The Art of Progress Prize is our inaugural global award where art, innovation, and sustainability intersect – supporting the next generation of creative changemakers. We invite artists aged 35 and under from anywhere in the world whose multi-sensory, environmentally conscious practices – from bio-art and data visualization to scent-driven installations – push creative boundaries.
A Selection Committee of experts will nominate ten finalists, among whom up to five will be selected to present their work in an exhibition at our Swiss headquarters on the 18th of June 2026. A distinguished international jury will then select the Grand Prize winner. The award includes a €15,000 development grant, a year-long mentorship, and potential future collaborations.
Applications open November 25, 2025, and close March 1, 2026. We look forward to your submission.
“The art of progress prize reflects our belief that art can challenge assumptions, connect people and spark solutions – bringing progress to life.”
Open to artists aged 35 or younger at the submission deadline, whether working individually or as part of a collective, in any medium and of any nationality.
Your proposal should fuse art and sustainability through multi-sensory innovation – fragrance elements are encouraged.
The open call runs from 25 November 2025 to 1 March 2026. Finalists will be notified by April 2026, and the final winner announced in June 2026.
The Grand Prize winner receives a €15,000 grant, an exhibition of their work at our headquarters in June 2026, and a year-long mentorship with our creative teams. Up to five of the ten finalists will also be invited to present their work as part of this exhibition.
Complete the online form by March 1, 2026, uploading your dossier, images/video links, and Statement of Intent.
There is no application fee.
25 November 2025 – Launch of global open call
1 March 2026 – Application deadline (23:59 CET)
March 2026 – Selection Committee review
April 2026 – Ten finalists announced; employee-wide vote
May 2026 – Jury review
June 2026 – Winner announced; award ceremony and exhibition open at our Kaiseraugst headquarters
2026-2027 – One-year mentorship for the Grand Prize winner
Our two-tier approach brings together art, science, fragrance innovation, and diverse cultural perspectives. A Selection Committee of art experts and industry leaders – spanning museums, galleries, and the fragrance sector – reviews all applications and shortlists ten finalists. An International Jury of curators, artists, dsm-firmenich employees, and thought leaders then selects the Grand Prize winner.
Founder & Director, Rosetti Firmenich Art Advisory
Astrid Rosetti is an art advisor working across post-war and contemporary art. She founded Rosetti Firmenich Art Advisory, where she supports private collectors and institutions with acquisitions, research, and collection planning. Previously, she held positions at Hauser & Wirth, Sotheby’s, and Deutsche Bank’s art collection. Alongside her advisory work, she lectures at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and Kingston University, and contributes to curatorial and institutional projects worldwide that bridge the art market and cross-cultural dialogue.
Born and raised in Morocco, Touria founded 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London in 2013, later expanding it to New York and Marrakech. Recognised as one of the 50 most powerful women in Africa by Jeune Afrique (2015, 2018, 2019), she has played a key role in championing contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora on the global stage.
Stijn Huijts is the CEO and Artistic Director of the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht. Before joining in 2012, he directed SCHUNCK* in Heerlen and the Stedelijk Museum Het Domein in Sittard. He has organized major exhibitions, including the Dutch Pavilion at the São Paulo Biennial, and recent shows with Isaac Julien, Małgorzata Mirga-Tas, Carl Cheng, and Mounira Al Solh.
Laurence Semichon began her career at Parfums Givenchy before joining Louis Vuitton in 2011 to launch its fragrance division. She later became Senior Vice President Brand at Diptyque, guiding its evolution into a global lifestyle brand. Appointed CEO in 2024, Laurence Semichon also leads the Diptyque Foundation, supporting art and environmental initiatives that inspire imagination and change.
Prateek and Priyanka Raja are the co-founders of Experimenter, a pioneering gallery with spaces in Kolkata and Mumbai. Through exhibitions and initiatives, they champion experimental practices and critical dialogue across South Asia and beyond. Prateek serves on the Art Basel selection committee and co-founded the International Gallery Alliance, while Priyanka sits on the committees of Art Dubai and The Armory Show. Together, they advocate for diverse voices and boundary-pushing artistic practices.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Raphael Fonseca is Head of Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art at the Denver Art Museum, where he has worked since 2021. He is part of the curatorial team for the 3rd Counterpublic Triennial in St. Louis (2026) and was chief curator of the 14th Mercosul Biennial (2025). His work bridges curating, art history, criticism, and education, and he holds a PhD from UERJ in Rio de Janeiro.
