The 2026 Second Annual International Mural Challenge is a global public art and advocacy initiative organized by Aidez Nous à Aider that brings together artists, migrant communities, grassroots organizations, and human rights networks to create public conversations around migration, displacement, border violence, and human dignity through mural art.
The project uses art as a tool to humanize migration realities while encouraging dialogue within local communities and across international networks. Through murals created in different countries, the challenge amplifies lived experiences, encourages public engagement, and strengthens collaboration between organizations working directly with migrants and refugees.
As part of the 2026 challenge, ANA is collaborating with organizations including Border Violence Monitoring Network, Community Rights in Greece, Association des Migrants Solidaires d’Afrique, Statewatch, and UNITED for Intercultural Action to help connect artistic expression with lived experiences and ongoing advocacy work surrounding migration and border policies.
Guidelines for Artists
The 2026 Second Annual International Mural Challenge invites artists from around the world to create public murals responding to migration, displacement, and illegal pushbacks. These guidelines outline the framework of participation and ensure that all works contribute to a shared international dialogue grounded in respect, accuracy, and human dignity.
The theme of the 2026 challenge is illegal pushbacks and border violence. Artists are invited to explore this theme in relation to broader migration realities, including displacement, asylum systems, human rights, and the experiences of people on the move. Interpretation is open, and artists may respond through symbolic, abstract, narrative, or documentary approaches.
Artists may choose to request the inclusion of migrant testimonies as part of their mural concept. These testimonies are collected separately through the project’s documentation process and are made available online for context and inspiration. This element is optional and intended to connect public artwork with lived experiences in a responsible way.
Artistic Freedom
Artists retain full creative freedom in how they respond to the theme. There are no restrictions on style or medium. The challenge welcomes a wide range of approaches including realism, abstraction, illustration, typography, and mixed media. All selected murals must be documented and submitted as part of the challenge archive.
Required documentation includes:
- Incorporate our symbol
The official symbol must be included in your mural. You are free to adapt it into your creative design, but the colors of our symbol must remain the same to preserve its meaning and recognition. - Location
Artists may paint their mural anywhere they are located—from community walls to studios, schools, or public spaces. Choose a spot that carries meaning and visibility for your community. - Documentation
Each participant must submit:- High-quality photos of the finished mural.
- A short video (optional but encouraged) showing the process or the story behind the artwork.
DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 18TH, 2026 – INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS DAY
WINNER WILL RECEIVE:
The winning artist will receive an international digital exhibition through Artcrush, a platform that showcases artwork on digital billboard networks around the world.
For two weeks, the winning mural will be displayed across 7,000 digital billboards in Germany, 14 digital billboards in Milan, Italy, and 3,500 digital billboards throughout the Netherlands. The artwork will be shown repeatedly throughout the campaign, giving the artist exceptional international visibility and the opportunity to share their message with audiences across Europe.
An Honorable Mention award will also be presented to an artist whose work demonstrates exceptional creativity, technical skill, or impact. Thanks to the generous support of Blick Art Materials, the Honorable Mention recipient will receive a $100 Blick Art Materials gift certificate to support their future artistic projects and creative development.
Purpose of the Challenge
The International Mural Challenge is a global initiative using public art to create visibility around migration and border violence. By connecting artists across countries, the challenge builds a shared visual language that encourages reflection, dialogue, and solidarity across borders. The 2026 edition focuses on illegal pushbacks. Pushbacks refer to situations where migrants or refugees are forced back across borders without access to asylum procedures or legal protection. In many cases, people are denied the right to have their claim for safety properly assessed, which can leave them exposed to danger or unsafe conditions.
Pushbacks are widely documented as a serious violation of international protection standards, including the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they may face harm. This challenge focuses on pushbacks to highlight what is often hidden from public view and to bring human experiences into public space through art.
Artists are invited to select a real migrant testimony from the link below and incorporate that story into their mural or graffiti artwork, helping bring lived experiences at the world’s borders into public spaces.
EMAIL US AT INFO@AIDEZNOUSAAIDER.COM TO GET INVOLVED!
Artist Community Guidelines — International Mural Challenge
The International Mural Challenge is built on the belief that art can create awareness, inspire conversations, and connect communities across borders. ANA is committed to respecting and recognizing every artist who participates while providing a platform for creative expression and human rights advocacy.
