Call for Artists: January 2026

Virginia Center for Creative Arts Residency Housing. Photograph by and courtesy of Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Atlantic Center Associate Artist-in-Residence New Smyrna Beach, FLDeadline: January 5, 2026 The Mentor Artist-in-Residence is a three-week, process-based interdisciplinary residency program that provides artists with an opportunity to be mentored by, work and collaborate with some of the world’s most distinguished artists in literary, performing, visual arts, environmental arts and social practice. Since the program began in 1982, we have hosted 191 interdisciplinary residencies, bringing together 600 Mentoring Artists and over 5260+ mentee Associate Artists worldwide. Past Mentor Artists include Sanford Biggers, Nick Cave, Renee Cox, Coco Fusco, Sky Hopinka, William Kentridge, Audre Lorde, Rick Lowe, Kerry James Marshall, Ryan McGuinness, Larry Ossei-Mensah, Catherine Opie, Ed Paschke, Robert Rauschenberg, and Carrie Mae Weems. Apply Aperture Portfolio PrizeDeadline: January 9, 2026 Celebrating its twentieth year, the Aperture Portfolio Prize is an annual international competition that spotlights new talent in contemporary photography. When choosing the first-prize winner and short list, our judges look for innovative bodies of work that have not been widely seen in major publications or exhibition venues. Apply MacDowell FellowshipDeadline: January 10, 2026 About 300 artists in seven disciplines are awarded Fellowships each year and the sole criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence. There are no residency fees, and need-based stipends and travel reimbursement grants are available to open the residency to the broadest possible community of artists. MacDowell encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and all countries in the following disciplines: architecture, film/video, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theatre, and visual arts. Any applicant whose proposed project does not fall clearly within one of these artistic disciplines should contact the admissions department for guidance. We aim to be inclusive, not exclusive in our admissions process. Apply Virginia A. Groot Foundation GrantDeadline: January 10, 2026 The Virginia A. Groot Foundation Grant was established so that ceramic sculpture artists or sculptors of diverse mediums may have the opportunity to devote a substantial period of time to the development of his or her own work. Annually, we offer three grant tiers:— $60,000 First Place— $30,000 Second Place— $20,000 Third Place Apply Arts Southeast Incubator Artist ResidencySavannah, GADeadline: January 12, 2026 Established in 2024, the Incubator Artist Initiative provides one Savannah-based emerging artist per year with free studio space, exhibition opportunities, professional development, community engagement, and mentorship. The selected artist is offered a free, high-visibility ground floor studio at ARTS Southeast; participation in 3 group exhibitions in our Supporter Gallery; inclusion in the annual ON::View Revue group exhibition in our main exhibition space, The Ellis Gallery; opportunities for professional development; year-long complimentary memberships to ARTS Southeast’s Supporter Program, SCAD Museum of Art & Telfair Museums; interactions with local artists and curators; and guidance in professional practices from our experienced exhibition team and the visiting ON::View Artists in Residence. Apply Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation 2025 Individual Support GrantsNational and OnlineDeadline: January 15, 2026 These grants are available to individual painters, sculptors, and printmakers who have worked in a mature phase of art for 20 years or more. Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate that they have been working in a mature phase of their art for at least 20 years. Maturity is based on the level of intellectual, technical, and creative development maintained over this time period. Artists must show that their primary involvement has been with their artistic goals, regardless of other personal or financial responsibilities. Artists must work in the disciplines of painting, sculpture, or printmaking. Apply Virginia Center for the Creative Arts ResidencyAmherst, VADeadline: January 15, 2026 Selected artists come to VCCA’s Mt. San Angelo in Amherst, Virginia or the Moulin à Nef in Auvillar, France for intense periods of creative work, free from the distractions of day-to-day life. During residencies lasting anywhere from a week to two months, VCCA Fellows enjoy private studios, private bedrooms, and meals. Whether sequestered in the rolling foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains or on the banks of the Garonne River in Southwest France, VCCA Fellows can work in concentrated solitude, then re-energize in the company of other artists. Apply Dedalus MFA FellowshipDeadline: January 15, 2026 The Dedalus Foundation Master of Fine Arts Fellowships in Painting and Sculpture are awarded annually to final-year students who are graduating from an MFA degree program in the United States. Four fellowships are awarded every year, each carrying a stipend of $15,000. Apply Folger Institute Research FellowshipWashington, D.C.Deadline: January 15, 2026 Folger Institute Artistic Research Fellowships are open to all artists whose work would benefit from significant primary research related to the histories, concepts, art, and objects of the early modern world (ca. 1400-1800) and its legacies. Artistic applicants are not required to hold a formal degree, but should describe their training and level of industry-specific experience in their CV. Apply ​Ucross Fellowship for Native American ArtistsClearmont, WY Deadline: January 15, 2026 ​Our dedicated fellowship supports the work of contemporary Native American visual artists, writers, and performers. Selected fellows are offered a four-week residency, which includes uninterrupted time, private studio space living accommodations, meals prepared by our professional chef,