College of Arts & Sciences
Department of Art and Art History
Department of Art and Art History

The Awards

The Misty Dailey Awards in Art History and Studio Art 

The Misty Dailey Awards were first awarded in 1993. Prizes of up to $500 are awarded to students for outstanding Art History research papers, short-form papers, and outstanding senior projects of majors in Studio Art. Applicants must be students with a declared major and/or minor in Art History and/or major in Studio Art. Outside jurors in Art History and Studio Art decide the winning work in their respective disciplines.

Eligibility:

Art History awards are open to graduating Seniors with a declared major and/or minor in Art History. Both Art History Majors and Minors may submit to either the Major Research Paper (~15-30 pages) or the Short Paper (~5-7 pages) category. Work must be from junior or senior years, applicants may submit only one paper for consideration, and may not submit the same paper in multiple categories of awards.

Studio Art awards are open to graduating Seniors with a declared major in Studio Art. Students will hear directly from Department faculty and staff about how to apply. Only graduating Studio Art Majors with artwork included in the annual Majors exhibition in the Art Galleries will be considered.

Instructions for Art History Awards:

We encourage students to consult with their Art History professor to revise their work prior to submission. Papers should include a cover page with the paper title only, must be in 12-point font and double-spaced, with fully identified illustrations attached at the end. Your name and the professor’s name must appear only on the Google Form. Do not put your name or your professor’s name on the paper or cover page itself, so that submissions remain anonymous to the juror. 

The Dailey Family Research Awards

The Department invites majors and minors in Art History and Studio Art to apply for the Dailey Family Research Awards to support travel (or other approved expenses) that facilitates a major body of work or scholarly project (e.g. long-form writing or thesis). The award provides a stipend of up to $1,000 for travel expenses to pursue a project related to the visual arts. Two prizes will be awarded; one for Art History and one for Studio Art. Art History students might design their travel to help them build on an existing paper, or to conduct research for a senior thesis or independent project. Studio Art students might travel to develop or enhance a body of work for their senior exhibition. Applicants should specify a potential or established mentor for their projects in their proposal. Award recipients will work with their faculty mentor to further develop their proposal and shall provide them with updates throughout the next year. Additionally, recipients are asked to prepare a short recorded presentation about the results of their research to share with the Art & Art History Department and the Dailey family in the spring of 2026.

Eligibility:

The applicant must be a 1) sophomore or junior and 2) a declared major or minor in Art History or Studio Art. Research and travel by the awardee must take place in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Spring 2026. 

Judging & Ceremony

A committee of professors from Art History and Studio Art will select the winning projects. Award recipients will be announced during the Misty Dailey Awards on Thursday, April 24th, 2025.

Instructions

Please compose a proposal of up to 500 words explicitly describing your project, the proposed itinerary and activities, and how winning the Research Award would help you achieve these goals. Explain how your project relates to courses you have taken or other relevant experience. Consider how travel could benefit your future coursework, projects, or other specific plans. The proposal must include a line-item budget indicating approximate expenses for travel, lodging, and associated costs.

Applicants should specify a potential or established mentor for their projects in their proposal. Award recipients must work with their faculty mentor to further develop their proposal and provide updates throughout the next year. Additionally, recipients are asked to prepare a short recorded presentation about the results of their research to share with the Art & Art History Department and the Dailey family in the spring of 2026.

Proposals should be saved as a .pdf file in 12-point font, double-spaced. Remember not to include your name on the proposal itself so it remains anonymous to the jurors.

The Dailey Family Award in Art, Diversity, and Healing

The Department of Art and Art History invites applications for the annual Dailey Family Award in Art, Diversity, and Healing. One prize of $500 will be awarded. The award recognizes excellence in student research, creative work, or related projects that foster cross-cultural dialogue. It celebrates the capacity of art not just to explore and reveal, but also to spark communication, understanding, and change.

Eligibility

This award is open to any student who has taken a course in the Department of Art & Art History. Work submitted for consideration must have been produced for an undergraduate course in the Department between January 2024 and April 2025 (i.e., work from the current Spring and preceding Fall and Spring semesters). Students may submit only one work for the award. Students may not submit the same paper or project to multiple award categories. 

Judging & Ceremony

A committee of professors from Art History and Studio Art will select the winning projects. Students’ names should not be included on the work itself, so the work is anonymous to the jurors. Award recipients will be announced during the Misty Dailey Awards on Thursday, April 24th, 2025.

Instructions

Students may submit only one paper or project for consideration. 
A submission will consist of two parts: 

The Statement may be a synopsis of an argument, statement of intention, brief interpretation, etc. It should refer specifically to the work being submitted and how it makes its points. Students’ names should not be included either on the work or Statement of Relevance itself, so that they remain anonymous to the jurors.

Art History papers must be uploaded as a .pdf file in 12-point font, double-spaced, with fully identified illustrations attached at the end. Include a title page with the title of the paper. Do not list your name on the paper, so it can be judged anonymously. Include the title of the work, but not your name, in the file name.

Studio Art projects must be represented by two to four JPGs. Each image should high quality: 72 dpi and approx. 1500 pixels in the longer dimension. Include the title of the work, but not your name, in the file names.

The Dailey Family Discovery Award (2020 — 2022)

From 2020 to 2022, the Dailey Family Discovery Award replaced the annual Dailey Family Travel Award, given travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Discovery Award provided a stipend of up to $500 for expenses to pursue a project of a student’s choice. Applicants developed brief proposals in consultation with a faculty member who supervised the project and winners were asked to return the following year to present at the subsequent Misty Dailey Awards.