Deadline: 23-Jul-2026
The Visual Arts Project Award Grant supports ambitious visual arts projects that engage audiences with high-quality artistic work. The award is open to professional visual artists, curators, producers, arts practitioners, groups, and organisations based in the Republic of Ireland.
Funding is available across three strands: up to €12,000 for planning and pre-production, up to €60,000 for production and engagement, and up to €150,000 for partnership production and engagement. The award supports projects with strong artistic vision, clear planning, public engagement, and innovative presentation.
What is the Visual Arts Project Award Grant?
The Visual Arts Project Award Grant is a funding opportunity for ambitious visual arts projects in Ireland.
The award supports professional artists, practitioners, groups, and organisations working to create, develop, produce, present, or engage audiences with high-quality visual arts projects.
It is designed to support projects across different stages, from early planning and research to full production, public presentation, and large-scale collaborative delivery.
Main Purpose of the Award
The main purpose of the award is to support ambitious visual arts work that connects with audiences and strengthens public engagement.
The award aims to:
- Support high-quality visual arts projects
- Encourage ambitious artistic vision
- Support research, planning, and development
- Fund production and public presentation
- Promote audience engagement
- Encourage innovative presentation formats
- Support collaboration between artists and organisations
- Strengthen visual arts practice in Ireland
Funding Strands
The Visual Arts Project Award Grant provides support through three strands.
Each strand supports a different project stage and level of ambition.
Strand 1: Planning and Pre-Production
Strand 1 supports the initial phase of ambitious visual arts projects.
Funding is available up to €12,000.
This strand may support:
- Research
- Preparation
- Project planning
- Pre-production
- Development of future presentation plans
- Identification of collaborators
- Timeline development
- Delivery strategy preparation
Strand 1 is suitable for applicants who need time and resources to develop a strong project concept before moving into production or presentation.
Strand 2: Production and Engagement
Strand 2 supports the final phase of production and public presentation.
Funding is available up to €60,000.
This strand may support:
- Creation of visual arts projects
- Commissioning
- Production
- Presentation
- Public engagement
- Exhibition or event delivery
- Audience-focused activities
Projects may take place in:
- Gallery spaces
- Public environments
- Festivals
- Unconventional venues
- Community-facing spaces
- Other settings suitable for visual arts engagement
Strand 3: Partnership Production and Engagement
Strand 3 supports large-scale, ambitious final-phase projects developed through partnership.
Funding is available up to €150,000.
This strand is intended for highly ambitious visual arts projects delivered in collaboration with organisations that have a strong track record in presenting visual arts.
Strand 3 places strong emphasis on:
- Large-scale public presentation
- Collaborative commissioning
- Organisational partnership
- High-quality audience engagement
- Strong production planning
- Ambitious project delivery
Funding Amount
Funding is available as follows:
- Strand 1: up to €12,000
- Strand 2: up to €60,000
- Strand 3: up to €150,000
Applicants should choose the strand that best matches the project stage, scale, ambition, and delivery structure.
Who is Eligible?
The award is open to applicants based in the Republic of Ireland.
Eligible applicants may include:
- Individual professional visual artists
- Groups of individuals working collaboratively
- Professional arts practitioners
- Curators
- Producers
- Organisations working in visual arts
Applicants may work across all genres and career stages, provided they can demonstrate a professional visual arts practice.
Professional Practice Requirement
Applicants must demonstrate a professional practice in visual arts.
This may be shown through:
- A track record in visual arts contexts
- Active pursuit of a career as a visual artist or arts practitioner
- Recognition by peers as a professional practitioner
- Previous exhibitions, projects, commissions, curatorial work, or production experience
- Evidence of professional engagement in the visual arts sector
Applications are not accepted from individuals or organisations that cannot demonstrate a sufficient professional track record in visual arts practice.
What Types of Projects Are Supported?
The award supports ambitious visual arts projects that show strong artistic quality and public engagement potential.
Supported projects may include:
- Visual arts exhibitions
- Public art projects
- Curated programmes
- Artist-led projects
- Commissioned works
- Festival-based visual arts presentations
- Projects in galleries or public environments
- Projects in unconventional venues
- Collaborative visual arts productions
- Large-scale partnership projects
Key Focus Areas
The award focuses on artistic ambition, project quality, and public engagement.
Key focus areas include:
- Visual arts practice
- Artistic development
- Project planning
- Research and preparation
- Production and commissioning
- Public engagement
- Audience experience
- Collaborative delivery
- Innovative presentation
- Partnership-based production
- High-quality visual arts work
Key Concepts Explained
Visual Arts Project
A visual arts project is a creative project involving visual artistic practice, such as exhibitions, installations, public art, curatorial programmes, or other visual forms.
Pre-Production
Pre-production is the planning and development stage before the final creation or presentation of a project.
Public Engagement
Public engagement means creating opportunities for audiences and communities to experience, understand, participate in, or connect with visual arts.
Partnership Production
Partnership production means delivering a project collaboratively with one or more organisations that contribute expertise, resources, presentation capacity, or commissioning support.
