The Seen Mentor Prize Is Back - and This Year, There Will Be Two Winners
Applications are now open for the second annual Seen Mentor Prize - and if you've been waiting for a sign to put your work forward, this is it.
When we launched the Seen Mentor Prize last year, we weren't sure what to expect. What we got was over 100 applications from emerging artists around the world, and work that genuinely stopped us in our tracks. Choosing a single winner felt almost impossible - not because the submissions were underwhelming, but because so many of them were extraordinary.
That response told us something important: there are a lot of talented artists out there who are ready for the next step. What's missing isn't the work. It's the access.
This year, we're doing something about that in a bigger way. For the first time, the Seen Mentor Prize will have two winners.
A New Sponsored Category for Women Artists
Alongside the open category prize, we're introducing a sponsored category for women artists this year, in partnership with The Christian Levett Collection and FAMM Museum Mougins.
The winner of the sponsored category receives everything the open category winner receives, plus a one-hour portfolio review with Christian Levett - one of the world's most significant private collectors and the founder of FAMM Museum Mougins. That is not a benefit we offer lightly. Time with someone of Christian's standing and expertise in the art world is genuinely rare, and genuinely valuable.
What the Prize Is - and What It Isn't
Let's be clear about what this isn't. It isn't a prize that costs a fortune to enter and rewards you with a certificate and a vague promise of exposure. It isn't a competition designed to make organisers feel good about "supporting the arts." And it isn't aimed at artists who are already well-connected and just need another line on their CV.
The Seen Mentor Prize exists for artists who are serious about their practice and serious about their careers - and who need someone genuinely experienced in their corner to help them figure out the next move.
What Both Winners Will Receive
Three 1:1 mentorship sessions with Carrie Scott. Last year's winner received one. This year, it's three - because real mentorship isn't a single conversation. It's a process. These sessions are normally available only to Seen members at additional cost, and they are some of the most rewarding work Carrie does. Expect honest, personalised guidance on your practice, your positioning, and your path forward.
A feature interview in Have You Seen? Our editorial series exists to put emerging artists in front of the people who matter - collectors, curators, and art world professionals who are actively looking for new work.
Visibility across the Seen network. Being featured to our community means being seen by people who buy, champion, and advocate for emerging artists.
The Get Seen Workbook. Over 100 pages of everything Carrie has learned from more than two decades inside the art world. Consider it the foundation to your practice.
Outstanding applications that aren't selected as winners may also be recognised and featured across Seen's platforms. Last year's runners-up stayed with us long after the prize closed - their work, their vision, their persistence. So we decided to feature them on social and in our collector network too.
Who Should Apply
If you're an emerging artist with a strong point of view and a practice you're ready to push further, this prize is for you. That includes MFA students and recent graduates navigating the gap between academic life and the professional art world - a transition that is harder than anyone tells you, and one where experienced guidance makes an enormous difference.
Don't Just Take Our Word For It
Here's what last year's winner, textile artist Nelson, had to say about her experience:
"Carrie Scott's mentorship has been profoundly transformative for my career as an emerging textile artist. Her deep understanding of both the creative process and the contemporary art market helped me refine my practice, articulate the conceptual depth behind my material choices and present my work with clarity and confidence. Carrie encouraged me to explore the expressive potential of textile as a medium, guiding me to balance conceptual rigour with sensitivity and technical skill. Beyond creative development, her extensive relationships in the art world offered invaluable opportunities for visibility and collaboration. Through her insight, generosity, and advocacy, I've grown into an artist with confidence, purpose, and a deeply grounded sense of creative direction."
— Nelson, Nelson Contemporary Art | Winner, Seen Mentor Prize 2025
Apply Before 31 May 2026
Applications are now open. The deadline is 31 May 2026.
We want to see your work. No, really - we do. Whatever you've been making, whatever excites you, whatever feels like it's on the verge of something: submit it. That's what this prize is for.