The numbers tell the story: Women win a lot fewer prizes than men do. A review conducted by the daily Haaretz revealed that women with impressive achievements are much less esteemed than men, and their share of prizes is very low to abysmal.

Take, for example, the top-rated Rothschild Prize. It has been awarded every two years since 1959 to Israeli researchers in the fields of exact sciences, humanities and social sciences, but according to the report, only 4 among its 131 recipients have been women. Or take the Wolf Prize, awarded since 1978 to scientists and artists from around the world. Haaretz reported that only 8 of its 272 recipients were women. Or the EMET Prize for Science, Art and Culture, awarded since 2002 under the auspices of the prime minister. Only 16 women have had the honor out of 114 recipients thus far. Or the Israel Prize, awarded annually at an official Independence Day ceremony attended by the heads of the state. According to the findings, 100 women have won the prize thus far, compared with 558 men.

This situation has generated a new initiative that is stirring up a storm on the Israeli arts scene — establishing a dedicated, women artists-only prize. On June 6, the initiators of the award concept, the artist Rinat Scheindover and professor Tal Dekel of the art history department and women studies program at Tel Aviv University, wrote an open letter to Culture Minister Limor Livnat, calling for the establishment of a prize or grant for women creators.

“The balance of power in society is unequal,” they explain in their letter. “Men creators come in for far greater recognition and material reward. … Contrary to the growing trend in the Western world of dedicated support for women in the visual arts, in Israel women and men compete for the same slot of institutional support. A slot which is gender-blind. And as a result, the Israeli arts world loses many important voices of women creators from all walks of life.” Scheindover and Dekel conclude by asserting, “The establishment of a state-sponsored prize or grant especially for women creators is necessary, a prize that will encourage them to stick to their artistic endeavor and make their voices heard in an independent and original fashion.”