 She received awards in Europe and the United States, including the Chicago World's Fair, a silver medal in Boston in 1885 for "Venetian Sunlight", and a gold medal at the American Art Association of New York for "Those Evening Bells".Aside from the Chicago World's Fair, Nicholls won medals at many expositions between 1893 and 1904.She preferred working in oils and won the highest honors for her oil paintings.