The Rappaport Prize committee announced last Wednesday that Arab Israeli artists Hannan Abu-Hussein and Maria Saleh Mahameed were the laureates of the 2023 award, the first time Palestinians have won the prestigious honor.

The annual prizes are awarded by the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Foundation to one established Israeli artist and one promising Israeli artist, in conjunction with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Prizes named after the late Jewish philanthropists are also awarded for biomedical research and groundbreaking social change endeavors by women.  

The judges chose Abu-Hussein for her leadership of projects focused on Jewish-Arab artistic collaboration, while Mahameed was honored for her “sober portrayal” of the complex schisms afflicting Israeli society. The prize for an established artist is $35,000 and an artist under the age of 40 receives $15,000, and the foundation produces catalogs of their work and hosts solo exhibitions. The winners are required to donate one of their works to the Rappaport Foundation’s collection of Israeli art.

The award, one of the most significant in Israel’s art world, is considered an important milestone in the careers of its winners, who include such renowned artists as Zvi Goldstein, Nurit David and Yair Garbuz. This year’s two female laureates have been flooded with congratulatory messages on social media from well-wishers from Umm al-Fahm and others in the Israeli Arab society, proud of their achievement.