Open call: Prince Claus Seed Awards 2024

The call is designed for artists who use the power of culture for positive change. The Seed Awards offer support to emerging artists and cultural practitioners who are talented, engaged and determined to improve their contexts and societies through their socially and politically engaged work.

Each year, the Prince Claus Fund grants Seed Awards to 100 emerging artists who work in contexts where cultural expression is under pressure. The Seed Award is intended to support their personal and artistic development, amplify their talent and spark a new wave of change-makers.

Each Seed Award recipient will receive €5 000 ($5 400) to invest in developing their artistic and cultural practice on their own terms. This is a trust-based grant, which means Seed Award recipients can decide the best way to utilise the support for their artistic and cultural development: be it through fostering new perspectives, connections, investing in materials for their practice, or simply taking some time with reduced financial pressures to be able to experiment and focus on their artistic practice.

Prince Claus encourages applications from emerging creatives who:

• Empower free expression and are determined to improve their contexts and societies.
• Have innovative, grounded and experimental art practices that are inclusive and diverse in their process.
• Generate participation and alternative narratives for minority and marginalised identities and groups, particularly those censored for political, religious, identity, cultural or economic issues.
• Are in the early and exploratory stages of their career, within the initial one to five years of their professional career (study years not included).
• Have established and innovative and interesting artistic or cultural practice that addresses pressing social/political issues that are important within their local context.
• Have received little to no institutional recognition/support for their artistic/cultural practices.
• Are from, living, and working in eligible countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.

How to apply

• Applicants should create an account on the Prince Claus Awards Platform and start a ‘New Submission’ for the Prince Claus Seed Awards.
• Fill in all of the required fields and attachments. Applicants can work on, and make changes to the application form up until the deadline. Applicants should make sure that they submit the application prior to the deadline as only completed and submitted applications will be considered. Please note that once the application has been submitted you will not be able to make amendments to it.

Interested applicants should apply here before 16 January 2024 at 23.59pm CET.

“We are especially interested in supporting artists and cultural practitioners with innovative, grounded, and experimental art practices that are inclusive and diverse in their process, their implementation, and their reach,” Prince Claus said. “Emerging artists and cultural practitioners generate new waves of ideas, perspectives, and energy to the positive force of culture. They deserve a chance to experiment, find their path and their communities, and gain momentum in their work. The Seed Awards are intended to support this journey.”

View the original call here.