Artists maintain ownership of their original artwork. ANA will not sell, reproduce, or commercialize submitted artwork without the artist’s permission. Photos and documentation of completed murals will remain within ANA’s organization and will only be used for purposes related to the mural challenge, including promotion, awareness campaigns, and encouraging future artist participation.
Every artist will receive proper credit whenever their work is shared by ANA, regardless of whether they win the challenge. Through this initiative, we aim to elevate artists, increase visibility for their work, and create a global community using art to support human rights and social change.
Partner Organizations
Community Partnerships & Local Impact
This project actively connects participating artists with local community organizations in each location. These partnerships help ground the murals in local realities, ensuring the artwork reflects lived experiences, strengthens dialogue, and creates meaningful social impact beyond public space.
Community Rights in Greece helps connect the 2026 Second Annual International Mural Challenge with grassroots organizations and communities working on migration and displacement issues. Their support strengthens collaboration with migrant groups, local partners, and artists, ensuring the project reflects real experiences and connects to a wider international movement.
Association des Migrants Solidaires d’Afrique (AMSA) supports the 2026 Second Annual International Mural Challenge by connecting the project with migrant communities, grassroots organizations, and artists across Morocco and Africa. Their involvement strengthens outreach, participation, and the inclusion of migrant voices in the global conversation on migration and human rights.
Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) supports the 2026 Second Annual International Mural Challenge by providing verified migrant testimonies and documentation related to pushbacks and border violence. These resources help artists create informed work grounded in real experiences while strengthening the human rights message behind the project.
Statewatch supports the 2026 Second Annual International Mural Challenge by providing research and policy-based context on migration, border enforcement, and human rights issues. Their work helps artists create informed pieces grounded in accurate information about pushbacks and migration systems.
UNITED for Intercultural Action supports the 2026 International Mural Challenge by connecting artists with resources on migration, border policies, and human rights. Through its campaigns and research, UNITED helps artists create informed work that promotes awareness, remembrance, solidarity, and action for migrants and refugees.
Links:
UNITED 2026 World Refugee Day Campaign Toolkit
UNITED List of Refugee Deaths
Judges
T.K. Mills is the Editor-in-Chief of UP Magazine, a New York City publication focused on street art and urban culture. Over the past decade, he has curated more than 300 exhibitions, conducted hundreds of interviews, published eight books, and contributed extensively to the global street art community.
SEVEN is a muralist, illustrator, and graphic artist from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Founder and Creative Director of the Burnin’ Bridges Street Art Project, he creates impactful murals locally and internationally while promoting street art as a powerful tool for community engagement and cultural awareness.
Albert Guarch is the PR and Culture Manager at MTN, the leading brand in the spray paint sector for graffiti. He has been part of the company almost since its foundation, dedicating 29 years to its growth and international expansion. Throughout his career, Albert has focused on connecting the brand with artists and cultural movements, building bridges between creativity, community, and innovation.
Manuel Gerullis is a graffiti artist, curator, and cultural promoter from Wiesbaden. He is the founder and leading force behind the global graffiti and street art festival Meeting of Styles, launched in 2002. Through his work, Gerullis has helped expand urban art internationally, creating spaces for artists worldwide to connect, collaborate, and promote creative freedom and cultural exchange..
Jean Widler Pierresaint is a Haitian urban art consultant and advocate for street and contemporary art in Haiti. In 2015, he founded Kolektif Basquiat (later CPAUAC) and launched Festi Graffiti Haïti, the country’s first international street art festival. He has collaborated with global artists like Fintan Magee and Zabou, as well as NGOs and cultural institutions. In 2020, he created Street Art au Féminin to support women in street art and promote creativity as a tool for social change.
Jess Weiner is a cultural expert and change architect who has spent nearly three decades helping some of the world’s most influential brands connect with people more authentically. As the founder and CEO of Talk to Jess, she advises organizations on representation, inclusion, and cultural impact. Her work on landmark initiatives such as Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and Mattel’s reinvention of Barbie has helped reshape how brands approach storytelling and representation.
Contact us to join
Support the 2026 International Mural Challenge by making a donation today. Your contribution helps us expand the reach of the project, support participating artists, and bring powerful migrant-led stories into public spaces around the world. Every donation helps us spread the word further, amplify migrant voices, and ensure the message of the campaign reaches wider audiences through art and storytelling. Donations over $25 are eligible for a tax receipt.