The Ricciardi Prize, administered by the International Center for the Study of Drawings (ICCI), enters its ninth year as a distinguished award for emerging scholarship in the history and interpretation of drawings. The prize recognizes a single, previously unpublished article that advances original research on any aspect of drawing, from any historical period and geographic tradition. It is an award for writing, not for artistic practice, and it positions the winning author within a lineage of rigorous, object-centered inquiry that the ICCI has long championed. The award carries a cash prize of $5,000 and is open to scholars under the age of 40 (born November 15, 1986, or later). The competition is global in scope, with no restriction on nationality or institutional affiliation. By focusing on the article as its unit of recognition, the Ricciardi Prize underscores the centrality of clear, well-argued prose to the field—an increasingly rare commitment in an academic landscape that often privileges other forms of output. The curatorial vision behind the prize is one of scholarly stewardship: to identify and support a new generation of drawing specialists whose work is both historically grounded and theoretically alert. The ICCI does not prescribe a methodology or thematic focus; instead, it invites submissions that demonstrate depth of research, originality of argument, and a genuine contribution to the literature on drawings. The prize is not a residency or a publication contract, but a signal honor that can help launch or sustain an academic career.