COMEL Award 2026: Aluminium, Future Intertwinings
Type
Competition, Exhibition
Category
Design, Other, Painting
Status
Archived
Deadline
July 21, 2026
Application Fee
Free
Host
COMEL AWARD
Location
Milan, Italy
“Beauty will save the world.”
Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot (1869)
The 13th edition of the COMEL Award, the international competition that promotes the use of aluminium in contemporary artistic practice, is now underway. The theme chosen for 2026, “Aluminium. Future Intertwinings,” invites artists to reflect on how tomorrow is shaped through connections, relationships, and the crossing of experiences.
This edition reaches a symbolic milestone: the number 13, an identifying figure for the COMEL Award. It is the atomic number of aluminium, the number of finalist works selected each year, and now the number of this thirteenth edition. A number that embodies the journey accomplished so far and renews its meaning, marking a new stage in the Award’s evolution. Over the years, aluminium has been explored in its many expressive possibilities, shifting from an everyday material into a language of contemporary art, in a constant dialogue between matter, research, and vision.
Intertwining is both a concrete gesture and a metaphor: an intertwining of materials, languages, cultures; of tradition and innovation, memory and vision, present and future possibilities. In an era marked by rapid and sometimes destabilising transformations, the future is not a distant, undefined point but a weave that takes shape day after day through choices, encounters, and contaminations.
Within this scenario, aluminium emerges as a symbol of transformation and connection. Already a symbol of modernity for the avant-gardes of the twentieth century, today it confirms itself as a material capable of uniting technology and imagination. A metal that can be bent, intertwined, reflected, layered—capable of embodying the very idea of a future in the making.
With “Future Intertwinings,” artists are invited to engage with this relational dimension: to narrate transformations, dialogues, unexpected possibilities; to imagine the future as a space of shared growth rather than an uncertain horizon.
The call is open until 21 July 2026 and is addressed to adult artists living or working in European countries. Eligible works include painting, sculpture, photography, and installation, provided that aluminium is a fundamental material, essential to the construction of both form and meaning.
A jury of experts chaired by Prof. Giorgio Agnisola will select 13 finalist works—reflecting the atomic number of aluminium and the number of this edition—which will be exhibited at Spazio COMEL in Latina from 17 October to 7 November 2026. Among these, the Critics’ Award and the Audience Award will be assigned.
Participation is free of charge and must be completed online at www.premiocomel.it by 21 June.
The deadline for the call for entries of the XIII edition of the COMEL Award, the international competition that promotes the artistic use of alluminium, has been extended until Tuesday, July 21.
This extension follows a long-standing tradition of the Award: offering an ever‑growing number of artists the opportunity to participate and submit their work to the jury chaired by Prof. Giorgio Agnisola. This opportunity is even more meaningful this year, as the thirteenth edition will also be the final one of the COMEL Award.
After thirteen years of activity, the organizers have decided to conclude the Award’s journey with this edition, which marks the completion of a cycle rich in encounters, emotions, discoveries, and talents from across Europe.
The response to the call has been very positive so far, with applications coming from Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Turkey, Slovakia, and Belarus, as well as from Chinese and Japanese artists residing in Europe. The extension will allow new participants to join this international network of creatives that brings the COMEL Award to life each year.
The jury will select 13 finalists whose works will be exhibited at the Spazio COMEL Contemporary Art Gallery in Latina from October 17 to November 7, 2026, during the Award’s concluding exhibition.
The theme chosen for this thirteenth edition, “Future Intertwinings” invites reflection on the many possibilities that open up when we look toward tomorrow. Opportunities for growth, collaboration, and exchange that arise from the encounter between different experiences, ideas, and sensibilities. In this perspective, the future is not a source of uncertainty but a space for construction and transformation, nourished by the intertwining of stories, paths, and relationships.
Alluminium thus becomes the material of the future par excellence: a symbol of modernity and innovation since the artistic avant‑gardes of the twentieth century, and today a key player in fields ranging from industry to aerospace technologies. Light, strong, and endlessly transformable, it perfectly embodies the idea of a future open to possibility and exploration.
There is still time to find the right idea, turn it into an artwork, and submit it free of charge to the COMEL Award through the website www.premiocomel.it. A final opportunity to become part of the history of an award that, for thirteen years, has helped to enhance the dialogue between contemporary art and alluminium.
Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot (1869)
The 13th edition of the COMEL Award, the international competition that promotes the use of aluminium in contemporary artistic practice, is now underway. The theme chosen for 2026, “Aluminium. Future Intertwinings,” invites artists to reflect on how tomorrow is shaped through connections, relationships, and the crossing of experiences.
This edition reaches a symbolic milestone: the number 13, an identifying figure for the COMEL Award. It is the atomic number of aluminium, the number of finalist works selected each year, and now the number of this thirteenth edition. A number that embodies the journey accomplished so far and renews its meaning, marking a new stage in the Award’s evolution. Over the years, aluminium has been explored in its many expressive possibilities, shifting from an everyday material into a language of contemporary art, in a constant dialogue between matter, research, and vision.
Intertwining is both a concrete gesture and a metaphor: an intertwining of materials, languages, cultures; of tradition and innovation, memory and vision, present and future possibilities. In an era marked by rapid and sometimes destabilising transformations, the future is not a distant, undefined point but a weave that takes shape day after day through choices, encounters, and contaminations.
Within this scenario, aluminium emerges as a symbol of transformation and connection. Already a symbol of modernity for the avant-gardes of the twentieth century, today it confirms itself as a material capable of uniting technology and imagination. A metal that can be bent, intertwined, reflected, layered—capable of embodying the very idea of a future in the making.
With “Future Intertwinings,” artists are invited to engage with this relational dimension: to narrate transformations, dialogues, unexpected possibilities; to imagine the future as a space of shared growth rather than an uncertain horizon.
The call is open until 21 July 2026 and is addressed to adult artists living or working in European countries. Eligible works include painting, sculpture, photography, and installation, provided that aluminium is a fundamental material, essential to the construction of both form and meaning.
A jury of experts chaired by Prof. Giorgio Agnisola will select 13 finalist works—reflecting the atomic number of aluminium and the number of this edition—which will be exhibited at Spazio COMEL in Latina from 17 October to 7 November 2026. Among these, the Critics’ Award and the Audience Award will be assigned.
Participation is free of charge and must be completed online at www.premiocomel.it by 21 June.
The deadline for the call for entries of the XIII edition of the COMEL Award, the international competition that promotes the artistic use of alluminium, has been extended until Tuesday, July 21.
This extension follows a long-standing tradition of the Award: offering an ever‑growing number of artists the opportunity to participate and submit their work to the jury chaired by Prof. Giorgio Agnisola. This opportunity is even more meaningful this year, as the thirteenth edition will also be the final one of the COMEL Award.
After thirteen years of activity, the organizers have decided to conclude the Award’s journey with this edition, which marks the completion of a cycle rich in encounters, emotions, discoveries, and talents from across Europe.
The response to the call has been very positive so far, with applications coming from Italy, Germany, Spain, Greece, Switzerland, Turkey, Slovakia, and Belarus, as well as from Chinese and Japanese artists residing in Europe. The extension will allow new participants to join this international network of creatives that brings the COMEL Award to life each year.
The jury will select 13 finalists whose works will be exhibited at the Spazio COMEL Contemporary Art Gallery in Latina from October 17 to November 7, 2026, during the Award’s concluding exhibition.
The theme chosen for this thirteenth edition, “Future Intertwinings” invites reflection on the many possibilities that open up when we look toward tomorrow. Opportunities for growth, collaboration, and exchange that arise from the encounter between different experiences, ideas, and sensibilities. In this perspective, the future is not a source of uncertainty but a space for construction and transformation, nourished by the intertwining of stories, paths, and relationships.
Alluminium thus becomes the material of the future par excellence: a symbol of modernity and innovation since the artistic avant‑gardes of the twentieth century, and today a key player in fields ranging from industry to aerospace technologies. Light, strong, and endlessly transformable, it perfectly embodies the idea of a future open to possibility and exploration.
There is still time to find the right idea, turn it into an artwork, and submit it free of charge to the COMEL Award through the website www.premiocomel.it. A final opportunity to become part of the history of an award that, for thirteen years, has helped to enhance the dialogue between contemporary art and alluminium.