 He also spent more time as secretary of the Society than any other member.In 1917, Berninghaus received his first formal accolade for his Taos Indian-based fine art; the prestigious and much coveted St. Louis Artists' Guild Brown Prize for his painting "The Sage Brush Trail".This painting went on to be exhibited at The Annual Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (1917), National Academy of Design, Winter Exhibition (1917), Art World Winter Show, Academy of Design (1918), and numerous other national exhibitions.