COAL ART AND ENVIRONMENT AWARD

A call for projects is open each year for the COAL Prize. It is announced on this site as well as our social networks. Any application sent outside the call for projects will not be processed. To be kept informed of the launch and our activities, subscribe to our mailing list or follow us on our Facebook, linkedin and Instagram accounts.

PRESENTATION

The COAL Prize wants to reveal the richness of the answers brought by the artists to the current ecological problems and to accompany the emergence of a new culture of the nature and the sustainability. The global ecological crisis, which is manifested by climate change, the erosion of biodiversity, the depletion of resources, and various forms of pollution, is above all a cultural challenge, determined by our individual and collective behavior.

The COAL Prize is addressed to artists who, throughout the world, use their talents to imagine and experiment with solutions, to bear witness to and accompany the transformation of territories, lifestyles, organizations, and modes of production. Together, they participate in building a new collective narrative, a new imaginary, a developing common heritage, a positive, optimistic and essential framework for everyone to find the motivation to implement the necessary changes towards a more sustainable world.

The COAL Prize aims to highlight to the general public and political actors these other ways of understanding the complexity of the climate and ecological challenge through a multiplicity of views and creative alternatives. Each year, the COAL Prize honors ten projects by artists working in the field of visual arts in connection with environmental issues. They are selected through an international call for projects. The winner is awarded the COAL Prize by a jury of art and ecology personalities.

The COAL Art and Environment Prize is now an international event that attracts many renowned artists and pioneers of art related to ecology. This success testifies to the creative potential of the plastic arts on this theme through the great wealth of approaches proposed.

In fourteen editions, the COAL Prize has received more than six thousand entries from over 60 countries. Created in 2010 by the association COAL, the Prize is supported and placed under the high patronage of the European Union and the European network Art Climate Transition, the Ministry of Culture and the French Office for Biodiversity. It is also supported by the François Sommer Foundation and the Fondation LAccolade – Institut de France. Each edition also gives rise to dedicated partnerships, according to the annual themes.

ISSUES

The COAL Prize constitutes a base of legitimacy for the axis “Art and Ecology”. It offers a great visibility to the winning projects and favors the connection with partners likely to participate in the realization of the projects. COAL accompanies the nominated artists and makes available its skills and network in the field of art and sustainable development.

The call for projects is also an opportunity to promote artists who are involved and to demonstrate the creative potential of visual arts on the theme of the environment. COAL facilitates the connection of these artists with scientists and stakeholders, produces, enhances and promotes projects identified by the call for projects through exhibitions, events and commissions. The COAL Prize supports artistic projects in progress or to come. Its endowment is not intended to cover the totality of the production costs of the project and must be considered as an aid to its development.

THE COAL PRIZE ENDOWMENT

The COAL Prize is endowed with a grant of 12000€ and a residence at the Domaine de Belval, property of the François Sommer Foundation.

A special prize of the jury will also reward an artist with a grant of 3000€.

In addition, each edition gives rise to specific partnerships, possibly in connection with the institutional and cultural field targeted by the annual theme. These partnerships are specifically mentioned. In 2023, the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles/Paris and the Ateliers Médicis bring two special mentions within the framework of the edition “PLANTE!

The François Sommer Foundation , recognized as a public utility since its creation on November 30, 1966, was created by François and Jacqueline Sommer, pioneers in the implementation of a humanist ecology. Faithful to the commitments of its founders, it works for the protection of a biodiversity where man finds his rightful place, for the respectful use of the resources of nature and the sharing of the wealth of the natural, artistic and cultural heritage.

The domain of Belval is located in the commune of Belval-Bois-des-Dames, in the French Ardennes. With a surface area of nearly 1000 enclosed hectares, it is essentially forested and covered with meadows and 40 hectares of ponds. A true observatory of rurality and wildlife, it welcomes each year artists selected for their contribution to the renewal of the vision of the relationship between man and his natural environment. As a testimony to the Foundation’s commitment to supporting contemporary artistic creation, the residency at the Belval estate contributes to the dissemination of the artists’ works to a wide audience. It also puts at the service of the creation a network of complementary skills carried by the scientific and educational teams of the Museum of Hunting and Nature and those of the Belval estate. We invite you to consult the charter on the COAL website.
> See the residence charter

SELECTION OF NOMINEES

The nominated projects are selected by a committee of art and sustainable development professionals from among all the projects received in the framework of an international call for projects launched for each edition. The selection criteria for projects take into account artistic value, Relevance (understanding the issues), originality (ability to propose new approaches, themes or angles of view), pedagogy (ability to convey a message, to raise awareness), social and participatory approach (commitment, testimony, efficiency, societal dynamics), eco-design and feasibility of projects

AWARDS

The COAL award ceremony takes place every year in a prestigious place in the presence of the artists and the Jury (Comptoir Général, Laboratoire, Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature). The event hosted by COAL gives the jury, artists and partners a voice. A catalog presenting the ten nominated projects is published for the occasion. COAL gathers each year personalities of art and sustainable development in the jury of the Prize.

