Indian Flimmaker Payal Kapadia Wins CHANEL Next Prize, Receives €100,000 Grant for Future Work
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Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia has been named among the 10 winners of the 2026 CHANEL Next Prize, earning €100,000 in unrestricted funding and access to a two-year international mentorship and networking programme.
The biennial prize recognises contemporary artists redefining their disciplines. Kapadia is the only filmmaker among the 2026 recipients, who represent 10 countries and work across film, visual art, music, performance and design.
CHANEL Next Prize For Kapadia
Established in 2021 by the CHANEL Culture Fund, the Next Prize is now in its third edition. Each winner receives €100,000 that can be used without restrictions, along with a two-year mentorship and networking programme supported by CHANEL's cultural partners, including London's Royal College of Art.
The programme is designed to give artists time and resources to develop ambitious new projects and expand the reach of their work.
Kapadia's Rise After Cannes Breakthrough
Kapadia rose to international prominence with her debut fiction feature, All We Imagine As Light, which won the Grand Prix at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The film was also recognised in the international awards circuit, including a Golden Globe nomination for Kapadia in the Best Director category.
Her earlier work had already attracted attention on the festival circuit. Her short films Afternoon Clouds and And What Is the Summer Saying were selected at Cannes' Cinéfondation and the Berlinale, while her documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing won the L'Oeil d'Or for Best Documentary at Cannes in 2021.
From Cannes Jury Member To CHANEL Winner
Kapadia returned to Cannes in 2025 as a member of the main Competition jury. In 2026, she served as President of the Jury for the 65th Semaine de la Critique at the festival.
Her latest recognition comes as she develops her next phase of work. Kapadia previously said she had two new films in mind that, along with All We Imagine As Light, would form a triptych of separate stories set in Mumbai.
Ten Artists Named For 2026 Prize
The 2026 CHANEL Next Prize recipients include visual artists Ayoung Kim, Pol Taburet, Álvaro Urbano and Emeka Ogboh; dancer and choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira; musicians and composers Ambrose Akinmusire and Pan Daijing; choreographer and artist Andrea Peña; and artist-designer Bárbara Sánchez-Kane.
With Kapadia's selection, the prize adds another international platform to the Indian filmmaker's growing list of honours following her Cannes breakthrough and subsequent recognition across global cinema.
