Close Menu
U TRENDU
Takmičenja i nagrade

Minority Artists, Voice, and Dissidence – OHCHR and minorities

Nema komentara

Call for Applications

International Contest for Minority Artists 2026

War and Reconciliation

Call for applications are available in all UN languages: العربية | 中文 | Français | English | русский | Español.

“

Human rights are about human dignity. It is also about accountability for egregious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Much needs to be done. It will take tremendous efforts and the good will of all those involved… to foster conditions for peace, justice and reconciliation. Human rights must be central to these efforts.

“

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk

Geneva, 18 December 2025. On the occasion of minorities day – the anniversary of the adoption in 1992 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities – UN Human Rights (OHCHR) and its partners announce the launch of the fifth edition of the International Contest for Minority Artists (2026).  The 2026 theme of the Contest is War and Reconciliation.

Minority artists can play a key role in advancing peace, transitional justice, mutual understanding and reconciliation. Artists document war and conflict by preserving memories, humanizing victims, and challenging official narratives through mediums such as painting, photography, sculpture, installations, digital arts, film, music and dance. Their work can evoke empathy, provoke thought, and serve as a powerful form of protest and a tool for healing and shaping public discourse at all stages of conflict, as well as long after the cessation of open hostilities.

Artists who self-identify as belonging to a national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minority are invited to submit high-quality electronic images of five works of art related to the 2026 theme of the International Contest for Minority Artists. Women and LGBTQI+ artists belonging to minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.

The application form also requests information about the artist or artists submitting, as well as a vision statement explaining links between the artworks submitted and the theme of War and Reconciliation.

The application form also requests several affirmations, including consent to be recognized publicly, in the event of a successful application. Consent provided may be withdrawn at any time.

Up to eight, non-hierarchical awards total will be made in the following categories:

  • Main Award
  • Minority Youth Artist (reserved for artists under the age of 35 and preferentially younger than 24 as of 1 March 2026)
  • Minority Community Engagement (reserved for artists whose work actively involves or benefits the wider community, including by demonstrating a strong participatory and/or community mobilization dimension).

The deadline for submission is 1 March 2026. Applications may be submitted in any of the 6 UN official languages on the following links: العربية | 中文 | Français | English | русский | Español.

There is no fee for applying. Any intent to request fees in relation with the application process and the International Contest for Minority Artists should be reported to: ohchr-minorities@un.org. Any threats received in relation to these processes should also be reported there.

Winners are selected by an independent jury. Award winners will be announced publicly in November 2026.

Full details of criteria for evaluation, rules and other modalities, are available in the Concept Note:  العربية | 中文 | Français | English | русский | Español.

Share your voice. Drive change.

#MinorityRights #ArtForHumanRights #WarAndReconciliation #MinorityArtists4HumanRights

International Contest for Minority Artists

THE 2025 WINNERS ARE ANNOUNCED!

On 25 November, OHCHR and partners announced the 2025 winners of the 4th edition of the International Contest for Minority Artists.

The 2025 winners are:

Main Awards (non-hierarchical)

Youth Category

Honorable Mention

The 2025 theme of the Contest is Belonging, Place and Loss. The awards were presented at a public ceremony at the Centre des Arts of the International School of Geneva.

View the work of these remarkable artists.

Poster

OHCHR and its partners launched the fourth edition of the International Contest for Minority Artists (2025) on 18 December 2024, the anniversary of the adoption in 1992 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. A full description and concept note for the 2025 Contest is available in English, ARABIC, CHINESE, FRENCH, SPANISH and RUSSIAN.

240 applications were received from artists around the world. A voluntary Judges Panel reviewed the applications and selected the artists named above for recognition.

View and download the full catalogue – Belonging, Place and Loss.

Since 2022, OHCHR and its partners have organized the International Art Contest for Minority Artists. The contest aims to support minority artists committed to defending human rights around the world.  The initiative is a partnership with the civil society organisations Freemuse and Minority Rights Group International (MRG),  as well as with the City of Geneva and, in 2024, with the Centre des Arts of the International School of Geneva. Past themes of the contest:

Visual Gallery 2022-2024

In 2024, a retrospective exhibition featuring the artworks of 22 laureates of the 2022-2024 editions of the International Contest for Minority Artists was installed at the Centre des Arts of the International School of Geneva. Explore the virtual exhibition.

2025 Theme: BELONGING, PLACE AND LOSS

Minority Artists for Human Rights Initiative
Cover-2024-Global-Art-Action

The International Contest for Minority Artists is part of the Minority Artists for Human Rights Initiative (2024-2028), a comprehensive program of support for minority artists as human rights defenders. In the implementation of this action, OHCHR works in partnership with the non-governmental organizations Minority Rights Group International and Freemuse, and the City of Geneva. The action also enjoys the support of Loterie Romande, the Canton and Republic of Geneva, as well as of other contributors who wish to remain anonymous.

