UW–Madison students Skylar Simpson and Mallory Stowe, both MFA candidates in the School of Education’s Art Department, are finalists for the 2023 AXA Art Prize, one of the leading student art competitions in the United States.

Now in its sixth year, the AXA Art Prize has established a reputation as providing an insightful overview of the best new talent nationwide. Simpson and Stowe are among 40 finalists selected for this year’s AXA Art Prize out of over 700 applicants from 203 colleges and universities.

Their artwork was exhibited live at the New York Academy of Art Nov. 4-16, is currently on view in the AXA virtual gallery.

Simpson works with graphite, gouache, and oil paint to create narrative portraits of women and interiors. Her work explores domesticity as a source of both comfort and anxiety. She has exhibited in group shows throughout the U.S., and was previously included in the AXA Art Prize exhibition in 2022.