Artistic Creation Contest

The Artistic Creation Contest is the annual competition through which the Student Recreation Centre (CALUM) recognises and showcases the creativity of UPV students. With more than twenty editions held so far, it was known as the Painting and Photography Contest until 2022. Selected and award-winning works are exhibited at the Centre, and the winning works join the Casa de l’Estudiant collection of the UPV Art Fund.

Who can take part

  • Students enrolled in any UPV bachelor’s, official master’s or doctoral programme.
  • Winners of the immediately previous edition are not eligible for a prize.
  • Works are submitted anonymously, without signature or identifying marks.

Categories and formats

  • Physical work: longest side of one metre at most, mounted on a rigid support (stretcher, board, foam board, Forex) made of stable materials; no frame.
  • Digital work: JPG images, or MOV animations and videos of up to 5 minutes, delivered on a USB stick.
  • Works are delivered packed (bubble wrap or kraft paper) in an envelope showing only the title on the outside.

Prizes

The jury awards six prizes (a total of €3,200 in the 21st edition), subject to the applicable tax withholding. Prizes cannot be combined or split and may be declared void.

CategoryFirst prizeSecond prizeThird prize
Physical work€1,000€500€300
Digital work€800€400€200

Jury and criteria

The selection committee (jury) is chaired by the Vice-Rector for Art, Science, Technology and Society; the President of the UPV Student Council acts as secretary, and it is completed by a representative of the Fine Arts Faculty student delegation, an external professional from the visual arts or cultural management, and the winner of the previous edition. The procedure is handled by the Vice-Rectorate for Students and Entrepreneurship and the final decision is issued by the Rector.

  • 30% originality
  • 40% technical quality
  • 30% artistic quality

How to take part

  1. Read the rules of the current edition (below) and prepare your work in one of the accepted formats.
  2. Submit the application (annex II of the rules) through the UPV Electronic Office (opens in a new tab) or the Spanish Common Electronic Registry (opens in a new tab), addressed to the Vice-Rectorate for Students and Entrepreneurship.
  3. Hand in the work together with the registry receipt at the Information Desk of the Student Recreation Centre (building 4K, Vera campus) or at the information desks of the Alcoi and Gandia schools during opening hours. You will get a receipt.
  4. Check this website and the activities section for the provisional and final lists of admitted entrants (10 working days for appeals), the jury’s decision and the dates of the exhibition and the award ceremony.
  5. If you win, confirm acceptance of the prize within 5 days of notification.

21st edition (2026)

Submission period: from the day after the summary is published in the DOGV until 5 October 2026. Final decision no later than 31 October 2026.

Poster of the 21st Artistic Creation Contest 2026

Previous editions

Jury decisions and announcements of every edition. For the 20th edition you can also see the award ceremony and the exhibition; for the 19th, the award ceremony and the exhibition.

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