The Vuleka Art Competition 2026, South Africa’s oldest continuous art competition, will open its exhibition at Art.b Gallery at the Arts Association of Bellville on 1 August 2026.
“Vuleka”, meaning “open” in isiXhosa, reflects the competition’s commitment to creating opportunities for emerging artists. Open to artists over the age of 18 from across Africa who have not held a solo exhibition in the past three years, Vuleka welcomes all artistic mediums, including conceptual works, and evaluates them on an equal footing.
- The competition offers a first prize of R50,000, with additional monetary awards for runners-up in 2026. This year, 127 artists from across South Africa have entered a total of 216 artworks for the competition.
Over more than 60 years, Vuleka has helped provide visibility for emerging artists and has attracted entries from artists who later became prominent figures in South African art, including William Kentridge, Sue Williamson, Christo Coetzee, Pippa Skotnes and Andries Gouws. Renowned artist Conrad Theys has sponsored VULEKA for many years, and the first prize is now known as the Conrad Theys prize.
The first round of judging was completed by 12 July, and 40 finalist artworks will proceed to the final judging round. The winner and runners-up will be announced at the exhibition opening on 1 August 2026 and will be open to the public from 11am. The exhibition will run at Art.b Gallery until 26 August 2026, where art enthusiasts and collectors are encouraged to view and purchase artworks. Works will also be available online until the end of September 2026. These can be viewed on the Art.b website
WHAT: Vuleka Art Competition 2026
WHERE: Art.b Gallery, Arts Association of Bellville, Library Centre, Carl van Aswegen Street, Bellville, Cape Town 7530
WHEN: opening: 1 August 2026 | 1 August to 26 August 2026
INFO: Mark Molenaar T 083 630 7918 | T 072 380 7268 | E artb@artb.co.za | VISIT |
Art.b GALLERY – ARTS ASSOCIATION OF BELVILLE [38]
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