The Dia Art Foundation and the Sam Gilliam Foundation have announced Edgar Calel as the winner of the 2026 Sam Gilliam Award. The Guatemala-based artist and poet, born in 1987 in Chi Xot (San Juan Comalapa), will receive $75,000 and participate in a public program at a Dia location this fall. Calel, of Maya Kaqchikel heritage, works across painting, drawing, sculpture, and performance, and is known for monumental installations reflecting Mayan cosmovision and themes of ownership and stewardship. He was selected by a panel including Dia curators Jordan Carter and Matilde Guidelli-Guidi, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Annie Gawlak, Shanay Jhaveri, and Clara Kim.
The award, established in 2023 with funding from the Sam Gilliam Foundation and its president Annie Gawlak in honor of the late artist Sam Gilliam, recognizes artists worldwide who have made significant contributions to any medium and for whom the prize would be transformative. Calel's win highlights the growing recognition of Indigenous perspectives in contemporary art and the importance of supporting artists whose work engages with ancestral traditions and institutional critique. The prize will be awarded annually through 2033, underscoring a sustained commitment to transformative artistic practice.