LONDON—A new contemporary art prize for emerging Iranian artists has been launched by the London-based charity Magic of Persia. According to the press release, at the award's September 11 launch, MOP founder and CEO Shirley Elghanian spoke of the prominence of Iranian art and art of the Persian diaspora in the contemporary art world. Elghanian specifically listed Shirazeh Houshiary, Shirin Neshat, Parviz Tanavoli, and Farhad Moshiri among the artists who “are widely represented in the world’s major collections and galleries.”

An international nomination panel made up of contemporary art experts will compile a list of nominees by November 15. A jury will then draw up a shortlist, which will be announced at a fund-raising auction gala in April 2009. This year’s jury includes such notables as Julia Peyton-Jones, Director of the Serpentine; Venetia Porter, Curator of Islamic Collections at the British Museum, and Sheena Wagstaff, the Chief Curator of Tate Modern.

The shortlisted artists will be exhibited at the Royal College of Art in London from October 15 to October 17, 2009, timed to coincide with the opening of the 2009 Frieze Art Fair, with the final winner being announced at the end of the exhibition. The artworks are to be auctioned off by Jussi Pylkkanen, president of Christie’s Europe and the Middle East, with a share of the proceeds going to fund a series of art residencies for young Iranian artists at U.K. art institutions, including the London Film School and the Royal Court Theater, as well as the MOP education program. The winning artist will receive the chance for a solo exhibition at a London gallery in 2010.