PREVIOUS EDITIONS

Edition 2022

Theme: Oceans
Jury: Bruno David, Mark Dion, Catherine Dobler, Marc Feldman, Christine Germain-Donnat, Hélène Guenin, Elsa Guillaume, Olivier Lerude, Léo Marin, Anne-Marie Melster, Romain Troublé
Finalist artists: Brandon Ballengée (USA), Benessere (international collective), Julien Berthier (FR), Antoine Bertin (FR), Marina Gioti (Greece), Hélène Gugenheim (FR), Pam Longobardi (USA), Kasia Molga (UK / Poland), Capucine Vever (France), Michel Wang (USA)
Winner : Marina Gioti, for her project Sounding the Silent World.
Award ceremony: 8.06.21 at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris, on the occasion of World Oceans Day.

Edition 2021

Theme: Forest
Jury: Frédérique Aït-Touati, Daria de Beauvais, Catherine Dobler, Christine Germain, Paul Jarquin, Olivier Lerude, Charlotte Meunier, Nataša Petrešin-Bachelez, Marc-André Selosse, Joelle Zask
Finalist artists: Karin Bolender (USA), Marjolijn Dijkman (Netherlands), Sara Favriau (FR), Collectif Fibra (Peru), Julie C. Fortier (Canada), Beya Gille Gacha (FR), Noémie Goudal (FR), Vincent Laval (FR), Érik Samakh (FR), Feda Wardak (FR)
Winners: Gabriela Flores Del Pozo, Lucia Monge and Gianine Tabja, from the Fibra collective
Award ceremony: 16.06.21 at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris.

2020 Edition

Theme: life and biodiversity
Finalist artists: Minerva Cuevas, Anthony Duchêne, Paul Duncombe, Lia Giraud, Louis Guillaume, Hypercomf, Spela Petric, Victor Remère, Eléonore Saintagnan and Linda Sanchez
Jury: Christophe Aubel, Julie Chénot, Jean-Max Colard, Felizitas Diering, Christine Germain, Fabrice Hyber, Olivier Lerude, Charlotte Meunier
Winners : Paul Duncombe (FR), for his project Manicouagan. A special mention of the jury was also awarded to Eléonore Saintagnan (BE), for her Sparrows Project.

2019 Edition
Theme: Climate, Disasters and Travel
Finalist artists: Firoz Mahmud, FLATFORM, honey & bunny (Dr. Sonja Stummerer and Martin Hablesreiter), Jad El Khoury, Justin Brice Guariglia, Lena Dobrowolska and Teo Ormond-Skeaping, Lucy Hayto, Maria Lucia Cruz Correia, Mélanie Pavy, Mélanie Trugeon and Claire Malary
Jury: Paul Ardenne, Claude d’Anthenaise, Monique Barbaroux, Hannah Entwisle Chapuisat, Claire Hoffman, Walter Kaelin, Richard Le Quellec, Lucy Orta, François Rivasseau, Elodie Royer
Winners: Lena Dobrowolska and Teo Ormond-Skeaping (PL and GB), for their project You never know, one day you too may become a refugee
Award ceremony: 28.11.19 at the Centre Pompidou, Paris and 04/12/19 at the French Pavilion, COP25, Madrid.

2018 Edition

Finalist artists: Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, Belén Rodriguez, Cecilia Jonsson, Clément Richem, Élise Alloin, Jaques Lœuille, Jason Decaires Taylor, Lise Autogena, Joshua Portway and Ele Carpenter, Martine Feipel and Jean Bechameil, Rocio Berenguer
Jury : Claude d’Anthenaise, Monique Barbaroux, Pierre Emmanuel Becherand, Nicola Delon, Martin Guinard-Terrin, Marianne Lanavère, Marnix Bonnike
Winners : Jacques Lœuille (FR), Winner of the 2018 COAL Award, for the project The Birds of America and Martine Feipel & Jean Bechameil (BE), winners of the COAL Special Prize for their project Emergency City – Apus Apus
Awards Ceremony: 24.10.18 at the Museum of Hunting and Nature, Paris.

2017 Edition

Finalist artists: Afour Rhizome, Erich Berger and Mari Keto, Isabelle Daëron, Abdessamad El Montassir, La Vallée, Martin Le Chevallier, The New Ministry of Agriculture, Gideon Mendel, Anaïs Tondeur.
Jury : Claude d’Anthenaise, Christophe Aubel, Monique Barbaroux, Nathalie Blanc, Chantal Colleu-Dumond, François Hers, Isabelle Le Galo Flores, Frédéric Martel, Lucy Orta
Winner : Anne Fischer (FR) for the project Rising from its Ashes
Award ceremony: 29.11.17 at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris.

2016 Edition

Finalist artists: Florian Bérenguer, Alex Cecchetti, Futurefarmers, Louise Hervé and Chloé Maillet, Jenny Lee, Emeric Lhuisset, Zeno Franchini and Francesca Gattello, Heidi Quante and Alicia Escott, Marie Velardi.
Jury: Under the honorary presidency of Mrs. Ségolène Royal, Minister of the Environment, Energy and the Sea, with Claude d’Anthenaise, Laurence Monnoyer-Smith, Stéphane Foucart, Paul-Marie Grangeon, Béatrice Josse, Olivier Lerude, Jérôme Sans.
Winner : Angelika Markul (FR) for the project Tierra del Fuego
Award ceremony: 12.10.16 at the Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Sea, Paris.

