MATAROA AWARDS 2025

The Cultural Society of Entrepreneurs of Northern Greece and the 8th Art-Thessaloniki International Contemporary Art Fair (May 15-18, 2025), with a shared goal of promoting emerging artists (up to 33 years old) and showcasing their talent in the country’s artistic landscape, are organizing for the 5th consecutive year a themed exhibition and the corresponding emerging artists’ award titled ‘MATAROA’.

This initiative is a key pillar of the ‘MATAROA’ project by the Cultural Society, alongside the dedicated online platform, both aiming to promote contemporary Greek artistic creation and cultural activities within and beyond national borders.

Through an open call for submissions for the ‘MATAROA’ Award, more than 70 applications were received, and ten artists were selected to present their work in a specially designed exhibition space as part of the 8th Art Thessaloniki Fair.

Among these ten selected portfolios, the jury and the public will highlight the most outstanding entries, awarding a grand prize of €1,500, along with two honorary distinctions of €700 each. Additionally, the 10 selected artists will be featured on the official websites of Art Thessaloniki International Contemporary Art Fair (www.art-thessaloniki.gr) and the Cultural Society (www.culturalsociety.gr), while the MATAROA publication will dedicate a special feature to the competition’s top winner on its digital platform www.mataroa.gr.

Following the jury’s final evaluation and the processing of visitor votes from Art Thessaloniki, the official award announcement will take place within the exhibition space. The Awards Ceremony will be accompanied by a comprehensive presentation of the ‘MATAROA’ project’s journey as a platform for promoting contemporary Greek artistic creation. It will also include a discussion with participating artists on the challenges and opportunities for creators in Greece in 2025.

ARTISTS OF THE EXHIBITION
Basteas Marios Leandros
Karamanli Irini
Konstantinidi Dimitra
Nathenas Giorgos
Profitilioti Eleftheria
Soulioti Evridiki
Tsesmeli Maria
Yanchev Georgi
Zafiriou Stephanos
Zoubouli Lily

EVALUATION COMMITTEE
George Skabardonis, MATAROA Publishing Consultant
Yannis Fokas, Visual Artist, Professor Emeritus of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Dimitris Xonoglou, Visual Artist
Sania Papa, Art Historian, Lecturer of the Department of Art History, Visual Arts & Applied Arts, Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki
Giorgos Mylonas, Art Historian