$15,000 award invites artists aged 18–45 to imagine ‘Africa in 2100’; deadline 31 March 2026
Image from the Chizi Wigwe Prize Launch.
The 1952 Africa Foundation, in partnership with the HOW Foundation, has announced the launch of the inaugural Chizi Wigwe Prize for African Futurism. The new award offers $15,000 to an exceptional African artist whose work engages the theme ‘Africa in 2100’.
Positioned as a platform for speculative and forward-looking artistic practice, the prize seeks to support artists envisioning the continent’s future through the lens of African Futurism. The initiative reflects the Foundation’s commitment to fostering a dynamic and inclusive creative landscape in which African artists actively shape global cultural discourse.
Theme: Africa in 2100
Rooted in the conceptual framework of African Futurism, the prize foregrounds practices that bring together cultural heritage, technological imagination and speculative inquiry. Applicants are invited to respond to a series of guiding questions, including:
- What might African societies look like in 2100?
- How could technological innovation reshape cultural traditions, art and knowledge systems across the continent?
- What role might Africa play in addressing global challenges and advancing shared futures?
African Futurism, as distinct from broader Afrofuturist discourse, centres the continent’s own cosmologies, histories and lived realities while imagining technologically and socially transformative futures grounded in local contexts.
Eligibility and disciplines
The Chizi Wigwe Prize is open to artists and creatives across Africa aged 18 to 45. All artistic disciplines and media are eligible, including, but not limited to, visual arts, performance, digital practices, design, and interdisciplinary forms.
Applicants must submit an original project aligned with the theme ‘Africa in 2100’.
Submission requirements
Applications must include:
- Project Proposal: A detailed outline of the proposed work, clearly demonstrating its engagement with African Futurism and the thematic focus.
- Portfolio: A curated selection of previous works reflecting the artist’s practice and vision.
- Curriculum Vitae or Résumé: A summary of professional experience and achievements.
- Reference Letter: A letter of recommendation from an art director or senior representative of an art or cultural institution, attesting to the applicant’s merit and potential.
- Statement of Purpose: A concise statement of no more than one page outlining the applicant’s artistic goals and how the prize would support their development.
Applications must be submitted via the designated online form.
Deadline and enquiries
The deadline for submissions is 31 March 2026.
For further information, applicants may contact the Foundation at info@1952africa.art.
Through the Chizi Wigwe Prize, the 1952 Africa Foundation positions artistic imagination as a critical site for projecting alternative futures. By inviting artists to envision ‘Africa in 2100’, the prize situates creative practice at the centre of conversations about technological transformation, cultural continuity and continental agency in the century ahead.
Applications for the Chizi Wigwe Prize for African Futurism close on 31 March 2026.
