NEW WAVE Art Prize 2026
The creative competition dedicated to students of Art Universities
Three projects, selected from a total of 55 entries, were named winners of the 2026 edition of the NEW WAVE ART PRIZE competition. Radu Gheorghe, Dana Guzu and Ana Huțanu, three students from art universities in Romania, won the competition launched by the Bog’Art Foundation, each receiving a €2,000 prize.
The young artists created spectacular works of art inspired by this year’s competition theme, “Human Value at the Dawn of the AI Era,” bringing to the forefront the relationship between people and technology in a global context marked by accelerated change.
In April 2026, the Bog’Art Foundation launched the second edition of the NEW WAVE ART PRIZE, encouraging students from art universities to submit works reflecting their personal perspectives on how artificial intelligence is redefining human identity and relationships. The works could take the form of a painting, drawing, sculpture or installation.
Following the judging process, eight finalists were selected from the 55 entries, with each finalist receiving €500 to create the proposed work.
The final works were exhibited on Thursday, July 9, during an opening event hosted by the Sandwich Neurohope Gallery in Bucharest and reviewed by the specialist jury. During the exhibition opening, three of the finalists were named winners. The works of all NEW WAVE ART PRIZE finalists were available for public viewing at the Sandwich Neurohope Gallery until August 30, 2026.
The 2026 edition challenged students to answer essential questions:
How do we build our identity in a world where the real and the virtual can become difficult to distinguish?
What changes in the artist’s creative process?
Is AI a tool or a partner?
Can technology understand emotion, or can it only simulate it?
JURY MEMBERS
