Samia Halaby. Palestinian artist, educator, and activist Samia Halaby has been announced as the recipient of this year’s Munch Award celebrating artistic freedom. Halaby is the second artist to win the award, after Brazilian artist Rosana Paulino, who was honored in 2024 for her commitment to examining themes of violence bound up in race and gender. “The Munch Award Jury would like to honor Halaby for her visionary and enduring artistic practice,” said the jury in a joint statement. As an activist, she has been organizing for causes concerning class, race, and Palestine since the 1970s.