​BREIF

 

The BARON PRIZE celebrates work that demonstrates conceptual strength alongside a developing ethical and critical awareness of themes surrounding sex, sexuality, gender, and identity. Submissions may be new or existing work, archival or unpublished. We welcome artists, photographers, and filmmakers of any medium from around the world, provided you are aged 18 or older. Your entry should include both the work itself and a written context: an Artist Statement (explaining the meaning and relevance of your work) and an Artist Bio (introducing your practice and background).

 

SUBMISSION

 

Your application must include:

​

• One single work in any medium (not a series or body of work).

• Artist Statement (maximum 250 words).

• Artist Bio (maximum 250 words).

 

File Requirements

​

• For still work: one JPEG file (max. 5MB).

• For moving image: one film (max. 5 minutes) submitted via the web link on application form.

• For 3D work: exhibition views via photos, scans, or a film (max. 5 minutes).

 

Requirements

​

• Your submission must present a single artwork. Multiple works or series are not permitted.

• Work must be conceptual and aligned with the prize themes: sex, sexuality, gender, identity.

• The Artist Statement should clearly contextualize your work and its relation to these themes.

• The Artist Bio should outline your practice, research interests, location, exhibitions, education, and professional achievements.

• Previously published or exhibited work is eligible.

​

GUIDLINES

​

• Complete the submission form (linked below).

• Upload one artwork (JPEG, max. 5MB) OR provide a web link for a moving image (max. 5 minutes).

• Include your Artist Statement (max. 250 words) and Artist Bio (max. 250 words) within the form.

• Submission fee: £20 (supports the prize and BARON’s independent publishing program).

• Deadline: January 2026.

• Winner announced: February 2026.

 

JUDGES

 

Alexzandra Kekesi is Pornhub’s Head of Community and Brand, overseeing all external initiatives, including community outreach and non-profit partnerships. She leads the company’s creative direction at the intersection of culture, art, and tech, while driving Pornhub's support of the adult community in the fight against sex work discrimination. Previously, as Director of Marketing, she launched flagship initiatives like the Pornhub Awards and the Sexual Wellness Center, offering resources on love, sexuality, and health. Kekesi also co-hosts Terms of Service, Pornhub's podcast on free speech politics, with Asa Akira.

​

Angela Nikolau is a visual artist based in New York. Her work has appeared in publications including  GQ, Vanity Fair, Esquire, The Art Insider, and The Times. Her life and work were recently featured in the Netflix documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story. Her debut solo exhibition opened in 2025 at the Crypt Gallery in New York. Born in Russia, she studied at the Moscow Academy of Fine Arts. Angela's debut book Sky Borne is out later this year and published by Baron.

 

Euphemia Franklin is a British-Japanese historian and researcher. She studied design at Kingston School of Art and Kyoto Institute of Technology, before completing an MA in History of Design at the Royal College of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her research focuses on historical Japanese design and the enduring impact of the Edo period. Euphemia works at Maggs Bros. Ltd., one of the world’s largest and oldest antiquarian booksellers, where she specialises in Japanese books and manuscripts. Euphemia authored the introductions to two Baron titles, Toshio Saeki and Kyoichi Tsuzuki, Love Hotels.

​

Jwan Yosef is a conceptual visual artist whose practice challenges conventional form and encompasses themes including marginalisation, belonging, intimacy, and queer sexuality. He has been profiled and exhibited globally in solo and group exhibitions for nearly two decades. Born in Syria, he moved to Sweden in his youth, where he eventually obtained a BFA from Konstfack University College of Arts in Stockholm. He received an MFA from Central Saint Martins in London after his studies in Stockholm. It was in London that he was also awarded The Threadneedle Prize for Exhibiting Artist (2013) and the Beers Contemporary Award for Emerging Art (2013), as well as becoming a founding member of The Bomb Factory Art Foundation (est. 2015). The artist currently resides and works in Los Angeles, CA. Jwan's debut book Intimacies is out later this year and published by Baron.

​

Matt Lambert (b. Los Angeles, USA, 1982) is a Berlin-based filmmaker, photographer, creative director, and curator whose work centres around queer history and contemporary identity. He has exhibited work at Tate Britain, Munch Museum, Volksbühne Berlin, British Film Institute, Julia Stoschek Collection and upcoming at NRW Forum and Palais Galeria. Lambert's work has also been reviewed and published in publications, including i-D, 032c, Dazed & Confused Magazine, and he regularly collaborates with brands such as Calvin Klein, Diesel, Gucci, and Rick Owens. Lambert is developing his debut fiction feature, building on themes from his recent co-directed docudrama for Netflix, Eldorado, which explores the erased LGBTQ+ history of Berlin from 1926 to 1932. He is also preparing his next stage show at Berlin's renowned Volksbühne Theater, where he hosts an ongoing series called SISSY SMUT. If You Can Reach My Heart, You Can Keep It is the artist's sixth book, published by Baron.

​

​​​​

IMAGE RELEASE​​

​​

By submitting your work to the BARON PRIZE, you retain full copyright of your art. BARON will not use your submission without your consent.

​

ORIGINAL WORK

​

• Your submission must be your own original creation.

• You are responsible for securing any third-party permissions or releases needed for your work.

• To the best of your knowledge, using your work in connection with the BARON PRIZE will not infringe on anyone else’s rights.

 

OWNERSHIP

​

• You retain all rights to your work, including copyright and other intellectual property rights.

• Winning artists grant BARON and its partners a limited, perpetual license to use the winning work only in connection with the BARON PRIZE, with proper credit given.

• You can still use your work for social media, websites, exhibitions, books, and other personal promotions.​

 

LIABILITY

​

• BARON or any of its partners is not responsible for indirect or incidental damages or claims in relation to your work.

• Confidentiality - Both parties agree to keep shared confidential information private, except if it becomes publicly known or is received from a third party.

 

LEGAL

​

• These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

• This agreement begins when you submit your entry and remains in effect indefinitely unless ended in writing by both parties.​

​

ENTRY FORM​

​

Submission Enquiries head.office@baron-productions.com