The Alma Schapiro Prize
For a Three-month Classical Design Fellowship at The American Academy in Rome

The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art is pleased to offer the Alma Schapiro Prize, which alternates years with the Rieger Graham Prize. The Alma Schapiro Prize is to advance the career of an artist recipient and to foster the continuity of knowledge of the classical tradition as a vital aspect of contemporary culture around the globe. Winners are expected to join the great legacy of artists finding and investigating the classical tradition in Rome. The fellowship provides an opportunity for the winner to advance their art by drawing from the unique milieu of the American Academy and its host city as inspiration and interlude.

The centerpiece of the prize is a three-month affiliated fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, the premier American overseas center for independent study and research in the fine arts and humanities. The total award will include Academy fees, travel allotment and award stipend. The proposed three-month stay must begin between September of the prize year and May of the following year. Following the winner's return, an exhibition of their work will be mounted at the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½app's Cast Hall Gallery for public viewing.

The prize is open to United States citizens who are at least 21 years of age. A formal Bachelor of Fine Arts or Master of Fine Arts degree is not required, although some rigorous training and above all career accomplishment in painting or sculpture tied in expression and technique to contemporary classicism are essential for competitive applications.
View 2025 Submission Criteria

Context

The Alma Schapiro Prize is the result of an endowment grant from the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund of New York City. The Schapiro family was eager to create this fitting prize in Alma Schapiro’s name. Proceeds from this restricted endowment will allow its award every other year beginning in 2007 and continuing on a permanent basis. Fund trustees Linda Schapiro Collins and painter Jacob Collins were guiding advocates and the Institute acknowledges them gratefully.


Award categories
Three-month Classical Design Fellowship at The American Academy in Rome
Winners from
Patrick Byrnes
Dale Zinkowski
Savannah Tate Cuff
Jon Brogie
Anthony Baus
Katie Whipple
Will St. John
D. Jeffrey Mims
Michael Grimaldi

Nathan en grisaille

Victor in a striped shirt

Marco

Stan

A Letter Never Sent, Dale Zinkowski, 2020, Oil on Aluminum

Self Portrait, Savannah Tate Cuff

Portrait of Pat, Jon Brogie

Ara Pacis Relief, Anthony Baus

Anna, Will St. John, Oil on Canvas, 11 x 14 inches, 2009

Dying Man, Will St. John, Finished Clay, 32 inches, 2010

Allegory Of Painting, D. Jeffrey Mims

Submissions

Submissions for the 2027 Alma Schapiro Prize are not yet open.

Application Documents

Applicants must submit the following:


  • Cover letter — Cover letter should outline professional or creative credentials for the fellowship, and describe how the fellowship would serve the applicants further career and creative development. (Maximum 1 page).
  • Current resume or CV describing educational credentials and related professional experience (Maximum 2 pages).
  • Statement of Intent — a proposal that describes the intended project or body of work applicants hope to undertake while in Rome. Projects described should be specific and with a well defined scope and a clear description of the type or subjects of the works the applicant intends to make while in Rome and the conceptual and/or theoretical underpinnings that drive forward the project. Proposals should also articulate how and why the applicant seeks to explore Rome. (Maximum 3 pages).
  • One (1) letter of recommendation from teachers or professional contacts.
  • Samples from past work, (no more than fifteen (15) images, photographs, paintings, or drawings) whether accomplished in school or in practice.


Applications must be submitted through the . Hard copy applications will not be accepted.

All submitted materials, including but not limited to projects submitted for consideration, written material that accompanies your submission, and any imagery included in your submission must be produced without the use of generative Artificial Intelligence. By submitting your work for consideration, you are attesting that your submitted work, written materials, and imagery has not been created, altered, or edited by AI.

Criteria

In addition to the merits of the applicant’s career accomplishment, whatever its respective length along with persuasive expression of interest in living and working in Rome as an affiliated Academy Fellow, the jury will look for exceptional artistic talent and technical skill as measured by the submitted samples of past work. The jury will judge such talent by both its conception, composition, evidence of technique, and execution.

Emphasis will also be placed on the visibility and singularity of artistic voice, creativity of the proposed projects, and engagement, examination, and/or interrogation of classical design and its present day legacy. Evidence of strong theoretical underpinnings and conceptual richness and depth as expressed in the accompanying statement of intent will enhance the application.

Requirements


The ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½app reserves the right to publish, electronically post or display at its national headquarters a representative sampling of the work(s) of art produced at the Academy within one year of the fellowship’s completion. Images may be used in future promotion of the Alma Schapiro Prize for subsequent application rounds. Such work results will remain the property of the artist but permission to so reproduce or display must be granted by the artist recipient prior to departing; decisions about where and how to so show will be made by Institute staff in partnership with the Prize jury. It is the responsibility of the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½app to cover any and all related display costs such as digital photography or transport as deemed most appropriate.


Eligibility and Timetable

A formal Bachelor of Fine Arts or Master of Fine Arts degree is not required, although some rigorous training and above all career accomplishment in painting or sculpture tied in expression and technique to contemporary classicism are essential for competitive applications. The prize will be limited to citizens of the United States of America. Candidates must be at least 21 years of age.

The proposed three-month stay must begin between September of the prize year and May of the following year.

The available housing for the fellowship accommodates only the single winner of the prize. The AAR is unable to accommodate spouses or families of Affiliated Fellows for either the Rieger Graham or Alma Schapiro Prize. Acceptance of these Prizes and the affiliated fellowship requires that applicants be able to accept in full as described, and applicants who apply must be able to stay at the AAR as part of the residential cohort. The type of accommodation cannot be expanded or altered, and the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½app is not able to re-allocate those funds to sponsor other types of accommodation arrangements.

Please Inquire

Contact Mollie Wohlforth ([email protected]) or call 212-730-9646 ext. 111 with questions.