At least sixty joyous family members as well as other artists and friends of the prize winners gathered at the newly renovated Garfield Family Gallery at the Sandisfield Arts Center on Sunday, August 16 to celebrate eight young Berkshire County artists who were awarded the Daniel Manacher Prize for Young Artists.

Each year local artists between the ages of 17 to 27 are invited to submit their portfolios for the prize. Winners receive a $400 cash prize and the opportunity to display their work at the Sandisfield Arts Center.

Winners for 2025 were Elizabeth Cheng, Enaya A. Ogletree, Annie Scott and Evelyn Vollmer (a graduate of Mt. Everett Regional High School). The judge was Josephine Halverson, a New Marlborough resident artist with a studio in Sandisfield and Boston University professor.

Winners for 2026 included a Sandisfield resident Mari Maeve Brennan (a graduate of Monument Mountain Regional High School) and Tamar Byl, Moira Ford, and Katie Maier. The judge was Virginia Overton of Sandisfield, a nationally and internationally renowned sculptor artist.

The prize, in its fifth year, was created by Adam Manacher and Carol Birnbaum in memory of their son, Daniel Manacher, and his passion for art. Adam said, "With this prize, we hope to carry forward values that were important to Daniel. We are happy that the judges have found young artists who tenaciously pursue their vision, seek to make ordinary objects extraordinary, and bring community into the conversation."

Additional information about the artists and their work is on the Sandisfield Art Center website: sandisfieldartscenter.org Soon there will be information on the website about the opening for submissions for the 2027 prize.