Eight Art Writers Awarded $50,000 Each in 2026 Rabkin Prize

On 10 September 2026, the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation announced the winners of its 2026 Rabkin Prize. This annual award recognises eight art writers in the United States, each of whom receives a $50,000 cash prize. The 2026 recipients represent a range of backgrounds, including academics, podcasters, curators, and journalists.

Julia Halperin, a contributor and former editor at The Art Newspaper and co-founder of the Burns Halperin Report, is among this year’s winners. The other recipients include Damien Davis, an artist and writer based in New Jersey; Melaine Ferdinand-King, the inaugural curator of the African American Museum of Rhode Island; and Tyler Green, host of The Modern Art Notes Podcast.

Alicia Inez Guzmán, a writer based in the Southwest, is also recognised, as is Sarah Lewis, a Harvard University professor who founded the Vision & Justice initiative and curated an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago. Jan Tumlir, founding editor of the contemporary art journal X-TRA in Los Angeles, and Kaelen Wilson-Goldie, an independent journalist and critic, complete the list of eight honourees.

The selection process for the Rabkin Prize involves nominations, after which an independent jury reviews recent work samples and resumes to determine the winners. For 2026, the jury consisted of Irene Borger, founding director of the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts; Jaime DeSimone, chief curator at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine; and Legacy Russell, director and chief curator of The Kitchen in New York.

Many of the 2026 awardees address themes such as politics, power, race, equity, and representation in their work, both within the art world and in broader contexts. This focus reflects the diversity of perspectives and subject matter among the winners.

Sarah Lewis, one of the recipients, commented on the importance of cultural work in societal transformation. In an upcoming episode of the Rabkin Interviews podcast, she stated that transforming society requires more than legal changes, emphasising the role of culture in overcoming societal blind spots.

A series of interviews with the 2026 Rabkin Prize winners is scheduled to be released online on 16 September 2026. These interviews will provide further insight into the writers’ perspectives and the issues they explore in their work.