Huge interest from artists worldwide in the Art Moves Competition! This year, the competition was held under the slogan “Fear or courage? How can we stop fearing tomorrow and start creating it together?”. We already know the laureates—the winner and seven honoured artists.
The Art Moves International Billboard Art Festival is the world’s only festival dedicated to billboard art, having showcased and promoted this genre of public art for 19 years. As part of the festival, works by artists from around the globe—addressing important, contemporary issues—are displayed across the urban landscape of Toruń. This year, artworks reflecting the event’s central theme—“Fear or Courage? How to stop fearing tomorrow and start co-creating it?”—will be exhibited on media typically used for advertising, such as billboards, citylights, and LED screens.
One of the main elements of the festival is the annual international competition for the best billboard work. For the competition exhibition, the most interesting pieces by talented artists from all over the world are selected. These works constitute a creative artistic statement centred around the festival’s competition slogan. We prepare the topics for our annual competition in such a way, as to make them reflect the processes and social phenomena that shape the contemporary, global world. These topics are rooted in our deep sociological, psychological and philosophical considerations and they testify to our concern with the shape of the reality surrounding us. This year, the theme of the Art on Billboards Competition was “Fear or courage? How can we stop fearing tomorrow and start creating it together?”. 418 artists from 52 countries entered the contest. We received more than 800 artworks from USA, Uruguay, Indie, Chine, Germany and many others!
One of the most influential emotions shaping the contemporary world is fear. It has become an essential tool of social impact, present in politics, economics, the media, and the digital space. Continuously inundated with information and visions of upcoming crises, dangers, and catastrophes, we begin to paint a gloomy picture of reality. We stop trusting ourselves and others, and feel alienated and frightened. We live under constant tension, overstimulation, and uncertainty. Fear paralyses individuals and entire societies. It hinders decision-making and reduces a sense of agency and responsibility. Instead of growing up and deciding about our own lives, we step back into passivity and dependency, hoping someone else will decide for us. More people fear the future, relationships, and a world that is becoming unpredictable and unstable. Are we really living in the most dangerous times? Maybe it is not the reality that is terrifying, but the story we hear about it? Maybe it is time to stop fearing, face the difficulties we encounter, and open up to others? Courage does not mean a lack of fear. It is the decision to act despite fear, the ability to think independently, take responsibility, build relationships, reach out to others, and consciously participate in this reality here and now. Without our participation, there will be no present or future where we want to live together. So, it is worth thinking about what we can choose and do to stop fearing tomorrow and start creating it together.
The jury panel composed of artists and curators, including:
Adam Niklewicz / artist / North Haven, Connecticut, USA
Mark Titchner / artist / London, Great Britain
Małgorzata Augustyniak / art historian, proxy of the management board AMS SA / Warsaw, Poland
Joanna Górska / artist, curator, Art Moves Festival art director/ Toruń, Poland
selected 8 most interesting projects which will be exhibited on billboards during the Art Moves Festival 2026.
Here is the list of honoured artists:
Shakib Sharifi / Iran
Ömercan Göktürk / Türkiye
Liliana Pelc / Poland
Saad Zannane / Morocco
Agata Adaszek / Poland
Wojciech Janicki / Poland
Caroline Hyder / USA
Muzaffar Yulchiboev / Uzbekistan
The Main Award of 6500 PLN receives Shakib Sharifi from Iran. Congratulation for the winner and the authors of singled out works!
Shakib Sharifi / Iran – competition winner
Caroline Hyder / USA – honoured artwork
Liliana Pelc / Polska – honoured artwork
The festival starts on 4th of September 2026 in Toruń / Poland.
We would like to say „Thank you” all artists who submitted their works and invite them for checking up for next year’s topic.
Art Moves Festival was held under the honorary patronage of Piotr Całbecki, Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and Paweł Gulewski, President of Toruń
The festival has been co-funded by the Local Authorities of Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region and Toruń Municipality
Partnerzy:
Patroni medialni:
