high-impact works across all disciplines, from the most classical to the most experimental.”

The international jury, composed of 29 experts from 12 countries, awarded the Gold Tartget (€12,000) to Hispano-Peruvian artist Marcos Rey for his powerfully symbolic oil painting “El Ramo.” The Silver Tartget went to Macedonia’s Sinisha S. Kashawelski, while the Bronze Tartget was awarded to Spanish artist Julián Maroto Fernández for his mythic exploration and flawless technique.

Additionally, the Fusion Tartget—honoring innovation and the blending of styles—was awarded to Rosana Larraz (Aragón-based in Málaga) for her standout work merging abstract, conceptual, and collage art, proving as compelling as figuration.

Prizes were also granted in 10 categories spanning the full creative spectrum of painting:

Urban and Industrial Landscape

The action of man on the territory, as a consequence of the development of productive activities or consumption over time.

Natural and Outdoor Landscape

The poetry of the earth, written with mountains and rivers, on the eternal canvas of the landscape.

Animals and Wildlife

The melody of animal life, pets and wildlife intertwine in a dance of companionship and freedom.

Drawing and Illustration

The captivating art of drawing and illustration, where strokes and shadows dance in harmony, creating a visual universe.

Still Life and Everyday Objects

The silent poetry of still life and everyday objects, where light embraces details and forms, transforming the ordinary into a work of art that celebrates the hidden beauty in the commonplace.

Figure and Portrait

The lively expression of the figurative, where lines and nuances bring the essence of the human form to life.

Fantasy and Imaginative

The magical realm of fantasy, where vibrant colors and whimsical forms intertwine in a charming dance. Each work is a portal to extraordinary worlds.

conceptual and collage

The avant-garde expression of the contemporary and the art of collage, exploring the fusion of styles and materials on a canvas that defies conventions and celebrates creativity in constant evolution.

Abstraction

The fascinating exploration of abstraction, creative freedom, inviting the viewer to immerse themselves in a universe of personal and emotional interpretation. An artistic language that challenges reality.

Young painters

Freshness and passion, architects of innovative visual worlds, strokes overflowing with creative energy, exploring new perspectives, and challenging conventions.

Winners include Japan’s Kazuya Ushioda, Alicante’s Llanos Part Jornet, Madrid’s Jesús Inglés Canalejo, Basque artist Haitz de Diego, and young Catalan talent Nil Masip Boget, among others.

Art at the Heart of the "Paisaje de la Luz"

Hosted by broadcaster Lorena Berdún, the Ateneo gala will welcome international luminaries such as jury members Jacob Dhein, Aurelio Rodríguez, and Arantzazu Martínez, alongside a musical interlude by Manuel Blanco, principal trumpeter of Spain’s National Orchestra, accompanied by Ukrainian pianist Margarita Kozlovska.

The event unfolds in the epicenter of Madrid’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed “Paisaje de la Luz”, at the kilometer zero of European painting—just steps from the Prado, Thyssen, and Reina Sofía museums, home to more masterpieces per square meter than anywhere else in the world.

Over 44 Special Awards & an Itinerant Exhibition

The organizing team—led by artist and executive director Juan Francisco Gómez-Cambronero, former Onda Cero journalist Ismael Terriza (Communications Director), and technical director José Luis Sánchez-Montañés—brought together 29 jurors from 12 countries and a wide network of cultural sponsors.

Beyond the main prizes, the competition will award 8 acquisition prizes and 45 special prizes for training, promotion, and fine arts materials. Distinguished honorees include Ukrainian Andrii Kovalyk, Poland’s Agnieszka Kotarska, Ireland’s Sheila Flaherty, American Shana Levinson, and Spanish talents like Prado copyist Teresa Lapayese and award-winning plein air painter Javier Martín Aranda.

The “Top 100” exhibition will run until June 13 in the Ateneo’s Anselma & Lafón Halls. Later this month, the competition travels to Daimiel as “Tartget La Mancha”, with exhibitions at the Casino de la Armonía and Casa de Cultura, reinforcing its ties to the region where the project’s three founders live and work.

Why This Matters

Global debut: Artists from 85 countries, with 24 nationalities represented in the exhibition.
Nearly 70 awards: 22 main prizes + 45 special awards from brands, academies, and collectors.
All styles welcome: Realism dominates, but the competition also champions conceptual and abstract art.
Ateneo de Madrid as inaugural venue: Contemporary art at the epicenter of universal painting.
International reach: From Madrid to La Mancha, with future editions in planning.