Entries now open for 2025 Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition

Entries are now officially open for the 2025 Sasol New Signatures Visual Arts Competition, South Africa’s premier platform for emerging visual artists. Now in its 35th year of Sasol’s sponsorship, Sasol New Signatures remains the most prestigious platform for emerging artists to break into the professional art world.

It is a launchpad for creative careers, a celebration of bold and fresh ideas, and a testament to the transformative power of visual storytelling and the ability of art to inspire, challenge, and connect.

Under the custodianship of the Association of Arts Pretoria, the Sasol New Signatures has a proud legacy of launching the careers of some of South Africa’s most respected and recognisable contemporary artists. Many former winners and finalists have gone on to establish themselves nationally and internationally, having their work showcased in leading galleries, museums, and biennales.

Some of the most notable names to emerge from the past  35 years of Sasol’s patronage of the competition include: Candice Breitz (merit – 1991), Johan Thom (Judge’s Award – 2001), Mohau Modisakeng (winner – 2011), Haroon Gunn-Salie (merit – 2013), Lebohang Kganye (winner – 2017),  and Patrick Rulore (winner – 2019).

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“We are delighted to once again open the call for entries to South Africa’s longest-running and respected art competition. Thanks to the continued support from Sasol and our logistical partner, Stuttaford Van Lines, the competition is free to enter, making it one of the most accessible high-profile competitions in the country. Sasol New Signatures remains both inclusive and artistically rigorous, dedicated to showcasing emerging talent. We are looking for work that is original, bold in vision, and capable of sparking thought and emotion,” said Pfunzo Sidogi, chairperson of Sasol New Signatures. 

The competition is open to all South African artists aged 18 and older who have not yet held a solo exhibition, except for academic exhibitions such as those for a master’s degree.

Artists working across all visual media, from traditional painting and drawing to printmaking, sculpture, photography, video, and installation, are encouraged to enter. Artists who are represented by established galleries or agents, or who are employed as full-time lecturers in visual art or design, are not eligible.

The overall winner will receive R100, 000, as well as the opportunity to present a solo exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum in 2026. The runner-up will receive R25, 000, and five merit award winners will each receive R10, 000.