With the stated goal of seeking to propel the careers of women figurative realist painters, the winner of The Bennett Prize receives $25,000 annually for each of two years to allow her to devote the time necessary to mount a solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings, which are exhibited at the Muskegon Museum of Art in Muskegon, Michigan and then travel the country.
[8] In addition to the sum paid to the winner, The Bennett Prize also offers cash awards of $1000 to each of up to eight (8) finalists selected from among the entrants.
The prize is awarded once every two years to a woman painter whose principal focus is figurative painting done in a realistic style.
The Bennett Collection comprises several historic works including pieces by Mary Cassatt, Artemisia Gentileschi,[12] Elaine de Kooning, Sarah Miriam Peale, Agnes Martin, and Suzanne Valadon.
Among the living artists represented in the collection are major works by Julie Bell, Margaret Bowland, Andrea Kowch, Alyssa Monks, Zoey Frank, Xenia Hausner, SuSu, Katie O’Hagan, Harmonia Rosales, and Kathrin Longhurst,[13] among numerous others.
In a comment to American Art Collector Schmidt said: "In our discussions with women artists, we could sense the genuine struggle presented by making a living, raising a family and trying to paint, all at the same time.
Thus, the stated mission of The Bennett Prize is to counteract gender discrimination against women fine art painters and encourage and also enable their pursuit of figurative realism.
[18] Ingold received $25,000 annually for two years, a total of $50,000, which allowed her to devote the time necessary to create new work for her solo exhibition, which opened at the Muskegon Museum of Art in 2021 and then traveled the country.
Her works feature family themes and, in her words, “explore intersecting issues of race, gender, identity and economics” as seen in daily life.
The exhibition for the second iteration of the prize, “Rising Voices 2”,[26] was exhibited at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville, Tennessee,[27] the Arnot Museum in Elmira, New York, the Bo Bartlett Center in Columbus, Georgia, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.