LaVA’com Launches FIFA World Cup 2026 International Poster Awards

KOCHI:
Global open call invites creative practitioners worldwide to celebrate football’s power to unite cultures through art LaVA’com (Laboratory of Visual Art Commune) has announced COMMON GROUND – FIFA World Cup 2026 International Poster Awards, a global open call inviting artists, designers, architects, illustrators, photographers, students and creative practitioners from around the world to interpret the spirit, culture and collective energy of football through the medium of the poster.

The awards carry a total prize pool of ₹17.5 lakh, with three Jury Awards of ₹10 lakh, ₹5 lakh and ₹2.5 lakh respectively. Winners will be announced on13th July.

Inspired by the FIFA World Cup 2026, COMMON GROUND celebrates football not merely as a sport, but as one of the world’s most powerful cultural forces—capable of transcending borders, languages, beliefs and generations.

The competition is open to participants aged 17 and above from all disciplines and backgrounds. Submissions may be created in any two-dimensional medium, including painting, drawing, collage, photography, printmaking, textile-based works, mixed media and digital formats. All entries must conform to the prescribed Imperial poster size of 22 x 30 inches (55.9 x 76.2 cm) and may be submitted in either portrait or landscape orientation.
An international jury comprising leading figures from the fields of art, design, journalism, architecture and culture will review all submissions. The Invited jury includes:

• Prakash Varma
• Amit Gupta
• Priyansha Jain
• V. Sunil
• Saibal Chatterjee
• Radhika Desai
• Akanksha Deo Sharma
• Samira Rathod

A total of 101 posters will be selected for exhibition, with all selected works professionally mounted and presented by LaVA’com.
In addition to the international open call, COMMON GROUND will feature a special invited exhibition showcasing poster works by prominent artists, designers, architects and creative practitioners responding to football and its broader cultural significance.

The exhibition will open on September 7, 2026, at Mather Square, Ernakulam, Kerala, with the support of the Mather Group. Following its inaugural presentation in Kochi, the exhibition is expected to travel to football-loving and culturally vibrant cities across India, including Goa and Kolkata.