The Bennett Prize
Chloe Chiasson [Round 2 Finalist], Detail of Goodnight, Chicago, oil, acrylic, wood, print, charcoal, batting, resin, 2020, 87 x 91 x 14.75 in. View
Sophia-Yemisi Adeyemo-Ross [Round 2 Finalist], Detail of Two Calla Lillies for Bathing Boys, mixed media collage, 2020, 28 x 21 in. View
Rebecca Orcutt [Round 2 Finalist], Detail of What Now, oil on canvas, 2015, 24 x 48 in. View
Tanmaya Bingham [Round 2 Finalist], Detail of Sexy Giggles, mixed media collage, 2020, 28 x 21 in. View
Holly Keogh [Round 2 Finalist], Detail of More Charming, More Vague, oil on canvas, 2020, 54 x 72 in. View
Ayana Ross [Round 2 Winner], Detail of New American Gothic, oil on canvas, 2019, 36 x 48 x 2 in. View

The Bennett Prize, created in 2018, awards $50,000 to a woman artist to create her own solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings, which then travels the country. The Prize propels the careers of women painters who have not yet realized full professional recognition, empowering new artists and those who have painted for many years. The Prize expands opportunities for the public, who may not be familiar with figurative realist painting, to learn more about the creative vision of talented women painters in this increasingly popular genre. In 2018, the inaugural year of The Prize, there were 647 entries. In 2020 and 2022, the number of entries continues to grow.

Congratulations to Shiqing Deng, the winner of the third Bennett Prize! 

NEW THIS YEAR: The Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt Prize for Achievement in Figurative Realism was awarded to Ruth Dealy! 

See ALL Round 3.0 winners & finalists

 

About the Prize
Call for Entries

Recent News

News Release

Bennett Prize goes to painter Ayana Ross

Muskegon, Michigan (May 27, 2021)–  Painter Ayana Ross, of McDonough, Georgia, has won the prestigious 2021 Bennett Prize. Ross’s work explores identity and cultural awareness in the everyday lives of African Americans in the American South.

Ross will be awarded $50,000, giving her the opportunity to create new work in the figurative realist style for a solo exhibition that ultimately will travel the country. The Bennett Prize is the largest prize offered solely to women figurative painters.

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