Stefanie Hessler (PhD) is Director of the Swiss Institute, New York. Her work focuses on artists and ideas through new commissions, collaborations, and experimental formats. At SI, she co-curated Energies and Spora, which invited artists to transform the institution through “environmental institutional critique,” as well as solo shows by Raven Chacon, Ali Cherri, and Lap-See Lam. She has also curated at the Venice Biennale, Art Basel, and Gropius Bau, and authored Prospecting Ocean (MIT Press).
Christopher K. Ho is an artist whose work addresses privilege and power. From 2021-25 he was Executive Director of Asia Art Archive, an independent non-profit dedicated to making materials on recent art in Asia accessible. He currently serves on the board of Asia Art Archive and of Powerhouse Arts, and on the Design & Architecture Acquisitions Committee of M+. He is represented by 56 Henry and PHD.
Sissel Tolaas is a Norwegian artist and researcher based in Berlin whose pioneering practice explores the language and communication of smell. For over three decades, she has created projects at the intersection of art and science, with exhibitions at MoMA, Tate Liverpool, the Venice Biennale, and Fondation Cartier, among others. Through her extensive smell archive and collaborations with cultural and commercial institutions worldwide, she challenges perceptions of the olfactory and its role in society.
Seoul-based collector and entrepreneur JaeMyung Noh is deeply committed to supporting emerging artists, driven by a sense of responsibility to champion young talents as they grow and evolve. In 2024 he founded Art OnO, a new fair in Seoul dedicated to fostering dialogue between local and international galleries while providing a platform for new voices. Through his collection and initiatives, he plays an active role in strengthening Korea’s art ecosystem and connecting it globally.
Fatoş Üstek is a curator, writer, and cultural leader developing a new institution inspired by her book The Art Institution of Tomorrow (2024). Formerly director of two major UK art institutions, she co-founded FRANK Fair Artist Pay and curated Frieze Sculpture in London. She serves on major juries and advisory boards, including the Turner Prize and Venice Biennale, mentors artists through the Chanel Next Art Prize, and lectures internationally.
All dsm-firmenich employees worldwide cast one collective vote among the ten finalists, which counts as an official Jury vote.
“Progress is collective. It’s the courage to imagine differently, to open doors for others, and to keep going even when the path isn’t mapped.”
“Like art itself, progress is rooted in the force of imagination, ever elevating us and guiding us into realms where we have never ventured.”
“For me, progress is not about following trends or moving faster. True progress is about depth rather than speed. It means keeping the dialogue between the eye and the hand alive, allowing creativity to evolve while preserving meaning. In a world that often confuses novelty with innovation, I believe real progress lies in what endures — in what continues to inspire, to move, and to make beauty a living language.”
“Progress to us means a world where empathy and compassion are core values, and where borders and the endless pursuit of them are redundant and where access to water and education isn’t scarce for any strata of society.”
“Artists offer different perspectives on held beliefs and established ideas including the linear passage of time and the notion of progress itself. We urgently need their sensitivity and their courageous ideas.”
"Progress is process towards an end. Complicating this too neat axiom is that that end is plural, and ever changing."
“Progress is not endless improvement. It is the refusal to remain blind to what is right under our noses. We have engineered a world that prioritizes the visible and neglects the volatile—the intimate, the animal, the atmospheric. To me, progress is learning to smell again. To confront what we excrete, emit, fear, desire, and try to hide. Progress is not comfort. It is exposure. It is dissolving polite distances. It is realizing that the body is never neutral, the air is never empty, and the world is already touching us—whether we acknowledge it or not.”
“To me, progress is not about speed or expansion. It is about intention — about why and how. Without asking why and how, we may move faster, but never truly move forward. The same applies to art: without questioning why and how, we cannot create anything truly original.”
“For me, progress signifies a journey toward a better, more advanced, or improved state, be it in knowledge, society, technology, or personal growth. It is the bravery to move beyond what is known, to reimagine the familiar, and to actively shape our present in ways that nurture empathy, encourage dialogue, and build more conscious and connected communities. In art, this becomes palpable: creations that not only mirror the world but transform how we perceive it, sparking change that is both immediate and profound.”