#AllIn4MinorityRights

Details of the initiative are available in English | French

This is the start of the journey… and a wonderful opportunity to participate in shaping it !

Inquiries to : laura.cahier@un.org and claude.cahn@un.org.

2022: International Contest for Minority Artists

Previous Editions of the International Contest for Minority Artists

2024: Memory in the Present
2024: Memory in the Present
Background

The effective exercise of minority rights is intimately linked with visions and understanding of history in the present. Minority inclusion is frequently driven by public understanding of society as welcoming diversity. Minority exclusion, by contrast, often derives from an understanding of “our history” which defines minorities outside the circle of the legitimate. At the same time, minorities often carry with them the imprint of unrectified historical injustice.

The 2024 Edition of the International Contest sheds light on the role and work of artists in the process of memorialization in different countries and contexts, and give visibility to the narratives, histories and memories expressed through arts by minority individuals and communities. More information on the 2024 contest is available in the concept note.

In 2024, a retrospective exhibition featuring the artworks of 22 laureates of the 2022-2024 editions of the International Contest for Minority Artists was installed at the Centre des Arts of the International School of Geneva. The video recording of the Opening event of the exhibition is available here.

International Minority Artist Award Laureates 2024:

International Minority Artist Award Laureates 2024: Youth Category:

Honourable Mention:

A full catalogue of the artists’ work is available here. The catalogue also provides information on minority artists human rights defenders, arts and human rights, memory, as well as details of the 2024 Judges Panel.

2023: Intersectionality

#AllIn4MinorityRights

The 2023 edition oft the International Contest celebrated minority artists working on themes relating to intersectionality and compounded forms of discrimination.

International Minority Artist Award Laureates 2023:

International Minority Artist Award Laureates 2023: Youth Category:

Honourable Mention:

A full catalogue of the artists’ work is available here. The catalogue also provides information on minority artists human rights defenders, arts and human rights, intersectionality, as well as details of the 2023 Judges Panel.

Further information, including as concerns process and criteria for the awards, is available at: 
Concept note: العربية | 中文 | English | Français | русский | Español

2022: Statelessness

Versions in العربية | Français | Pусский | Español

Cover-2022-Minority-Artists-Working-on-Statelessness-Themes

The 2022 edition of the International Contest celebrated minority artists working on statelessness themes. 

International Minority Artist Award Laureates 2022:

  • Zahra Hassan Marwan (artist and author)
  • Jean Philippe Moiseau (plastic and recycling artist)
  • Abdullah (photographer and videographer)

Honourable Mention:

  • Brang Li (painter and visual artist) 
  • Amin Taasha (painter and visual artist)
  • Naser Moradi (painter) 
  • Mawa Rannahr (painter)

A full catalogue of the artists work is available: HERE

The catalogue also includes biographies of the 5 members of the Judges Panel, information on minority statelessness and the right to nationality, and details of global action to end statelessness.

Further information, including as concerns process and criteria for the awards, is available at: international art contest Recognizing Minority Artists Working on Statelessness Themes.

The 2022 edition was organised jointly with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

The Minority Artists, Voice and Dissidence Series 2020-2022

The predecessor to the Minority Artists for Human Rights initiative was the Minority Artists, Voice and Dissidence series. The series brough together minority artists from diverse contexts to present artwork on the freedom of artistic expression. The series aimed to strengthen OHCHR and the UN system’s recognition of minority art and artists as powerful players in discourse and action on human rights—and to deepen engagement with them. 

The first event of the Minority Rights, Voice and Dissidence series—Human Rights, Art and Protest: Voice and Expression in U.S. Minority Communities in the Time of the Pandemic—was held in February 2021. It focused on artists from across a range of minority communities in the United States, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.  
 
The 2nd Human Rights Gallery of the Minority Rights, Voice and Dissidence series—Speaking Truth to Power: Religious or Belief Minority Artists, Voice and Protest—took place in May 2021. The focus was on religious or belief minorities worldwide, including in circumstances where artists may be threatened by anti-blasphemy or anti-apostasy laws, as well as by other forces limiting civic space.

A 3rd event— Human Rights Re-Imagined: A Virtual Art and Activism Tour  focussed on minority visual artists from a plurality of mediums, contexts and geographies, with due regard for gender and minority diversities.

Resources

UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural RightsUN Network on Racial Discrimination and Protection of MinoritiesOHCHR guidance on human rights in the COVID-19 pandemicOHCHR Peer-to-peer human rights methodology – #Faith4Rights toolkitFreemuse State of Artistic Freedom 2021 annual reportFreemuse Digital Toolkit for Artists

Contacts: laura.cahier@un.org, claude.cahn@un.org.

ohchr.org

Share.

Možda Vas i ovo interesuje