Call for Entries: Rosy James Memorial Trust Award (UK)

Deadline: 11-Jul-25

Applications are now open for the Rosy James Memorial Trust Award to help artists, designers and makers to pursue their careers by developing a new body of work.

This unique award is directed at makers steeped in practice using materials singly or in combination. Such materials might include fired clay or glass; fine or base metals; textiles using any kinds of applications; wood; plastics; paper or other materials not included in this list, where the emphasis is based upon the transformation of materials through the use of sustained practice towards a series of critical outcomes.

Aims

In addition, the award aims to:
- Inspire excellence through the support of high-quality, ambitious, innovative and imaginative opportunities for artists.
- Increase the capacity and opportunities for artists to take professional and creative risks.

Award Information

The total budget for the Rosy James award is £15,000 per individual award.

Eligible Costs

Project assistance
Art materials/equipment
” Buying time” to replace other earned income costs lost due to time spent on the intended project/creating new work.
E.g., if you were taking unpaid leave from work to spend time on the proposed project.
Fees for training courses
Artistic fees of Mentors
Artistic or technical fees including those towards production or post-production costs associated with presentation or exhibition of work
Technical equipment related to the project/proposal (equipment requests cannot comprise more than 50% of the value of your request)
Documentation costs
Childcare costs
Project-related travel costs, eg., mileage costs of 25.7p per mile, commuter and air travel
Residencies
Subsistence costs @£25 per day
Accommodation costs

Ineligible Costs

Projects which take place or start before the decision date for this programme.
Prolonged study at centres of further and higher education or fees for same or any cost related to such study or related academic work, including under- and post-graduate fees; fees for study leading to a professional qualification; travel, subsistence or accommodation.
Work which forms part of your professional or academic employment. This does not exclude those working in an academic institution or statutory body who are continuing to pursue their artistic practice.
Self-publishing costs.
Applications to fund or establish websites.
Film/TV or media projects, including:
- Projects in relation to the production and exhibition of experimental and innovative lens-based work by artists intended for exhibition;
- Projects by digital artists whose artwork is created exclusively in the digital space.
Applications relating to projects/commissions already in receipt of Arts Council of Northern Ireland funds.
Costs already covered by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, other funders, or Government schemes.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants to the Rosy James Memorial Trust are as follows:
- Artists, designers, and makers steeped in practice using materials singly or in combination in all types of working practice.
- Employees of statutory bodies, undergraduates and postgraduates are eligible to apply but they must prove that the funds which they are seeking are for work/costs which are not properly the concern of their employer and/or are not related to their work or academic study. They must submit evidence of this in the form of a letter on headed paper from their Head of Department.
  - In the case of post-graduate students, the letter must clearly state the title of the student’s PhD thesis and include a declaration by the Head of Department. This declaration must state “The project for which funds are being sought does not form part of any academic work undertaken in relation to the above-titled PhD nor will it be assessed as part of any academic course”.
  - Applicants undertaking a Masters or a PhD must also include a separate statement which provides information on how the project applied for differs from their Masters or PhD work.
Eligible applicants must also:
- Have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for a minimum period of 1 year within the last 5 years.
- Live in Northern Ireland
  - (The Rosy James Memorial Trust priority must be for artists living and regularly contributing to the arts within Northern Ireland. If you are primarily living in another region of the UK, Republic of Ireland or elsewhere (ie. you live in that region for the majority of the year), you should search for funding opportunities in the relevant jurisdiction.)
- Be at least 18yrs old and not in secondary education.

Ineligibility Criteria

Applicants who have broken the conditions of any previous ACNI award and applicants who remain in breach of any previous letters of offer (regardless of the letter of offer date).
Previous recipients of the Rosy James award are not eligible to apply.