NN Art Award 2025

During Art Rotterdam 2025, the NN Art Award will be presented for the ninth time. This prize celebrates talented artists who have graduated from a Dutch institution and are showcasing their work at the fair. The award not only offers recognition but also supports artists in developing and presenting their practice. The winner of the NN Art Award will be announced during the festive award ceremony in Kunsthal Rotterdam on Friday, March 28, 2025 at 20:00 CET.

A partnership with impact
Since 2017, Nationale-Nederlanden (part of NN Group) has partnered with Art Rotterdam, presenting an annual award to outstanding contemporary art talent with an innovative and authentic artistic voice. The selected works often address societal themes and demonstrate remarkable technical execution. The award is not limited to emerging talent but also recognises artists who are further along in their careers. With multidisciplinary selection criteria, all media types are eligible to be included in the NN Art Award.

A springboard for artists
The winner will receive €10.000, intended to further develop their practice and reach a wider audience. Also this year, the nominees will have the unique opportunity to exhibit their work at Kunsthal Rotterdam. The exhibition will run from 15 March to 11 May 2025. Last year, more than 110.000 people visited the exhibition. Also, all four nominees will be featured in an article on GalleryViewer.com. In addition, Nationale-Nederlanden purchases work from one or more of the nominees for its corporate collection.

Spotlight on talent and excellence in education
The NN Art Award underscores the exceptional quality of art education in the Netherlands. Artists from around the world are drawn to prestigious institutions such as the Rijksakademie, De Ateliers, the Jan van Eyck Academie and the Piet Zwart Institute.

Looking back on 2024
Last year’s award went to Peim van der Sloot, represented by Brinkman & Bergsma. Van der Sloot reflected: “Winning the NN Art Award in 2024 was a surprising and fantastic start to the year. It allowed me to deepen my practice by creating new work, which I was able to present on international stages, including an art fair in Los Angeles. I am incredibly grateful for these opportunities; it was undoubtedly one of the highlights of my year. I also had the time to explore certain themes more deeply, such as my new series paying homage to pointillism. These works, inspired by light and nature in Amsterdam, will be on view in a solo exhibition at Huize Frankendael from February onwards. We will organise a special tour and dinner for GalleryViewer readers, and everyone is welcome to join.”

The jury and selection
Each year, a rotating jury of art professionals selects four nominees and ultimately chooses the winner. The jury combines various disciplines including art journalists, curators, museum directors, artists, collectors and the curator of the NN Art Collection.

This year’s jury consists of:
• Marianne Splint, Director of Kunsthal Rotterdam
• Peim van der Sloot, artist and winner of the NN Art Award 2024
• Nadine van den Bosch, curator, author, and co-founder and director of Young Collectors Circle
• Miluska van ’t Lam, Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar
• Maartje de Roy van Zuydewijn, curator of the NN Art Collection
Galleries who exhibit at the fair can nominate artists for the award. Additionally, the curator of the Prospects section of the Mondriaan Fund will also submit five proposals this year, selecting the most promising talent featured in the exhibition. The four nominees for the NN Art Award 2025 will be announced mid February.

Festive award ceremony at Kunsthal Rotterdam
The winner of the NN Art Award will be announced during the festive award ceremony in Kunsthal Rotterdam on Friday, March 28, 2025 at 20:00 CET. During this festive evening, all exhibitions, including the NN Art Award exhibition, can be viewed freely by the guests present.

About Nationale-Nederlanden
Nationale-Nederlanden (part of NN Group) is an international financial services provider with a long-standing tradition of supporting art and culture.