Gibbes Museum Extends Prize Deadline

(Press Release) The Gibbes Museum of Art, a beacon in the American South since its establishment in 1858, announces the extension of the deadline for artists to submit for the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art ‒ the new deadline is Sept. 7, 2025. The 1858 Prize is recognized as one of the leading artist competitions in the Southeastern United States, and awards $10,000 each year to an artist whose work contributes to a new understanding of art in the South.  

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The Prize is presented by Society 1858, the museum’s young professionals auxiliary group. In addition to the monetary award, a work by the winning artist will be exhibited in the museum for a full year. The museum will also invite the winner to Charleston for the official unveiling of their artwork, part of a three-day celebration in February honoring the artist ‒ including the annual Society 1858 Winter Party, and the Amy P. Coy Forum, where the artist will be invited to speak about their work. The winner will be announced in October of 2025. A jury comprised of arts professionals, representatives of Society 1858, and the previous year’s recipient will select the winner.

Some of the past winners have gone on to receive major national awards and accolades, including: the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the Joan Mitchell Fellowship, the United States Artist Fellowship, and the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant. Some of the winning artists’ works have been acquired in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The National Gallery of Art, and Art Institute of Chicago, among other institutions. Through the years and in the spirit of supporting living artists, the Gibbes Museum has also acquired several works by Prize winners and finalists for its permanent collection.

Artists must reside, work in, or be from these Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. More details about the submission process at: gibbesmuseum.org/1858-prize (applications are accepted exclusively through the museum’s website). Rules and eligibility details at this link (the online application is here). Since the inaugural prize of 2008, the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art recognizes the highest level of artistic achievement and welcomes applications from artists working across all media. View previous winning artists and their work here.

“Year in and out, the prestigious 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art stands as a testament to,
and celebration of, the amazing talents of artists living and working in the American South,” said Dr. H. Alexander Rich, the President and CEO of the Museum. “Since its origins in 1858, the Gibbes Museum has been a champion of groundbreaking art and the emerging and established artists whose diverse voices speak powerfully to the full breadth of the American experience and American creativity. Keeping with this legacy, 2025’s 1858 Prize candidates promise to posit new and eye-opening ways to reflect upon our individual and collective worlds — and we cannot wait to be in awe once again of our region’s incredible artistic talent.”

Society 1858 supports the museum year-round with social and educational programs tailored for up-and-coming art patrons. Society 1858 takes its name from the year that the Carolina Art Association was established (the Museum's art collection, which began in 1858). The Gibbes Museum of Art opened in 1905 at its current location in the heart of Charleston’s historic district. Members gather several times a year to explore private art collections, new local exhibitions, and host the annual Winter Party. Funds raised by Society 1858 support the prize competition, as well as exhibition and education initiatives at the Gibbes Museum of Art. Learn more about membership in the group at this link.

Past winners of the Prize include:
Demond Melancon (2024), Sherrill Roland (2023), Raheleh Filsoofi (2022), Stephanie J. Woods (2021), Stephen L. Hayes (2020), Donté K. Hayes (2019), Leo Twiggs (2018), Bo Bartlett (2017),
Alicia Henry (2016), Deborah Luster (2015), Sonya Clark (2014), John Westmark (2012),
Patrick Dougherty (2011), Radcliffe Bailey (2010), Stephen Marc (2009), and Jeff Whetstone (2008).