The Painting 2026
The Maľba competition, which over the two decades of its existence has become one of the most prominent Slovak initiatives supporting contemporary visual art, is now in its 21st year. A jury comprising renowned experts from Slovakia and abroad has selected a shortlist of 20 young painters from among more than 100 entrants. Once again this year, we are showcasing the greatest talents amongst young professional painters in Slovakia and bringing art to the wider public.
We invite you to the Nedbalka Gallery for an exhibition of the competition’s finalists, which will run from 9 October to 8 November 2026.
The aim of the ‘Painting – VÚB Foundation Prize for a Work of Painting for Young Artists’ competition is to support the most outstanding talents from the emerging generations of Slovak artists and thereby raise awareness of contemporary painting amongst both the specialist and general public.
The following artists (in alphabetical order) were nominated for this prestigious award in the current edition: Adam Baník, Maroš Bavoľár, Denis Braun, Dávid Čerťanský, Mgr.Art Alexandra Hrehová, Monika Hurajová, Ľubomíra Chylová Sekerášová, David Javorský, Samuel Kollárik, Anna Kyjovská, Nancy Lacová, Ľubomír Mati, Jakub Ružinský, Denisa Slavkovská, Michal Šumichrast, Michaela Šuranská, Šimon Tóth, Eva Vaňová, Laura Zvěřina, Lucia Žitnayová.
Each year, the submitted artworks are judged by a panel of experts, which is always composed of a unique line-up of members. Leading figures from the domestic and international art scenes ensure that the competition provides a platform for the objectively best candidates from among the submitted artists. In the 21st edition of the competition, the jury – comprising David Maljković, one of the most significant and respected contemporary Croatian artists and chairman of the jury; Michał Borowik, a Polish collector of contemporary art, curator and author; Barbora Kundračíková, a Czech educator and art historian; and art theorist Denisa Tomková, a Slovak based at the Faculty of Humanities at Charles University in Prague.
The VÚB Foundation will once again support the best artists this year with a total of 30,000 euros. Over the course of twenty-one editions of the Maľba competition, the VÚB Foundation has recognised more than 50 artists, who have received prizes totalling 460,000 euros. As we do every year, we are also making the 20 best paintings available to the general public in the form of a free exhibition. The paintings by the shortlisted artists and further details about the Maľba 2026 competition are available on the website www.malba.nadaciavub.sk.