Call for applications: Prince Claus Seed Awards 2021

Every year, the fund recognises 100 emerging artists and cultural practitioners within the first five years of their careers. The fund aims to contribute to flourishing arts scenes globally, where emerging artists can develop their practice on their own terms. Successful applicants will receive €5 000 (about $6 000) to develop their cultural practice.

Eligible countries

The Prince Claus Seed Awards are intended for emerging artists and cultural practitioners who live and work in the following African countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

See full list of eligible countries worldwide here.

Requirements

The Prince Claus Seed Awards are aimed at emerging artists and cultural practitioners who:

• Are on average in the initial 1 – 5 years of their professional career.
• Have an innovative and interesting artistic practice that addresses pressing social/political issues important within their local context.
• Have received little to no recognition/support for their artistic/cultural practices, and are not yet recognised internationally.

Application process

Applicants are required to fill in an online application form, submit samples of their work, and provide one reference letter and a pitch answering the question: What drives you as an artist?

Before applying, applicants should perform the following:

• Read the detailed guidelines on how to apply and eligibility criteria.
• Fill in a submission form via the Prince Claus Awards platform. Only completed submissions via the Prince Claus platform will be considered.

The deadline for the submission is 11 May at 11.59pm CET. Prince Claus Seed Award recipients will be publicly announced on 25 October. Applicants will be informed of the final selection within 12 weeks after the open call deadline. Successful applicants will be requested to submit extra materials related to their work for the purpose of the public announcement.

The following will be considered when assessing the applicants’ submission:

• Originality: Innovative and artistically interesting ideas.
• Transformative: Work that engages with pressing social/political issues.
• Context-specific: Work and ideas that are relevant for the local context.
• Inclusion: Ideas and work that aim at more inclusive societies, connecting people in ways that resist marginalisation, oppression and division.
• Impactful: The Prince Claus Seed Award must benefit the professional development, engagement and impact of the individual’s artistic practice.
• Potential to Amplify: Although the individual has received little to no funding/support/recognition so far, the award will likely give a significant boost to their career.

“For the Prince Claus Seed Awards, we are looking for emerging artists and cultural practitioners whose innovative work addresses pressing social and/or political issues within their own context,” the Prince Claus Fund said. “Recipients are free to invest the award of €5 000 in the development of their artistic practice. Through the Prince Claus Seed Awards, we will be supporting the career development, creativity and experimentation of emerging artists and cultural practitioners around the globe.”

View the original call here.