Recent Painting Graduate Chelsea Harris Shortlisted for the 2026 AXA Art Prize U.S.
Chelsea Harris, En Route, 2026. Oil on panel. 30″ x 40″. Courtesy of the artist.
Cranbrook Academy of Art is proud to celebrate recent graduate Chelsea Harris (MFA Painting 2026), who has been named among the 40 finalists in the 2026 AXA Art Prize U.S., selected from nearly 600 submissions representing 132 schools across the country.
Now in its ninth year, the AXA Art Prize U.S. is one of the most prestigious platforms for emerging student artists working in figurative art in the United States. This year’s finalists were first reviewed by regional jurors from the Prize’s Strategic Advisory Board — which includes RISD, Pratt Institute, Savannah College of Art and Design, and the California College of the Arts — before the final 40 were selected by a distinguished panel: Laura Hoptman of the Drawing Center, Christopher Lew of C/O: Curatorial Office, independent curator Monique Long, and Jasmine Wahi of Project for Empty Space.
Harris is one of 40 shortlisted artists drawn from 23 schools across 17 states. All 40 works will be presented in an in-person exhibition at the New York Academy of Art in November 2026, where a jury including artists Ann Craven, Amy Cutler, and Kiki Smith will select a first-place winner ($10,000) and runner-up ($5,000).
Learn more:
AXA Art Prize U.S. Announces Shortlist for 2026 Exhibition – AXA XL
