Robert Motherwell First Book Award
Robert Motherwell First Book Award supports first-time authors by recognizing books on modernism in the visual arts, literature, music, and performing arts that advance its history and criticism.
Funder: Dedalus Foundation
Due Dates: December 16, 2026 (nomination deadline)
Funding Amounts: $10,000 prize
Summary: An annual award for an outstanding first book that advances the history and criticism of modernism in the arts.
Key Information: Publishers, not authors, submit nominations.
Description
The Dedalus Foundation’s Robert Motherwell First Book Award recognizes authors whose first books make significant contributions to the history and criticism of modernism in the arts. The annual prize is open to work on the visual arts, literature, music, and the performing arts.
For this award, modernism is defined broadly: books may address art created from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. A jury of three distinguished scholars and writers chooses the winning book.
