About the Open Call

The Dalí’s special exhibition, _Alberto Giacometti & Salvador Dalí: Through & Beyond Surrealism_, created in partnership with the Fondation Alberto et Annette Giacometti, brings together paintings, sculptures and archival materials by Alberto Giacometti (1901–1966) alongside works by Salvador Dalí. The exhibition highlights the unexpected affinities between the two artists, whose creative dialogue began in the 1930s despite their stylistic differences. The Dalí’s Existentialism Contest draws inspiration from the surreal and existential themes that shaped both artists’ work. Both Giacometti and Dalí left the Surrealist movement—Giacometti in 1935 and Dalí in 1939—yet continued to share key artistic concerns. Dalí’s fascination with “double images” paralleled Giacometti’s focus on the shifting, phenomenological experience of the human figure in space. Each artist explored isolated figures: Dalí through austere, unsettling landscapes and Giacometti through increasingly slender sculptures seemingly consumed by surrounding space. Their work reflects a shared preoccupation with human solitude and existential vulnerability. Giacometti’s standing figures, often interpreted through the lens of Existentialism, embody themes of individuality, isolation and responsibility. Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, however, offered a subtler view. In his 1948 essay “Search for the Absolute,” he noted that Giacometti’s figures appear distant and dissolve into pure visibility—more illusion than physical presence. For The Dalí’s Existentialism Contest, we invite you to challenge perceptions of reality and share your own Existentialist art. All entries will be juried by a panel of Dalí Museum staff members, narrowing the submissions to three (3) finalists, and posted on TheDali.org by February 18, 2026. Public voting will run February 18 – March 23 on TheDali.org. Winners will be contacted and announced by April 1, 2026. The first-place winner will receive the grand prize (including Museum admission tickets and merchandise from The Dalí Museum Store). The second and third place winners will receive individual prizes of merchandise from The Dalí Museum Store. Following the contest, a selection of submissions will be included in an online exhibition on TheDali.org. Art will be judged on the following criteria: originality, skill/technique, composition, concept and lighting.

What is Offered

The first-place winner will receive the grand prize (including Museum admission tickets and merchandise from The Dalí Museum Store). The second and third place winners will receive individual prizes of merchandise from The Dalí Museum Store. Following the contest, a selection of submissions will be included in an online exhibition on TheDali.org.

Requirements

The submitted artwork must be original, created by the submitter. The contest is open to residents of the 50 United States and its territories, as well as international entries, who are at least 18 years old at the time of entry. All entries must be original, created by the entrant and cannot have been previously published, won another competition or contest or been used for advertising or promotional purposes. Each entrant may submit only one (1) artwork and must be submitted as a digital image in the following format: jpg (2MB or less) by Sunday, February 1, 2026. By entering this contest, you grant The Dalí the right to use and share submitted photo(s) on our social media platforms and website. We will credit the photographer when sharing the photo, but participants should be aware that their entries may be featured publicly. No purchase is necessary to enter or win. The contest has no affiliation with Facebook, Instagram or any other third-party platform. We reserve the right to change these rules at any time.

How to Apply

Create an original work of art inspired by Existentialism. All materials are welcome (e.g. oil, watercolor, acrylic, digital painting, mixed media). Upload your original design and description below by February 1, 2026. Please submit files as jpgs (2MB or less). One submission per person is accepted.