Track Record
A track record is evidence of previous professional work, experience, recognition, or achievement in visual arts practice.
Project Settings
Supported projects may be presented in a wide range of settings.
These may include:
- Galleries
- Museums
- Arts centres
- Public spaces
- Outdoor environments
- Festivals
- Artist-led spaces
- Community spaces
- Unconventional venues
- Digital or hybrid presentation contexts where relevant
Applicants should choose settings that suit the artistic vision and audience engagement goals of the project.
How the Award Works
Applicants apply under the strand that matches their project phase.
Strand 1 supports planning and preparation.
Strand 2 supports production, presentation, and public engagement.
Strand 3 supports large-scale partnership-based production and engagement.
Applications should clearly explain the project idea, artistic ambition, collaborators, timeline, budget, public engagement plan, and expected outcomes.
How to Apply
Applicants should prepare a proposal that demonstrates professional practice, artistic quality, project feasibility, and audience engagement.
Suggested Application Steps
- Confirm that the applicant is based in the Republic of Ireland.
- Confirm that the applicant has a professional track record in visual arts.
- Identify the correct funding strand.
- Define the project’s artistic vision and objectives.
- Explain the project’s current stage of development.
- Identify collaborators, partners, or presenting organisations where relevant.
- Prepare a clear project plan and timeline.
- Explain how the project will engage audiences.
- Prepare a realistic budget within the relevant strand limit.
- Show how the project will be delivered in a high-quality and ambitious way.
- Submit the application according to the official award requirements.
Assessment Considerations
Applications should demonstrate strong artistic quality, ambition, and feasibility.
Assessment may consider:
- Artistic vision
- Quality of proposed work
- Level of ambition
- Professional track record
- Project planning and timelines
- Strength of collaborators or partners
- Public engagement potential
- Suitability of presentation setting
- Budget clarity
- Project feasibility
- Contribution to visual arts practice in Ireland
Expected Results
Supported projects should contribute to the development and public experience of visual arts.
Expected results may include:
- Stronger visual arts projects
- More ambitious public presentations
- Increased audience engagement
- New commissions or artworks
- Innovative presentation formats
- Stronger collaboration between artists and organisations
- Development of future large-scale projects
- Enhanced visibility for professional visual artists and practitioners
Why It Matters
Visual arts projects help audiences engage with ideas, places, identities, histories, and contemporary cultural expression.
The Visual Arts Project Award Grant supports artists and organisations in developing and presenting ambitious work that reaches the public in meaningful ways.
By supporting different project stages, the award helps strengthen both early project development and final public presentation.
It also encourages collaboration, innovation, and high-quality artistic production across Ireland’s visual arts sector.
Tips for Strong Applications
A strong application should clearly demonstrate artistic ambition and practical delivery capacity.
Applicants should focus on:
- Clear artistic vision
- Strong professional track record
- Appropriate funding strand
- Realistic project planning
- Strong public engagement strategy
- Clear collaborators and roles
- Suitable venue or presentation context
- Innovative presentation approach
- Strong budget detail
- Clear project outcomes
For Strand 3, applicants should clearly demonstrate the strength of the partnership and the large-scale ambition of the project.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should carefully check eligibility and strand requirements before applying.
Common mistakes include:
- Applying without a sufficient visual arts track record
- Choosing the wrong funding strand
- Submitting an unclear project plan
- Not explaining public engagement
- Providing weak timelines
- Not identifying collaborators clearly
- Submitting a budget above the strand limit
- Failing to show artistic ambition
- Applying for a project that is not based in the Republic of Ireland
- Not demonstrating professional practice or peer recognition
FAQ
What is the Visual Arts Project Award Grant?
It is a grant that supports ambitious visual arts projects that engage audiences with high-quality work.
Who can apply?
Individuals, groups of individuals working collaboratively, and organisations based in the Republic of Ireland may apply.
What does Strand 1 support?
Strand 1 supports planning and pre-production for research, preparation, and development of ambitious visual arts projects.
What does Strand 2 support?
Strand 2 supports production and engagement, including creation, commissioning, presentation, and public engagement of visual arts projects.
What does Strand 3 support?
Strand 3 supports large-scale partnership production and engagement projects delivered with organisations that have a strong track record in presenting visual arts.
How much funding is available?
Funding is available up to €12,000 for Strand 1, up to €60,000 for Strand 2, and up to €150,000 for Strand 3.
Is a professional track record required?
Yes. Applicants must demonstrate a professional visual arts practice and a sufficient track record in visual arts contexts.
Conclusion
The Visual Arts Project Award Grant supports ambitious visual arts projects across planning, production, engagement, and partnership-based delivery. With funding available across three strands, the award helps professional artists, curators, producers, groups, and organisations based in the Republic of Ireland develop and present high-quality visual arts work.
Strong applications will demonstrate artistic ambition, professional practice, clear planning, public engagement, realistic budgeting, and a strong contribution to visual arts audiences and practice.
For more information, visit The Arts Council.