Baltimore, Md. — Create Baltimore has announced the 23 semifinalists for the 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize, one of the region’s most prestigious visual arts awards. Now in its 21st year, the prize will award $30,000 to a visual artist or artist collaborators living and working in the Baltimore region.
Presented by Create Baltimore in partnership with the Walters Art Museum and supported by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Sondheim Art Prize recognizes outstanding visual artists and provides significant financial support to advance their creative work.
From the semifinalist pool, five finalists will be selected to present their work in a major exhibition at the Walters Art Museum, scheduled to run June through September 2026. Artists who are not selected as finalists will still have the opportunity to exhibit their work during Artscape 2026, Baltimore’s annual arts festival.
2026 Sondheim Art Prize Semifinalists
The 23 semifinalists for this year’s prize are:
- Sarina Angell
- Mollye Bendell
- Thea Canlas
- Leigh Davis
- Anna Divinagracia
- Brandon Donahue-Shipp
- Elliot Doughtie
- Emily Francisco
- Curran Hatleberg
- Chung-Wei Huang
- Tae Hwang
- Noël Kassewitz
- Mo Kessler
- Michelle Shenyu Li
- Noah McWilliams
- Daniela Mileykovsky
- Emily Hanako Momohara
- Danni O’Brien
- David Page
- Kristin Putchinski
- Edgar Reyes
- Joana Stillwell
- Pamela J. Thompson
Semifinalists are asked to submit an expanded portfolio including up to 30 images or time-based works along with a proposal describing how they would use the fellowship if selected as the final award recipient.
2026 Jury Panel
This year’s semifinalists were selected by a distinguished panel of jurors:
- Lauren Haynes — A New York-based curator known for her work advancing equity and representation in contemporary art.
- Jinny Khanduja — Executive Director of the Cue Art Foundation and a cultural producer with more than 15 years of experience across nonprofit arts leadership.
- Shellyne Rodriguez — A Bronx-based artist, writer, and community organizer whose multidisciplinary practice explores survival, resistance, and cultural identity.
Honoring a Legacy in Baltimore Arts
The Sondheim Art Prize was first awarded in 2005 during Artscape and was originally known as the Janet & Walter Artscape Prize until 2020. The award honors the legacy of Janet and Walter Sondheim, longtime champions of arts and culture in Baltimore.
Janet Sondheim was a dancer with the influential Denishawn Dancers, while Walter Sondheim Jr. spent decades shaping Baltimore’s civic and economic development, including playing a key role in the creation of Charles Center and the Inner Harbor.
A Cultural Anchor in Mount Vernon
The Walters Art Museum, located in Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon neighborhood, houses a collection of more than 36,000 works of art spanning over 7,000 years of global history. The museum remains committed to accessibility, offering free admission to all visitors as part of its mission to bring art and people together.
With the semifinalists now announced, Baltimore’s arts community will watch closely as the selection process continues, culminating in the announcement of the five finalists and the highly anticipated exhibition this summer.
For more information about the Sondheim Art Prize and the upcoming exhibition, visit Create Baltimore’s website or follow the organization on social media.