Princess Grace Awards Announces 18 Winners, Fetes 11 Honoraria Recipients

The Princess Grace Foundation today announced that 18 people will be awarded Princess Grace Awards, and 11 will be feted as honoraria recipients.

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is dedicated to honoring the legacy of Princess Grace of Monaco, neé Grace Kelly, known for her commitment to advancing the arts in the United States. The award supports and elevates extraordinary emerging artists in theater, dance and film through career-advancing grants and nurtures and supports Princess Grace Award winners throughout their careers.

As part of the Princess Grace Foundation’s 40th-anniversary celebration of emerging artists in theater, dance and film, recipients have been categorized into one of four award programs: The Princess Grace Award, Special Project Grant, Grace Kelly Scholarship and the re-introduction of the Princess Grace Statue Award.

This year’s Princess Grace Award winners join the community of over 900 artists who have received exclusive grants, career development and networking opportunities.

“I am delighted to announce the 2024 Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria recipients. As we celebrate 40 years of unparalleled grantmaking and a steadfast commitment to extraordinary artistry, I thank our esteemed artistic luminaries who serve as Arts Advisory Council members and panelists,” Diana Kemppainen, president of the Princess Grace Foundation, said in a statement. “Their discerning judgment and dedication have been instrumental in selecting this distinguished cohort of artists in theater, dance and film. We eagerly anticipate the contributions these artists will make to the cultural landscape.”

For the first time since 2019, the Princess Grace Foundation will also award the Princess Grace Statue Award. Given to previous Princess Grace Award winners who have distinguished themselves in their artistic disciplines, the Statue Award comes with a $25,000 unrestricted cash grant.

This year’s recipients are playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and theater and film director Lila Neugebauer, whose most recent collaboration, “Appropriate,” won the best revival of a play at the 77th Annual Tony Awards.

The honorees will be feted at the Princess Grace Awards Gala, which will be held on Oct. 23 at the Pierre Hotel in New York, New York.

See the complete list of winners below:

2024 Princess Grace Award Winners and Honoraria:

Theater and Playwriting:

• Dahlak Brathwaite, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Zoe Scofield (Choreography 2011), Gant Gaither Theater Honor
• Desiré Graham, nominated by Double Edge Theatre, Robert and Gloria Hausman Theater Honor
• Lauren Holmes, New Dramatists Playwriting Fellowship
• Samora la Perdida, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner David Mendizábal (Theater 2021), John Gore Theater Honor
• Mary Prescott, nominated by Harlem Stage, Grace Le Vine Theater Honor
• Alexis Kulani Woodard, nominated by David Geffen School of Drama at Yale

Theater Honoraria:

• Sim Carpenter, nominated by NYU Tisch School of the Arts- Chih-Jou Cheng, nominated by Links Hall
• Josiah Davis, nominated by National Black Theatre
• Evan Silver aka Tiresias, nominated by The Cell Theatre

Dance Performance and Choreography:

• Eric Best, nominated by Houston Ballet, Chris Hellman Dance Honor
• MJ Edwards, nominated by Limón Dance Company
• Amari Frazier, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Kyle Abraham (Choreography 2010)
• Roderick George, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Chanel DaSilva (Dance 2011)
• Barkha Patel, nominated by Harlem Stage
• Leonardo Sandoval, nominated by Works & Process at the Guggenheim

Dance Performance and Choreography Honoraria:

• Miriam Gittens, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Elisa Clark (Dance 2008)
• Jake Roxander, nominated by American Ballet Theatre
• Emara Vonae’ Neymour- Jackson, nominated by Owen/Cox Dance Group

Film & Animation:

• Ifeyinwa Arinze, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Pepi Ginsberg (Film 2021), Wendy Ferguson Film Honor
• Nicole Chi, nominated by the University of Texas at Austin, John H. Johnson Film Honor
• Gustavo René Sanabria, nominated by NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Sir Roger Moore Film Honor
• Isabel Santos, nominated by California Institute of the Arts, Stephen Hillenburg Animation Honor
• Monica Sorelle, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich (Film 2014), Lady Monika Bacardi Film Honor
• Anna J. Takayama, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Zahida Pirani (Film 2021), Cary Grant Film Honor

Film Honoraria:

• Nesa Azimi, nominated by Firelight Media
• Rebecca Blumhagen, nominated by Binghamton University
• Sam Drake, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Mike Gibisser (Film 2010)
• Hazel Katz, nominated by Princess Grace Award winner kelechi agwuncha (Film 2022)

2024 Statue Award Winners:

• Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Playwriting 2009)
• Lila Neugebauer (Theater 2013)

2024 Special Project Grant Recipients:

• Bobby Abate
• Jessica Bardsley
• Charlotte Brathwaite
• Lydia Cornett
• Tushrik Fredericks- Marcella Lewis
• Andrea Miller
• Alex Ramírez-Mallis- Kaneza Schaal
• Kate Weare
• Susan Youssef

2024 Grace Kelly Training Scholarship Recipients (High School):

• Isabelle Bonifant
• Ryan Ingram
• JD Lawrence
• London Raftery
• Katie Tillery

2024 Grace Kelly Scholarship Recipients (College):

• Reagan Bliss
• Kenna Edwards
• Emily Hacking
• Megan Janger
• Elizabeth Keller
• Liam Redford