The Prix Godecharle (Dutch: Godecharleprijs), also known in English as the Godecharle Prize or the Godecharle Contest, is a contest for art students, the winners of which are granted a scholarship allocated by the Godecharle Foundation. The prize allows young talents, unknown before the award, to become recognized by a panel of experts made up of famous artists. The conditions for participation are that contestants are less than 35 years old, of Belgian nationality, or members of a country of the European Community who have lived in Belgium for at least five years. The renown of the contest is based, amongst other things, upon the reputation of the artists who sit on the jury.
Napoléon Godecharle created the Godecharle Foundation on 15 March 1871 in remembrance of his father, the prominent sculptor Gilles-Lambert Godecharle, with the aim of promoting the education and the career of young Belgian artists, either sculptors, painters or architects. To this end, the Prix Godecharle is organized by the foundation every other year. The foundation has entrusted a provincial board, the so-called Commission Provinciale des Fondations de bourses d’études du Brabant, with the management of the contest and the follow-up exhibitions of the works of participants. The Godecharle bursaries are allocated by this board, on proposals made up by the jury of renowned artists.