2015 Edition

Theme: Climate – Creation of a special Oceans Award
Finalist artists: Collective Disaster, FICTILIS (Timothy Furstnau and Andrea Steves) , Alex Hartley , Monte Laster, Livin Studio (Katharina Unger and Julia Kaisinger),Mare Liberum, MELD, Julie Navarro, Stéfane Perraud and Aram Kebabdjian, Yesenia Thibault-Picazo.
Jury : Claude d’Anthenaise, Agnès b., Élodie Bernollin, Élodie Cazes, Philippe Cury, Anne Ged, Emma Lavigne.
Winners: Alex Hartley, Winner of the COAL Prize 2015, for the project Nowhere and Elsa Guillaume, Winner of the COAL Special Prize Oceans, for the project Coral Cosmography
Award ceremony: 17.09.15 at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris.

2014 Edition
Theme: Paris
Finalist artists: Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison, Étienne de France, Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller, Åsa Sonjasdotter, Geoffroy Mathieu, Naziha Mestaoui, Natalie Jeremijenko, Michael Pinsky, Igor Ponosov, Ettore Favini
Jury : Claude d’Anthenaise, Patrick Degeorges, Valérie Duponchelle, Pierre-Henri Gouyon, Catherine Larrère, Dominique Lestel, Laurent Le Bon, Jacques Martial, Raphaël Ménard, Pierre Oudart.
Winner: Asa Sonjasdotter (SWE) for the project High Diversity
Award ceremony: 10.04.14 at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris.

2013 Edition
Theme: Adaptation
Finalist artists: Ivana Adaime Makac, Damien Chivialle, Nicolas Floc’h, Amy Franceschini Futurefarmers, Hanna Husberg Laura McLean Kalliopi Tsipni-Kolaza, Matthew Moore/ Digital Farm Collective, Liliana Motta, Zhao Renhui, Anna Katharina Scheidegger, Laurent Tixador
Jury: Claude d’Anthenaise, Judith Benhamou-Huet, Patrick Degeorges, David Edwards, Jennifer Flay, Thomas Grenon, Raphaël Ménard, Chiara Parisi, Jacques Rocher, Gilles Tiberghien.
Winner: Laurent Tixador (FR) for the project Architecture Transitoire
Award ceremony: 02.04.13 at Le Laboratoire, Paris. Private art center dedicated to Art+Science research, founded by David Edwards.

2012 Edition
Theme: Rurality
Finalist artists: Maria Thereza Alves (BRA), Brandon Ballengée (USA), Cape Farewell (GB), Andrea Caretto and Raffaella Spagna (ITA), Olivier Darné (FR), Fabriques Architectes, exploitation agricole du Vernand et Polyculture (FR), Suzanne Husky (FR), Kultivator (SWE), RADO (FR), Save as draft (FR)
Jury: Fabrice Bousteau, Anne-Marie Charbonneaux, Gilles Clément, David Edwards, Jean-Guy Henckel, Sébastien Kopp, Raphaël Ménard, Pierre Paliard, Billy Suid, Pascal Yonet.
Winner: Olivier Darné (FR) for the Banque de Reines project
Award ceremony: 13.03.12 at Le Laboratoire, Paris. Private art center dedicated to Art+Science research, founded by David Edwards.

2011 Edition
Finalist artists : Ackroyd & Harvey (UK), Andrea Polli and Chuck Varga (US), Arnaud Verley & Philemon (FR), Art orienté Objet (FR), Dr Daro Montag (UK), Das numen (GER), Erik Sjodin (SW), Isabelle Daeron (FR), Jae Rhim Lee (US), The Migrant Ecologies Project (SG), Lucy+Jorge Orta (FR), Olga Kisseleva (RU), Peter Fend (US), Stefan Shankland (FR).
Jury: Bernard Blistène, Dominique Bourg, David Buckland, Anne-Marie Charbonneaux, David Edwards, Philippe Jousse, Jacques Rocher, Jean-Pierre Sicard, Laurence Tubiana.
Winner : Stefan Shankland (FR) for the project Marbre d’Ici
Award ceremony: 24.05.11 at Le Laboratoire, Paris. Private art center dedicated to Art+Science research, founded by David Edwards.

2010 Edition
Finalist artists: Art Orienté Objet, Pascal Bircher, Thierry Boutonnier, Hehe, Magali Daniaux & Cédric Pigot, Olivier Leroi, Frédéric Pradeau, Momoko Seto, Philippe Terrier Hermann.
Jury: Paul Ardenne, Nathalie Blanc, Ari Brodach, Denis Couvet, Lorenzo Fiaschi, Fabrice Hyber, Guy Tortosa, Anne-Marie Charbonneaux, Jean- Pierre Sicard.
Winner: Thierry Boutonnier (FR) for the project Assolement
Award ceremony: 30.03.10 at Comptoir Général, Paris.

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