Find quick answers on eligibility, submissions, judging and timelines. For further questions, email us at: artofprogress@dsm-firmenich.com
Participants must be between 18 and 35 years of age at the time of application, working solo or in collectives, in any medium and of any nationality. Work should fuse art and sustainability through multi-sensory innovation – fragrance elements are encouraged. Ideally, submissions should be in English; if not, other languages are accepted (with an English summary ≤ 150 words).
A €15,000 grant for artistic development, alongside a year-long mentorship with our science and creative teams, and the opportunity to exhibit at our Swiss headquarters.
No. Submission and participation are completely free.
Apply through the online application form on our website during the submission window (25 November 2025 – 1 March 2026, 23:59 CET). Email submissions are not accepted.
Your dossier must include:
- Up-to-date portfolio (max 3 artworks) with titles, dimensions, and brief descriptions.
- Short artist statement (≤ 300 words) explaining how the practice engages both historical and contemporary contexts through multi-sensory approaches and sustainable practices.
- Biography & CV (≤ 2 pages).
- High-resolution JPGs (≤ 1 MB each) of up to 3 pieces, or links to hosted video (Vimeo/YouTube).
- Describe how your work embodies innovative, multi- sensory, and sustainable practices.
- Press clippings, previous awards, or exhibition history (PDF ≤ 5 MB).
Please submit your application through the online form on our website anytime between 25 November 2025 and 1 March 2026 (23:59 CET). We’re not able to accept email submissions. After you submit, you’ll receive a confirmation email—if it doesn’t arrive, feel free to check your spam folder or get in touch.
After you click Submit, you’ll see an on-screen confirmation and you’ll receive a confirmation email at the address you provided. That email means your application has been received and accepted for review. If it doesn’t arrive within a few minutes, please check your spam/junk folder and feel free to get in touch via the website.
(Kind reminder: applications can’t be amended after submission. Shortlisted finalists will be announced in April 2026.)
You can’t edit your application after it’s been submitted.
If you need to withdraw, please email artofprogress@dsm-firmenich.com with:
If you withdraw before the deadline (1 March 2026, 23:59 CET), you’re welcome to submit a new application during the window. After the deadline, withdrawals are still possible, but we won’t be able to accept a replacement submission.
Evaluation happens in two tiers. After eligibility and completeness checks, the Selection Committee reviews all submissions and announces a shortlist of ten artists in April 2026. Next, an international Jury reviews finalists in May 2026, considers the employee vote, and selects the Grand Prize winner announced at the June 2026 Award & Exhibition.
We assess clear multi-sensory integration, a demonstrable sustainability dimension, artistic merit and originality, quality of documentation, and feasibility/potential for the €15,000 grant and year-long mentorship. Due to volume, we’re not able to provide individual feedback.
Submissions will be evaluated on four key dimensions:
Ten artists will be shortlisted. Up to five finalists will be invited to exhibit at our Kaiseraugst headquarters on the 18th of June, where the Grand Prize winner will also be announced.
Up to three works per application, submitted as images or video links. You may submit a multi-piece series under a single title if conceptually connected.
No. You may submit works in progress; however, if selected for the exhibition, the artwork must be completed and ready for installation and presentation at the exhibition and award ceremony on the 18th of June 2026.
Yes, artists retain full rights. Any sales during or following exhibition are at your discretion; proceeds belong entirely to you. However, any work selected for the exhibition (and any confirmed touring presentations) must remain available for the full exhibition/touring period. If you sell the work, please ensure a loan-back or delayed-delivery arrangement with the buyer.
Ideally, all materials are submitted in English. If English is genuinely not possible, you may submit in another language provided you include a ≤150-word English summary for each non-English document (and brief English captions for any videos).
Artists retain full rights. dsm-firmenich receives a non-exclusive, royalty-free license for promotional use only.
All submitted works and application documents remain strictly confidential and are for internal review only.
All employees cast a collective vote among the 10 Finalists; that collective vote counts as one ballot in the Jury’s final decision.
Contact us as soon as possible. We’ll review options with you; however, inability to ship may compromise your opportunity to exhibit, and we may invite an alternate from the original shortlist to keep the exhibition on schedule.
General inquiries and application support: artofprogress@dsm-firmenich.com Press/media inquiries: press@dsm-firmenich.com
If you have any additional questions, please refer to our full Rules & Terms document in the Resources section or email artofprogress@dsm-firmenich.com.
Learn about the terms & conditions to join the competition.
Questions about eligibility, submissions, or press? We’re here to help.
