Two Ringling College of Art and Design Fine Arts students were named finalists for the 2023 AXA Art Prize U.S., held by the New York Academy of Art.

First awarded in 2017 and now considered one of the premier student art competitions in the country, the AXA Art Prize is open to paintings, drawings, and prints from undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in art programs in the U.S. The prize recognizes exceptional creativity, technical skill, and the ability to convey meaningful messages through figurative art. The first prize winner receives $10,000, and second prize is $5,000.

Fine Arts alum Ren Anan ’23 and current Fine Arts student and Masterpiece Scholarship recipient Blue Dunsworth ’25 were among the 40 student artists shortlisted for the award.

The shortlisted pieces, including those by Anan and Dunsworth, were on view at an in-person exhibition at the New York Academy of Art in November and can still be seen as part of a virtual exhibition at axaartprize.com. The competition winners were also chosen in November.

This year’s finalists were chosen from more than 700 submissions received from a record 203 different schools. The shortlisted artists represented 30 schools from 17 different states. Ringling College was among only six schools with multiple shortlisted artists.

The Exhibition Jury, which chose the 40 finalists, comprised Ian Alteveer, Curator for Modern and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Peter Eleey, Curator at UCCA Center for Contemporary Art; Ann Philbin, Chief Curator at the Hammer Museum; and independent curator Nancy Spector.