International Porphyria
Art Challenge
Sharing the realities of porphyria through creative expression
The United Porphyrias Association is proud to launch the first-ever International Porphyria Art Challenge to raise awareness and deepen understanding of porphyria through creative expression!
Members of the global porphyria community, including patients, caregivers, loved ones, healthcare providers, researchers, and advocates, are invited to submit original works that reflect the realities, challenges, and lived experiences of these rare conditions.
A total of $2,000 in prizes will be awarded to the top three entries, with winners selected by public vote.
Submission Deadline: Sunday, May 17 at 11:59PM EDT
Voting begins: Monday, May 18 at noon EDT
Thank You to Our Sponsor!
The International Porphyria Art Challenge is made possible by the support of Recordati Rare Diseases.
The challenge is open to all members of the global porphyria community- patients, caregivers, family members, health care providers, researchers and advocates- from anywhere in the world.
A guardian must provide consent for minors under the age of 18.
Basic requirements
All forms of creative expression are welcome, including visual, digital, literary, performance, design, and experimental arts of any kind.
One submission per participant.
Work must be original, unpublished, and not previously entered in another contest.
Each submission must include a title and artist caption, and align with one of the challenges themes
AI-generated, AI-assisted, or AI-augmented material is strictly prohibited, including partial use of AI tools for visual creation, drafting, rendering, editing, enhancement, or written composition.
Works must be submitted by 11:59 PM EDT on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Challenge Themes
Participants must use one of the following conceptual prompts and may interpret them literally, symbolically, critically, or abstractly in creating their piece:
What porphyria signifies in one’s life, identity, or sense of self
Defining oneself beyond a diagnosis
How porphyria has shaped experiences, relationships, or worldview
Navigating, resisting, or responding to challenges linked to porphyria
Invisible realities, misconceptions, or misunderstandings that deserve recognition
Emotional dimensions such as resilience, grief, hope, uncertainty, or complexity
Imagining a future or world with greater awareness and understanding of porphyria
Imaging life without porphyria
Ethical and Content Standards
Submissions may reflect positive, neutral, or difficult experiences. Inspirational framing is not required. Entries must avoid harmful stereotyping, disrespectful portrayals, or gratuitously graphic content unsuitable for public display. The organization reserves the right to exclude works that violate content standards.
Preparing your submission
All submissions must include:
The artist’s name, contact information and connection to porphyria
Title, caption and your art in an accepted file format. See requirements below.
File requirements:
Visual Media: Images must be in one of the following formats: .png, .jpg, .gif, .bmp or .heic and should be less than 12MB. Images can be any dimension. Gallery thumbnails will be square.
Text: Text entries should fit on one page and be in one of the following formats: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt. They can be submitted via the “Photo Upload” option.
Video and Music: For video and music files, submissions must be hosted on an external platform and a URL provided. The content can be hosted on the following platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, TikTok, Twitch, Vimeo and YouTube.
All submissions will be viewable in a gallery on the United Porphyrias Association’s website. You can see a demo gallery here.
Artificial IntelIigence (AI) Use is Prohibited
All submissions must be original human-created work. AI-generated, AI-assisted, or AI-augmented material is strictly prohibited, including partial use of AI tools for visual creation, drafting, rendering, editing, enhancement, or written composition. If AI use is identified, the submission will be immediately disqualified without appeal. The organization reserves the right to request reasonable verification of authorship and holds final authority in such determinations.
Submission Deadline: Sunday, May 17, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT
Voting begins: Monday, May 18, 2026
Voting ends: Monday June 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT
Winners announced: June 5, 2026
Voting will begin on Global Porphyria Day, Monday, May 18, 2026 at noon EDT and close on June 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT.
Each voter is allowed 1 vote per entry per day. You may vote for multiple entries. Voters will need to provide an email address.
United Porphyrias Association reserves the right to review and disqualify any votes that appear to violate the rules, including those suspected to be fraudulent, automated, submitted as spam, or cast from multiple accounts by the same individual.
Three winners will be selected via public vote. The prizes will be as follows:
1st place: $1000.00
2nd place: $750.00
3rd place: $250.00
The winning entries will be featured on the United Porphyrias Association’s website, newsletter and social media, and will be displayed in the UPA office.
Please contact United Porphyrias Association using the form below if you have any questions or require support for the International Porphyria Art Challenge.