On May 16, 2026, ten competitors modeled from life at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts’ impressive Chandler Studio. Earlier this year, NSS Fellows Basil Watson, Michael Keropian and Nilda Comas selected the competitors.

The competitors were:

• Dasha Bough
• Sam Davis
• Zoe Dufour
• Eddie Holecko
• Remington James
• Pema Kongpo
• Marina Melluzzo
• Darrel Raymundo
• Sorrel Stone
• Maia Williamson

The competitors’ task was to successfully model a bust from life (from the neck up), working from a live model.

At the end of four hours, a Jury of Awards including NSS Fellows Kate Brockman and Kirsten Visbal, as well as David D.J. Rau, Senior Director, Education and Visitor Engagement at Flo Gris, selected three prize recipients:

Richard McDermott Miller Prize of $8,000 to Maia Williamson

Roger T. Williams Prize of $4,000 to Zoe Dufour

Charlotte Geffken Award of $2,000 to Sam Davis

An enormous THANK YOU to NSS past president Michel Langlais for generously underwriting a portion of the prizes.

The National Sculpture Society is pleased to have so many 2026 supporters:

Travel Scholarships for each competitor are funded by bequests from Charlotte Geffken and Roger T. Williams.

The competitors each receive a complimentary one-year Associate membership sponsored by the Robert J. Spring Endowment and Modern Art Foundry Foundation.

Bruner F. Barrie, on the closure of Sculpture House, donated several sculpting tool kits to the NSS to be distributed to each competitor.

The National Sculpture Society has hosted modeling competitions for young and emerging sculptors since the 20th century. The current format is named for Richard McDermott Miller (1922-2004), a gifted artist, inventor, college professor, and published writer. Miller served as the Society’s president from 1997-2000. With his passing, he left a generous bequest to the Society. Miller’s autobiography, Heading for New York: A Sculptor’s Journey, describes his life between his birth in Ohio and his fortieth year when he became a full-time sculptor in NYC. Each competitor will receive a copy of the book (also for sale here).