Arts Council Malta announced that nominations for Il-Premju għall-Arti 2026, a national celebration of excellence, innovation, and achievement in the cultural and creative sectors, are now open.

The 2026 edition will recognise artworks, projects, productions, initiatives, and achievements presented to the public during the eligibility period. These include works, programmes, exhibitions, theatrical performances, publications, screenings, and other artistic activities made available to the public between 1st September 2025 and 31st August 2026.

The Minister for Arts, Culture and National Heritage, Malcolm Paul Agius Galea, said that Premju għall-Arti provides a platform for national visibility for works of art being created in Malta's cultural scene.

"Premju għall-Arti acknowledges the people, projects, and organisations that continue to shape our country's artistic identity. The nominations phase is an important part of this process, as it gives the sector and the public a chance to propose works that made an impact, opened up discussion on new avenues, or enhanced cultural life within our communities. Malta's creative sectors are producing ambitious works full of substance, and these awards give them their due recognition."

Luke Dalli, Executive Chair of Arts Council Malta, said that Premju għall-Arti further strengthens the culture of recognition in the cultural and creative sectors, while giving visibility to the work and achievements of artists and cultural practitioners.

"Premju għall-Arti celebrates the creativity, quality, dedication and impact that our artists and cultural practitioners leave on society. With the nominations phase, we are opening this process to the sector and the general public, to jointly recognise those projects, productions and initiatives that have made an impact throughout the year. We believe that artistic excellence takes many different forms and we want this edition to authentically reflect the quality, diversity and creativity of the work being created in Malta."

For this edition, nominations will not be tied to pre-established categories. After the nominations phase closes, Arts Council Malta will evaluate all eligible nominations and establish the award categories that will form part of the application and evaluation process.

Maria Angela Vassallo, Director of Communications at Arts Council Malta and manager responsible for the Awards, spoke about how this process is intended to enable nominations to reflect the wide range of artistic practice in Malta.

"This year's nominations process is intended to give space to the whole range of work being done in the sector. For the first time, nominations are being opened without any pre-established categories, so that the Council can closely examine the works submitted, before tailoring the categories according to the realities of today's artistic practice. We encourage artists, organisations, producers, entities, and members of the general public to nominate works that have made a significant contribution to Malta's cultural and creative sectors."

Nominations may be submitted by the public, by artists and creatives, by producers and promoters, by cultural organisations, by public entities, and by private entities. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged.

Nominations can be submitted through the official Premju għall-Arti 2026 Google Form. The guidelines are available on https://artscouncilmalta.gov.mt/en/the-arts-awards/. Nominations are being accepted until 1st September 2026 at 12:00 (noon).