The
Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of
Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them stay in Rome for three to five years at the expense of the state. The prize was extended to architecture in 1720, music in 1803, and engraving in 1804. The prestigious award was abolished in 1968 by
André Malraux, the Minister of Culture.