1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art

The Gibbes Museum (Charleston, SC) and Society 1858's Prize for Contemporary Southern Art is awarded to an artist whose work contributes to a new understanding of art in the South. The winner will receive a cash award of $10,000 and their work will be on display at the Gibbes Museum of Art for a full year beginning in February 2026.

Presented annually, the Prize recognizes the highest level of artistic achievement and welcomes applications from artist working across any media. Artists from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia are encouraged and eligible to apply. Previous winners have subsequently received awards from the Joan Mitchell Fellowship, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. Additionally, winning artists' work has been received into the permanent collections of The National Gallery of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Gibbes Museum of Art.

The 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art is presented by Society 1858, a member auxiliary group of the Gibbes Museum of Art. This group of dynamic young professionals supports the Gibbes Museum with social and educational programs tailored for up-and-coming art patrons.

Eligible artists must reside, work in, or be from one of the following southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, or West Virginia.

All applications must be submitted through SlideRoom and must include a completed registration form, brief artist statement (150 words or less), resume or CV, portfolio of work (up to 10 images at least 300dpi/1MB) including title, date, medium, and dimensions of each work.

All artwork must be original to the artist in concept, design, and execution.

All submissions are reviewed by a panel of visual arts professionals including museum curators and contemporary art scholars, Society 1858 representatives, and Gibbes Museum representatives.

08/29/2025

$35.00