01 Aug THE PRINCESS GRACE FOUNDATION-USA ANNOUNCES THE 2023 PRINCESS GRACE AWARD WINNERS

Posted at 11:43h in News by

NEW YORK,  August 1, 2023 – The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is proud to announce the 2023 Princess Grace Award winners, along with the recipients of the Advancement grants and the Grace Kelly Scholarship recipients. This year, the Foundation welcomes 18 Princess Grace Award winners and 11 Honoraria recipients into the Princess Grace Awards community.  

The Princess Grace Foundation, founded in memory of Princess Grace of Monaco, neé Grace Kelly, identifies extraordinary emerging artists working in theater, dance and film and nurtures their growth throughout their careers. Princess Grace Award winners receive a $15,000 unrestricted cash grant paid directly to the artists. This year the panel was impressed by the quality of the applications and chose to recognize an additional 11 artists who will receive an Honoraria and a $1,500 unrestricted cash grant.  

 

The new class of Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria join the community of over 900 Princess Grace Award alumni where they are provided additional exclusive grant opportunities, career development and networking.  Exclusive grant opportunities provided to Princess Grace Award winners include Advancement grant opportunities: Special Project Grants and Works in Progress Residencies.  

 

The Princess Grace Foundation will celebrate the new class of Princess Grace Award winners and Honoraria with a digital celebration this Fall. In 2024 the Foundation will host a larger joint celebration beginning with the Princess Grace Awards Summit and culminating with the Princess Grace Awards Gala in the presence of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, to celebrate the 2023 and 2024 Princess Grace Award winners and honoraria.  The Summit, a series of panel conversations, round tables, and seminars curated for the new class of Princess Grace Award winners, is designed to foster relationships and set the emerging Award winners on a path to artistic success.  

 

Leslie Odom, Princess Grace Award winner and Princess Grace Foundation Trustee, said “Winning the Princess Grace Award was the first sign of encouragement that I could have a professional acting career and that meant a lot. Since 2002, it has been a pleasure to see the incredible talent selected by the Princess Grace Awards panel, and now as a Trustee of the Princess Grace Foundation I am delighted to welcome the 2023 Princess Grace Award winners and honoraria into our community.” 

 

Brisa Carleton, CEO of the Princess Grace Foundation shared, “This year’s applicant pool was incredibly impressive, and under the guidance of our esteemed theater, dance and film industry panelists and Arts Advisory Council, we are thrilled to announce the 2023 Princes Grace Award winners and honoraria.” 

 

Meet this year’s Princess Grace Award winners and honoraria  

 

For Theater and Playwriting: 

  • Ino Badanjak, Nominated by The Juilliard School, Grace Le Vine Theater Honor 
  • Tislarm Bouie, Nominated by Princess Grace Award winner David Mendizábel, John Gore Theater Award 
  • Amy Higdon, Nominated by University of California, Los Angeles, Pierre Cardin Theater Honor 
  • Jesús I. Valles, Nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Lucas Baisch, Gant Gaither Theater Honor 
  • Salvador Zamora, Nominated by University of California, Santa Cruz, Robert and Gloria Hausman Theater Honor 
  • Marissa Joyce Stamps, New Dramatists Playwriting Fellowship 

 

Theater Honoraria: 

  • DIGGLE, Nominated by The Public Theater 
  • Sequoiah Blaire, Nominated by Stanford University 
  • Grzegorz Labuda, Carnegie Mellon University 
  • Julia Riew, American Repertory Theater 
  • Luna Izpisua Rodriguez, California Institute of the Arts 

  

For Dance Performance and Choreography:  

  • Alexandria Best, Nominated by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago 
  • Mark Caserta, Nominated by Kaatsbaan Cultural Park 
  • Naomi Funaki, Nominated by New York City Center 
  • Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Nominated by A.I.M by Kyle Abraham (Princess Grace Award winner) 
  • Madison Olguin, Nominated by National Institute of Flamenco 
  • Andrew Robare, Nominated by American Ballet Theatre, Chris Hellman Dance Honor 

 

Dance Performance and Choreography Honoraria: 

  • Emily Adams, Nominated by Ballet West 
  • Emani Drake, Nominated by Deeply Rooted Dance Theater  

 

For Film: 

  • Sarah Ballard, Nominated by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 
  • Lorena Durán, Nominated by Latino Film Institute, John H. Johnson Film Honor 
  • Zhen Li, Nominated California Institute of the Arts, Stephen Hillenburg Animation Honor 
  • Aiman Mimiko, Nominated by Columbia University, Sir Roger Moore Film Honor 
  • Yuan Yuan, Nominated by Princess Grace Award winner Pepi Ginsberg, Cary Grant Film Honor 
  • Wendy Cong Zhao, Nominated by Hunter College 

 

Film Honoraria: 

  • Caleb G. Abrams, Nominated by Squeaky Wheel Film and Media Arts Center 
  • Macdaleine St. Remy, Nominated by New York University 
  • Jude Chehab, Nominated by Brown Girls Doc Mafia 
  • X.K. Balashov, Nominated by California Institute of the Arts 

  

Advancement Grants:  

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA maintains a long-term commitment to its Award winners, supporting and nurturing them throughout their artistic journey. Special Project and Works in Progress Residencies at the Baryshnikov Arts Center are grants available to past Princess Grace Awards and Honoraria recipients for uniquely significant projects that advance their artistic development.  This year’s winners are: 

 

Special Project Awards:  

  • Abbesi Akhamie 
  • Nancy Bannon 
  • Marjani Forté-Saunders 
  • Ciara Leina’ala Lacy 
  • Francisco Mendoza 
  • Raúl O. Paz Pastrana 
  • Alex Torra 
  • Joie Estrella Hortwitz 
  • Jonathan King 

 

Works in Progress Residencies: 

  • Chanel DaSilva 
  • James Gregg 

 

Grace Kelly Scholarships: 

In its third year, the Princess Grace Foundation is proud to offer the Grace Kelly Scholarships. With a leadership gift from the Victory Foundation, Grace Kelly Scholarships for Thespian Excellence identifies and nurtures high school theater-makers and performers. In partnership with the Educational Theatre Foundation, Grace Kelly Scholarships provide access to the necessary resources and encouragement that meaningfully impacts young artists on their path to becoming successful professional artists.  

 

2023 Grace Kelly Training Scholarships ($1,000 scholarship to artistic training programs): 

  • Gavin Evanson 
  • Carter Pask 
  • Joey Roth 
  • Kayden Shelmire 
  • Casey Swanson

2023 Grace Kelly Scholarships (4-year scholarship with $6,000 in grants funds. Each recipient is paired with a Princess Grace Award winner to serve as their mentor over the 4 years): 

  • Zehra Hassan 
  • Zari McIntosh 
  • Jada Sifford 
  • Zaleh Vallien 
  • Isis Washington