The $200,000 cash prize recognizes outstanding achievement in American art
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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art today announced it is seeking nominations for the prestigious 2026 Don Tyson Prize. Featuring a $200,000 cash award, the Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art was established by the Tyson family in honor of the late Don Tyson, former chairman and CEO of Tyson Foods.
The biennial prize is awarded to living individuals or institutions in the United States working in any medium. It recognizes those who have changed the way we look at, think about, or experience art and impacted the field through innovation, outside-the-box thinking, and risk taking. In doing so, the recipients have raised awareness, challenged preconceived notions, removed barriers, and ultimately, increased accessibility.
Crystal Bridges believes those whose work and effort have resulted in this type of dynamic impact need to be recognized. The prize will be awarded in fall 2026.
The highly anticipated accolade returns after the 2024 prize was granted to multidisciplinary artist, Nicholas Galanin (Tlingit-Unangax̂). Previous recipients include renowned photographer and creative pioneer, Deborah Willis, Ph.D (2022), Houston-based organization Project Row Houses (2020), vanessa german (2018), a citizen artist whose art explores transformation through art and advocacy, and the Archives of American Art (2016), the first awardee of the Don Tyson Prize.
Crystal Bridges is accepting nominations for the 2026 Don Tyson Prize through May 31, 2026. The public can submit their nominations online.
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About Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 15 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization by philanthropist Alice Walton. The collection spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions.
The museum is nestled on 134 acres of Ozark landscape, the land is ancestral and treaty territory to the Caddo Nation, Osage Nation, and Quapaw Nation, and was designed by the world-renowned Safdie Architects. A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was preserved and relocated to the museum grounds in 2015. Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities, and is the home of the prestigious Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art and Tyson Scholars of American Art Program. Some 558,375 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools.
Additional museum amenities include a restaurant, gift store, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in Downtown Bentonville (507 SE E Street), a venue for the music, art, and food of our time. Crystal Bridges’ 114,000 square foot expansion will open to the public June 6 and 7, 2026, allowing the museum to expand access for all. For more information, visit CrystalBridges.org. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.
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