Entries open for the Football Art Prize 2026

Following its debut in 2022, The Football Art Prize is returning in 2026 to celebrate the confluence between football and art. Organised by Touchstones Rochdale and Parker Harris, the 2026 exhibition won’t visit Rochdale due to ongoing renovations at Touchstones, but will instead open at the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield in June 2026, before travelling to the National Football Museum in Manchester from November 2026 to February 2027. 

Artists from around the world are invited to submit their work, exploring the passion, drama and unity that football inspires across communities and cultures. Open to all artists aged 18 and over, the competition welcomes entries in any two-dimensional medium, including painting, drawing, printmaking, digital art, collage, mixed media, textile, photography and moving image. Artists with a Rochdale, Sheffield or Manchester postcode receive discounted entry into the competition. 

Works will be selected by a varied panel of judges comprising: Tim Marlow OBE: Chief Executive and Director of The Design Museum, London Emmely Elgersma: Artist and Designer Jessica Naz: English Footballer for Tottenham Hotspur Harland Miller: Artist and Writer Sarah Hodgkinson: Senior Curator, Touchstones Rochdale Alison Morton: Senior Curator, Sheffield Museums Marek Romaniszyn: Curator, National Football Museum. 

Selected artists will exhibit on the tour and will be in line to win £7,000 in cash prizes. The deadline for entries is Monday 7 April 2026, 5pm; for more details on how to enter see the link below.