21st Annual Bethesda Painting Awards
The 21st Annual Bethesda Painting Awards exhibition showcases the work of eight finalist painters selected from a juried competition open to artists living in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Founded in 2005 by Carol Trawick, the awards are downtown Bethesda’s annual juried art competition exclusively honoring painters. The 2026 finalists include Monica Ikegwu (Best in Show, $10,000), Julia Gould (Second Place, $2,000), Elizabeth Coffey (Third Place, $1,000), Kai Jones (Young Artist Award, $1,000), Sally Bowring, Thomas Bunnell, Jeffrey Deane Hall, and Minh Trang Huynh. The exhibition is free and open to the public, with an opening reception featuring the artists and jurors.
When: Thursday, June 4 through Sunday, June 28, 2026.
Gallery Hours: Thursday through Saturday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed Monday–Wednesday).
Opening Reception: Friday, June 12, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Venue: Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E, Bethesda, Maryland.
Award Winners: Monica Ikegwu (Best in Show, $10,000), Julia Gould (Second Place, $2,000), Elizabeth Coffey (Third Place, $1,000), Kai Jones (Young Artist Award, $1,000).
2026 Finalists: Sally Bowring (Richmond, VA), Thomas Bunnell (Washington, DC), Elizabeth Coffey (Richmond, VA), Julia Gould (Baltimore, MD), Jeffrey Deane Hall (Richmond, VA), Minh Trang Huynh (Richmond, VA), Monica Ikegwu (Baltimore, MD), Kai Jones (Washington, DC).
2026 Jury: Mira Hecht (Washington, DC; Corcoran College of Art and Design), Ernest Shaw (Baltimore, MD; Maryland Institute College of Art), Hilary Wilder (Richmond, VA; Virginia Commonwealth University).
Founder & Chair: Carol Trawick (Founder), Catriona Fraser (non-voting Chair).
Tickets: Free and open to the public; no ticket required.
Accessibility: Gallery B is located at street level; contact Bethesda Urban Partnership for specific accessibility information.
Note: The exhibition includes the winning works and selected pieces by all eight finalists. The 2026 Jury selected the finalists and awarded the prizes based on the original submitted works.