The National Football Museum, Touchstones Rochdale (part of Your Trust) and Parker Harris are delighted to announce the return of The Football Art Prize: a major open call celebrating the confluence between football and art.
The prize invites artists worldwide who explore the passion, drama, and unity that football inspires across communities and cultures. Open to all artists aged 18 and over, the competition welcomes entries in any two-dimensional medium, including painting, drawing, printmaking, digital art, collage, mixed media, textile, photography, and moving image.
Deadline: Monday 7 April 2026, 5pm
Link to enter: https://artopps.co.uk/opportunities/footballartprize25-26
Selected works will be showcased in a prestigious touring exhibition opening at the Millennium Gallery (Sheffield Museums) in June 2026, before travelling to the National Football Museum, Manchester (November 2026 – February 2027)
Due to renovations, the exhibition will not be visiting Touchstones Rochdale in 2026, however they continue to play a foundational role in organising this fantastic opportunity for artists.
Awards totalling £7,000 will be given out to the winners in a Prize Giving ceremony at the start of the exhibition:
- First Prize: £5,000
- Second Prize: £2,000
Alongside the exhibition there will be a virtual gallery showcasing all the artists’ shortlisted works. All exhibiting artists will be included in a fully illustrated print catalogue.
The shortlist will be selected by a judging panel including:
Tim Marlow OBE: Chief Executive and Director, The Design Museum, London
Emmely Elgersma: Artist and Designer
Jessica Naz: English Footballer for Tottenham Hotspur
Harland Miller: Artist and Writer
Sarah Hodgkinson: Senior Curator, Touchstones Rochdale
Alison Morton: Senior Curator, Sheffield Museums
Marek Romaniszyn: Curator, National Football Museum
All of the submitted works will be considered by the selectors. Artists may submit up to four works.
For standard entries, the fees are as follows: one work : £15, two works : £25, three works : £35, and four works : £45.
A reduced entry rate is available for artists with a Rochdale, Sheffield or Manchester postcode. These fees are one work : £12.50, two works : £20, three works : £27.50, and four works : £35
If you choose to enter fewer than four works at registration, you may add additional works before the deadline.