To reward the work of women artists on the French scene, to respond to the lack of visibility in France and abroad, and to highlight their works and the longevity of their careers, beyond stereotypes: these are the objectives of the AWARE prizes. Through these prizes, AWARE is committed to supporting the laureates over the long term, through the creation of publications, exhibitions and offering production assistance. Since 2019, the laureates have benefited from new methods of visibility thanks to the renewed and continual support of the French Ministry of Culture.

In 2022, one of the two prizes, previously aimed at emerging artists, will evolve to reward mid-career artists, less supported by existing prizes and the current art ecosystem. The winner of this AWARE prize, named the Nouveau Regard prize, will benefit from the Villa Albertine residence in New York with a “tailor-made” accompaniment by the A.I.R. Gallery. More than a symbolic recognition of the path taken by these women artists, the Nouveau Regard prize is an unprecedented opportunity to open new horizons for the development of their careers and to promote their work internationally. When the winner returns to France, a co-production invitation will be sent out to the Fracs and the art centres for a personal exhibition of the artist’s work in France. As part of its partnership with AWARE, the Cnap (Centre national des arts plastiques) will offer the winner of the Nouveau Regard prize the acquisition of works that will join its collection.

The winner of the Outstanding Merit prize will receive a 10,000 euro grant and a monographic publication, containing an original interview for release in 2022. This collection of interviews is developed in partnership with Manuella Éditions for all the recipients of AWARE Outstanding Merit prize since its creation. In November 2019, the first edition in the collection devoted to Nil Yalter was published, followed by those dedicated to Jacqueline de Jong (2019 winner), Judit Reigl (2017 winner) and Esther Ferrer (2016 winner). These will be succeeded by works on Vera Molnár (2018 ex-aequo winner), Marie Orensanz (2020 winner) and Barbara Chase-Riboud (2021 winner).

Four commissioners – young professionals from the world of culture: art historians, critics, curators – have each shortlisted a pair of artists, nominated respectively for the Nouveau Regard prize (mid-career artists) and the Outstanding Merit prize (women artists with careers spanning over 40 years).

The commissioners for the 2022 edition – Chris Cyrille (art critic and independent curator), Alicia Knock (curator at the mnam-Centre Pompidou), Thierry Leviez (director of the Pavillon Bosio, École Supérieure d’Arts Plastiques de Monaco) and Camille Richert (doctor in art history and independent curator) – will present and defend the work of the artists in front of a jury made up of seven major figures from the world of culture.

In 2022, the jury will be chaired by Alexia Fabre (director of the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris) and composed of: Keren Detton (director of Frac Grand Large – Hauts-de-France), N’Goné Fall (curator, essayist and cultural engineering consultant), Camille Morineau (co-founder and director of AWARE), Béatrice Salmon (director of Cnap, Centre national des arts plastiques), Elena Sorokina (curator and art historian) and Elfi Turpin (artistic director of the Centre Rhénan d’Art Contemporain – CRAC Alsace).

The 2022 AWARE Prizes for Women Artists are supported by the Ministry of Culture and CHANEL.