Four Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) students have been named finalists of the AXA Art Prize, a national competition for emerging figurative artists.
Forty finalists were selected from nearly 600 submissions representing 132 colleges and universities, including Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Pratt Institute, Savannah College of Art and Design, and California College of the Arts. MICA, RISD, and Savannah College of Art and Design each generated four finalists. Only the Fashion Institute of Technology generated more, with six finalists.
The MICA finalists are Grace Hall ’27, Malyssa Ollar ’28, Klara Seib ’26, and Nadia Tomoney ’27. Their work will be featured in an exhibition at the New York Academy of Art in November 2026. The first-place winner will receive a $10,000 prize and the runner-up will receive $5,000.
MICA students have a long record of success in the AXA Art Prize competition, which is in its ninth year. In four of the past eight years, MICA students have won first- or second-place honors, including sweeping both top prizes in 2025.
Winners will be selected by a distinguished panel of artists, including Ann Craven, Amy Cutler, and Kiki Smith, alongside AXA XL’s Global Chief Underwriting Officer for Fine Art & Specie, Jennifer Schipf.
“At AXA XL, we’re passionate about nurturing the next generation of artists,” Schipf said. “This prize isn’t just about recognition—it’s about opening doors and fostering a community where emerging talent can flourish and inspire.”
Previous jurors for the Prize have included Nicole Eisenman, Eric Fischl, Amy Sherald, and many other celebrated figures in the art world. Sherald is a former MICA student with strong ties to Baltimore. Her exhibit, “Amy Sherald: American Sublime,” shattered attendance records at the Baltimore Museum of Art and made national news when she pulled it from the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. and relocated it to the BMA.
The winners for the AXA Art Prize will be announced during the week of the exhibition in New York this fall.
