The City Council of Antequera has presented the 29th edition of the National Painting Contest PINTCA, which offers €7,500 in prizes and keeps the registration period open until 18 October.
The National Painting Contest Ciudad de Antequera (PINTCA) has opened its call for the 2026 edition, the 29th, with a total prize fund of €7,500. The initiative, organised by the Community of Property Owners of the Antequera Industrial Estate, is sponsored by the City Council and the Unicaja Foundation.
The official presentation took place on Thursday 23 July at the Antequera town hall, attended by the councillor for Industrial Estates, Paqui Sánchez; the councillor for Culture, José Medina Galeote; the president of the community of owners, José Antonio Barón; and Emilia Garrido, representing the Unicaja Foundation.
The contest, which has established itself as a reference point in the national painting scene, will award a first prize of €4,000, a second prize of €2,500, and a special award of €1,000 for a work that addresses the theme of Antequera, its heritage, or its people. The rules state that the technique and theme are free for the first two prizes, while the special award must be linked to the city.
Artists over 18 years old, both Spanish and foreign residents in Spain, may participate. Each author may submit a single original work, with minimum dimensions of 73 by 60 centimetres and maximum dimensions of 200 by 200 centimetres. The registration period, which opened on 15 July, ends on 18 October 2026, and applications must be formalised through the official website www.pintca.com.
After the jury's pre-selection, the selected works must be delivered physically between 3 and 7 November. The exhibition of the works will be held at the Andalusian Art Gallery Ciudad de Antequera from 27 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, and the award ceremony will take place on Friday 27 November at 19:30.
During the presentation, Paqui Sánchez highlighted the sustained growth of the contest, which has become “an essential event in the annual calendar,” with national and international projection. The councillor thanked the work of the Community of Property Owners of the Industrial Estate and the support of the sponsors, whose involvement she considered “fundamental to ensure the continuity and success of the call.”
For his part, José Medina Galeote valued the collaboration between the private initiative, the Unicaja Foundation, and the City Council to make this cultural activity possible. The councillor for Culture emphasised that the contest has greater impact each year and invited artists and citizens to participate both in the call and in the exhibition and complementary activities.
José Antonio Barón, president of the Community of Property Owners, noted that, after nearly three decades, the contest has evolved from a one-off initiative to becoming part of Antequera's cultural heritage. “We feel particularly proud to promote an initiative that has served as a showcase for artists from all over Spain, some of whom are now fully established,” he stated. He also stressed the role of the business fabric in fostering culture: “An industrial estate is not just a place where employment and wealth are generated, but it can also become a space from which culture is promoted.”
Emilia Garrido, on behalf of the Unicaja Foundation, reaffirmed the entity's commitment to a call that she considered “a benchmark for contemporary pictorial creation in Spain.” She highlighted the solidity and prestige achieved in nearly three decades, as well as its ability to generate opportunities for creators, enrich Antequera's cultural heritage, and project the image of the city as a space committed to contemporary art. Finally, she congratulated the organisation for its perseverance and encouraged artists to participate in what she described as “a magnificent example of collaboration between public and private entities in favour of culture.”
The PINTCA contest has become a launch platform for numerous artists throughout its 29 editions. This year's call maintains the spirit of support for the creation and dissemination of painting, with a special focus on promoting local identity through the special award dedicated to Antequera.
Interested parties can consult the complete rules and formalise their registration on the contest's website. The date for the inauguration and award ceremony will be 27 November at the Andalusian Art Gallery, where the public will be able to enjoy the selected works until January 2027.
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