Awards & Prizes
Vanderbilt's Department of Art has been fortunate to enjoy the support of many generous and dedicated alumni and friends. Several of these benefactors have established prizes or funds for student support within the department.
Since 1984 the department has supervised the awarding of the Margaret Stonewall Wooldridge Hamblet Award to an eligible senior student. The Hamblet Award provides the means for travel and independent art activity for one year, culminating in a one-person exhibition at the Fine Arts Gallery. Students wanting to participate in the spring competition must be seriously engaged in visual art. See the Department of Art for eligibility details and application requirements. View a list of past award recipients.
Allen P. DeLoach Memorial Prize in Photography was established in December 1998 by Mr. Rusty Edmister in honor of the memory of a former co-worker and Vanderbilt alum. This cash award is open to any student who has taken a studio class in any discipline at Vanderbilt. Contestants should submit 1-3 photographs to be reviewed. An outside juror is brought in every year to choose the recipient and to give a slide lecture to art students about his or her work.
The Cooley Award was established in May 1920. It is a cash prize given each spring to the graduating senior Art and Art History major with the highest GPA.