The surface coordination of p-sulfonato- (C[4]), p-sulfonatothia- (SC[4]) and p-sulfonato-sulfoxocalix[4]arene (SO2C[4]) on La0.9Tb0.1F3 nanoparticles (TbNP) was investigated by UV-Vis absorption and luminescence spectroscopies. SO2C[4] displayed the strongest affinity towards the NPs and a significant antenna effect leading to observation of the characteristic Tb emission bands upon calixarene excitation. (362 characters)