Tanya Meléndez-Escalante receives the Vileck Prize for Fashion & Culture

March 2026

The Vilcek Foundation celebrates its 20th year of awarding immigrants and cultural leaders. They present prizes to 14 individuals working in biomedical research, art history, and fashion. These prizewinners hail from 12 countries: Austria, Canada, Colombia, France, India, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Togo, Turkey, the United States, and Vietnam.

Presented annually since 2006, the Vilcek Foundation prizes salute immigrant contributions to societal advancement in the United States, and recognize excellence in the arts and sciences. Since the inception of the prizes program two decades ago, the foundation has awarded $9.6 million to individuals whose perspectives, creativity, and vision have enriched the United States.

"From uncovering new biological pathways for treating diseases to creating new biobased, sustainable textiles, immigrants in the U.S. are developing innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems," says Rick Kinsel, president of the Vilcek Foundation. "The Vilcek Prizes not only recognize outstanding immigrant achievements in the arts, biomedical science, and art history, but are investments in the future of American progress as well."

The Vilcek Foundation Prizes in Fashion & Culture honor immigrants documenting fashion through writing, research, curation, styling, and image making. This year, Tanya Meléndez-Escalante receives the $100,000 Vilcek Prize for Fashion & Culture for her work as an arts administrator and fashion curator at The Museum at FIT (MFIT) where she develops meaningful exhibitions and programs that reveal the hidden diversity of talent from across Latin America. Growing up in Mexico City, Meléndez-Escalante moved to the United States to complete her MA in Museum Studies: Costume and Textiles from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), SUNY. She has created numerous educational programs built on international collaboration and inclusivity.