Overview
- Dia Art Foundation and the Sam Gilliam Foundation named Guatemala-based artist and poet Edgar Calel the 2026 recipient on Tuesday.
- The prize includes $75,000 and a public program at a Dia location in the fall of 2026.
- A six-member jury selected Calel, including Dia curators Jordan Carter and Matilde Guidelli-Guidi, Gilliam Foundation president Annie Gawlak, and curators Elvira Dyangani Ose, Shanay Jhaveri, and Clara Kim.
- Calel, born in Chi Xot in 1987, works across installation, performance, and sculpture with themes drawn from Maya Kaqchikel traditions and has shown at SculptureCenter and major 2023 biennials in Gwangju, Liverpool, and São Paulo.
- Established in 2023 and endowed through 2033, the award is administered by Dia, with past winners including Ibrahim Mahama in 2024 and Sheela Gowda in 2025.