Czech Award for Young Painting presents this year’s final five. From a record 192 entries, the expert jury selected Denise Baštuga, Paula Gogola, Tomáš Kurečka, Matyáš Tserhack Maláč, and David Pinkava. The awards ceremony and exhibition opening will take place on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the NTK Gallery in Prague.

Czech Award for Young Painting entered a new phase in 2025. The organizing team revamped its visual identity, the way the finalists are presented, and the design of the award itself. In addition to supporting the next generation of artists, the goal is to create a space for encounters, discussion, and reflection on contemporary painting and its place in a rapidly changing visual world.

The record number of submissions for this year’s edition confirms the young generation’s keen interest in the medium of painting. The five finalists represent diverse approaches to painting, personal experiences, and ways of thinking about the present. The exhibition is thus not merely a showcase of individual artistic positions, but also an opportunity to observe the directions in which contemporary young painting in the Czech Republic is heading.

The finalists were selected by a panel of experts consisting of Michal Stolárik, Tereza Kříž, Anežka Hošková, Milan Mikuláštík, Lukáš Šoltys, and Vlasta Čiháková Noshiro.

The exhibition will be followed by the MALBA 2026! conference, which will expand the project to include an expert discussion on the current role of painting. One of the questions the conference will address is: What are the roles of painting in today’s world?