Edgar Martins won the Grand Prize of the Sovereign Portuguese Art Prize 2025, awarded by the SAF Association, with the work Anton’s Hand is Made of Guilt. No Muscle or Bone. He has a Gung-ho Finger and a Grief-stricken Thumb. This work was created following the death of a friend of the artist, photojournalist Anton Hammerl, in the Libyan war in 2011. The prize, now in its fourth edition and which rewards contemporary artists living in Portugal or in the Portuguese diaspora, is worth €25,000.
Born in 1977 in Évora, Edgar Martins is a visual artist who combines photography, archival work, and research to explore recurring themes, including war, migration, incarceration, technology, and urbanism. “Although I don’t tend to categorise my work as photography in the traditional sense of the term, it is, in practically every aspect, photographic. And photography, historically, hasn’t been particularly successful when forced to compete with other media. Therefore, I received this news with surprise and enthusiasm in equal measure,” says the artist, quoted in a press release.
Also celebrated was Alice Marcelino, who received the Women’s Prize, launched in partnership with the Sassy Women Society and awarded for the first time this year, with a value of €2000. The winner is chosen from the female finalists with the highest scores, excluding the Grand Prize winner, to enhance visibility for female artists.
Black Skin White Algorithm, by Alice Marcelino.
Alice Marcelino was recognised for her work *Black Skin White Algorithm*. A piece inspired by Frantz Fanon’s manifesto *Black Skin, White Masks*, which “explores how colonial ideologies persist in algorithmic systems, where blackness is often coded as threatening or deviant,” states a declaration.
Born in 1980 in Portugal, Alice Marcelino uses photography and digital techniques as her primary means of expression, exploring themes such as migration, tradition, and identity.
Both winners were chosen by an eight-member jury chaired by David Elliott. Attendees included Adelaide Ginga, director of MACAM – Armando Martins Museum of Contemporary Art; João Paulo Queiroz, president of the National Society of Fine Arts; Maura Marvão, representative for Portugal and Spain at Phillips; Tim Marlow OBE, CEO and director of the Design Museum in London; Philippe Vergne, director of the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art; Armando Cabral, collector and curator; and Francisco Trêpa, artist and recipient of the Sovereign Portuguese Art Prize 2024.
There is also a €2,000 Public Prize to be awarded, voted on by visitors to the exhibition of the 30 finalists at the National Society of Fine Arts (SNBA). The Sovereign Portuguese Art Prize 2025 — Finalists Exhibition is open until December 13, 2025. “All works on display are available for sale, and the proceeds are divided equally between the artists and the SAF’s expressive arts programmes, which support disadvantaged children in Portugal. In this way, collectors can acquire relevant contemporary works, contributing directly to an essential social initiative,” explains the SAF Association, founded and chaired by British businessman Howard Bilton.
