±∞Zachęta 2026 — Master’s and Doctoral Research Competition

Organisation: GESSEL Foundation for Zachęta – National Gallery of Art
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Funding: PLN 5,000 gross (master’s prize); PLN 20,000 gross (doctoral scholarship)
Application deadline: 30 November 2026

This listing has been translated from Polish. Applicants should consult the original Polish-language regulations for any applicable language and eligibility requirements.

About the Programme

The GESSEL Foundation for Zachęta – National Gallery of Art invites applications for the 12th edition of the ±∞Zachęta competition, supporting emerging researchers working across art history, theory and contemporary issues in art and culture.

The programme awards prizes for outstanding master’s theses and scholarships supporting the completion of doctoral dissertations. It promotes original research, new interpretative perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches to art history.

Research Focus

The competition welcomes research exploring art, art history, culture, sociology and the economics of art, and visual culture, particularly in relation to the history, activities, archives and collections of Zachęta – National Gallery of Art, the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts (TZSP) and the Central Bureau of Art Exhibitions (CBWA).

Areas of particular interest include:

• Exhibition histories and art institutions.
• Cultural policy, patronage and collecting histories.
• Curatorial practices and institutional transformations.
• Social and economic conditions of artistic production.
• International cultural exchange and developments after 1989.

These themes are not exhaustive, and the programme welcomes research proposing new questions, methodologies and perspectives.

Eligibility and Support

The competition has two categories:

• ±∞Zachęta Master’s: For researchers who defended their master’s thesis during the calendar year of the competition. The prize is PLN 5,000 gross.
• ±∞Zachęta Doctoral: For researchers in the final stages of preparing their doctoral dissertation. The scholarship is PLN 20,000 gross.

The programme aims to support emerging researchers, promote their work and encourage new approaches to artistic and institutional heritage.

Image: Zachęta – National Gallery of Art.