Announcing the 2026 John Dorsey Prize for Outstanding Curatorial Practice - $3,500 Prize

Applications due May 22nd, 2026

Announcing the 2026 John Dorsey Prize for Outstanding Curatorial Practice - $3,500 prize.

As the leading art critic for The Baltimore Sun and a well-known area curator, John Dorsey’s incisive critical perspective and passion for visual arts provided immeasurable contributions to the contemporary art community. This prize rewards students in the Departments of Studio Art, Immersive Media Design, and Art History who excel in critical thinking skills and curatorial practice.

THE PRIZE

Want to curate a group exhibition and display that exhibition at the University of Maryland? The John Dorsey Prize will support the winning applicant(s) with financial and logistical support to make this a reality. The John Dorsey Prize amount is $3500, from which the winner distributes honoraria and operating expenses. The recommended division of the award is $1750 to the prize winner, or co-winners in the case of collaboration, and $1750 divided equally among the exhibiting artists in the form of honoraria. The Department of Art will provide additional support towards gallery preparation, advertising, and the opening reception. Applications are due on Monday, May 22nd, 2026. The winner will be announced approximately two weeks later, and the exhibition will open the Fall season in the Herman Maril Gallery in the Art/Sociology Building in September 2025 with an opening reception to take place during NextNowFest ‘25.

Deadline: May 22nd, 2026

How to apply: details and application form are here: go.umd.edu/DorseyPrize.