Guillermo Arriaga Dance Prize 2026 Projects Preselected

The Secretaría de Cultura of Mexico, together with the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura (INBAL) and the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), announced the 29 projects preselected for the Guillermo Arriaga National Dance Prize 2026. The applications came from 13 Mexican states—Baja California, Baja California Sur, Ciudad de México, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Oaxaca, Querétaro, Sinaloa, Sonora, Veracruz and Yucatán—out of a total of 72 submissions received through INBAL’s digital platform.

The elimination round will run from 26 to 30 August at the Teatro de la Danza Guillermina Bravo, with the final scheduled for 1 September in the Main Hall of the Palacio de Bellas Artes. The contest, marking INBAL’s 80th anniversary and the centenary of choreographer Guillermo Arriaga’s birth, is divided into three categories: Category C (Emerging Trajectory) with five works, Category B (Consolidated Trajectory) with twelve, and Category A (Consolidated Trajectory) for established creators. Secretaría de Cultura’s Claudia Curiel de Icaza said the preselected projects “show a living, diverse contemporary dance built from different territories, and recognizing them supports the creators and broadens public engagement with new artistic expressions.”