Prince Claus Fund Seed Award 2026 – €5,000 Grant for Emerging Artists

Job Description

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The Prince Claus Fund Seed Award 2026 supports emerging artists and cultural practitioners whose work drives social change, free expression, and sustainable futures—especially in regions where cultural expression is under pressure.

Each year, the Prince Claus Fund selects 100 early-career artists whose creative practices challenge norms, amplify underrepresented voices, and strengthen communities. The Seed Award is a trust-based grant, meaning recipients are given full autonomy to decide how best to use the funding to grow their practice.

This award is designed to provide creative freedom, financial stability, and international recognition at a critical early stage of an artist’s career.

Organiser: Prince Claus Fund
Grant Type: Seed Award (Trust-Based Grant)
Grant Value: €5,000
Number of Awards: 100
Eligible Regions: Africa, Asia, Latin America, Caribbean, Middle East, Eastern Europe
Application Deadline: January 8, 2026 (5:00 PM Amsterdam Time)

What the Seed Award Offers

Selected awardees will receive:

• €5,000 unrestricted funding
• Full creative and financial autonomy
• International recognition from a globally respected cultural institution
• Support to experiment, research, and strengthen artistic practice

The grant may be used for:

• Exploring new artistic ideas or directions
• Developing new bodies of work
• Purchasing materials or equipment
• Building collaborations and networks
• Taking dedicated time to create without financial pressure

Who Can Apply?

The Seed Award is open to individual artists and cultural practitioners who meet the following criteria:

• Are early-career professionals (1–5 years of practice, excluding study years)
• Have received little or no institutional funding or recognition
• Work in fields such as visual arts, photography, film, performance, digital media, architecture, design, or community-based cultural practice
• Are from, living, and working in an eligible country across:
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Latin America
  • Caribbean
  • Middle East
  • Eastern Europe

Your work should meaningfully engage with at least one of the following themes:

• Free expression and safe civic spaces
• Social participation and structural equity
• Environmental sustainability

Inclusive, thoughtful, and community-rooted practices are strongly encouraged.

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit the following through the official application platform:

• Completed online application form
• Samples of artistic or cultural work
• Current CV
• One reference letter
• A short video or audio pitch answering:
  “What drives you as an artist?”

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted via the Prince Claus Fund online platform.

👉 Apply here:
https://princeclausfund.org/apply

👉 View eligible countries:
https://princeclausfund.org/seed-awards

👉 FAQs:
https://princeclausfund.org/faq

Deadline

🗓 January 8, 2026
⏰ 5:00 PM (Amsterdam Time)

Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Why This Opportunity Matters

The Prince Claus Fund Seed Award is more than a grant—it is a vote of confidence in the power of culture to shape societies. By trusting artists with unrestricted funding, the award enables bold experimentation, sustained creativity, and long-term impact.

If your work challenges dominant narratives, uplifts communities, and imagines new futures, this opportunity could be a defining step in your creative journey.