The Princess Grace Foundation-USA announced 18 Princess Grace Award winners and 11 Honoraria recipients, joining over 1,000 previously recognized artists including Tony Kushner and Leslie Odom Jr..
This year’s recipients include dancer India Hobbs, who was nominated by previous Princess Grace Award winner Andrea Miller, and Brit Hensel, filmmaker, Upstander Project. Winners will receive $15,000 and those selected for Honoraria will earn $1,500, with both being unrestricted cash grants.
“We are proud and excited to welcome the 2026 Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria recipients. It is a genuine privilege to identify extraordinary talent early in an artist’s career, welcome them into the Princess Grace Awards community and be part of their artistic journey,” said Diana Kemppainen, the president of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. “Our deepest thanks to the Arts Advisory Council and panelists for their thoughtful guidance in the selection process.”
Honoring Princess Grace of Monaco, the foundation also provides the Special Project Grant, the Princess Grace Artist Fellowship and the Grace Kelly Scholarship, along with networking and career development opportunities.
The selected artists will be honored at the Princess Grace Awards Gala on Jan. 30, which will be presided over by Prince Alber II of Monaco.
See the full list of winners below.
2026 PRINCESS GRACE AWARD WINNERS and HONORARIA
Theater and Playwriting:
Anuj Bhutani, nominated by Beth Morrison Projects, Robert and Gloria Hausman Theater Honor
Kate Eberstadt, nominated by Ars Nova, Gant Gaither Theater Honor
Madison Fiedler, 2026-2027 Princess Grace Award winner in Playwriting/Fellowship at New Dramatists
Sapu-D’jano, nominated by The Juilliard School, Grace Le Vine Theater Honor
Michael Ruiz-del-Vizo, nominated by Queensborough Community College, Fabergé Theater Honor
Alysia Velez, nominated by Manhattan School of Music, John Gore Theater Honor
Theater Honoraria:
Satya Chávez, nominated by Goodman Theatre
Lour, nominated by National Queer Theater
Sveta Moroz, nominated by The Imaginists
Ava Elizabeth Novak, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner nicHi douglas (Theater 2021)
Dance Performance:
Mason Evans, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Jacquelin Harris (Dance 2017), Chris Hellman Dance Honor
India Hobbs, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Andrea Miller (Choreography 2014), Artistic Director of GALLIM
Demetrius Lee, nominated by Saint Louis Dance Theatre
Destin Morisset, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Kyle Abraham (Choreography 2010), Artistic Director of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham
Dance Performance Honoraria:
Seth Gibson, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Mario Alberto-Zambrano (Dance 1995)
Kalen Simpson, nominated by George Mason University School of Dance
Choreography:
Tsai Hsi Hung, nominated by South Chicago Dance Theatre
Jordan Johnson, nominated by USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance
Choreography Honoraria:
Starinah Dixon, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Michelle Dorrance (Choreography 2012), Artistic Director of Dorrance Dance
Film & Animation:
Ana A. Alpizar, nominated by New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Sir Roger Moore Film Honor
Chelsi Bullard, nominated by Brown Girls Doc Mafia, John H. Johnson Film Honor
Dzan Harba, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Gustavo René Sanabria (Film 2024)
Brit Hensel, nominated by Upstander Project
Annie Ning, nominated by Columbia University, School of the Arts, Cary Grant Film Honor
Samuel Wright Smith, nominated by New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Stephen Hillenburg Animation Honor
Film Honoraria:
Hadley Austin, nominated by Create Humanity
Madeline Babuka Black, nominated by California Institute of the Arts
Maissa Lihedheb, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Ham Tran (Film 2001)
Maria del Mar Rosario, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Rafael Samanez (Film 2018)
2026 Special Project Grant Recipients:
Naomi Funaki
Haisi Hu
Victor Lodato
Riley O’Flynn
Mary Prescott
Gazelle Samizay
Christian A. Warner
Yuan Yuan
2026 Princess Grace Artist Fellows:
Ifeyinwa Arinze
Tommie-Waheed Evans
Sadieh Rifai
Ching Ching Wong
2026 Grace Kelly Training Scholarship Recipients (High School):
Rolando Arias
Hayden Diecidue
Brooke Jones
Ansu Kosiah
Jaida Miller
Alexander Mezger
2026 Grace Kelly Scholarship Recipients (College):
Natalie Arciniega
Brenna Charlick
Ka’Sean Francis
Holden Sysler
Jasiah Taylor
Sarnie Vignon
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