Filmmaker Payal Kapadia named among 2026 CHANEL Next Prize winners
Filmmaker Payal Kapadia has been named among the 10 recipients of the 2026 CHANEL Next Prize, a biennial award that recognises contemporary artists redefining their respective disciplines.
Kapadia, who became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival for her debut feature "All We Imagine as Light", is the only filmmaker among this year's winners.
Established in 2021 by CHANEL's Culture Fund, the prize provides each recipient 100,000 euros in unrestricted funding to develop ambitious new projects.
The winners will also participate in a two-year mentorship and networking programme facilitated by the fashion house's cultural partners, including the Royal College of Art in London.
The 2026 recipients comprise 10 artists from 10 countries working across film, visual art, performance, design and music.
"The CHANEL Next Prize creates the conditions for artists to thrive on their own terms. Each winner is a trailblazer shaping the now and defining the next with creativity and audacity," Yana Peel, president of Arts, Culture & Heritage at CHANEL, said.
Kapadia, a graduate of the Film and Television Institute of India, made her Cannes debut with her short film "Afternoon Clouds", which was selected for the La Cinefondation section in 2017.
Her non-fiction film "A Night of Knowing Nothing" won the L'Oeil d'or for best documentary at Cannes in 2021.
In 2024, "All We Imagine as Light", which explores female friendship, love and longing in Mumbai, became the first Indian film in 30 years to compete for the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
The film went on to win the Grand Prix, making Kapadia the first Indian filmmaker to receive the honour.
The other 2026 CHANEL Next Prize winners are US composer and musician Ambrose Akinmusire; Nigerian visual and sound artist Emeka Ogboh; Portuguese dancer and choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira; Chinese visual artist and composer Pan Daijing; Mexican visual artist and designer Barbara Sanchez-Kane; French visual artist Pol Taburet; Spanish visual artist Alvaro Urbano; South Korean visual artist Ayoung Kim; and Canadian-Colombian performer and choreographer Andrea Pena.
