647 Entrants, to 10 Finalists, to $50,000

Ten finalists were recently announced for the $50,000 Bennett Prize, the largest art award offered solely to women painters. The 10 were selected from among 647 entrants, a number that greatly surpassed expectations of 350 entries for the inaugural year. Endowed at the Pittsburgh Foundation by art collectors Steven Alan Bennett and Dr. Elaine Melotti Schmidt, this first-of-its-kind prize is designed to propel the careers of women artists.