Featured Opportunities

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Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery’s annual Art Open returns, inviting artists of all levels (amateur and professional) to submit work showcasing local talent. Open to artists aged 16+, submissions accepted 5th-7th March 2026 (12-4pm) with exhibition opening Saturday 14th March 2026 at 1pm, running until 16th May 2026. Prizes include 1st place £100, 2nd place £50, 3rd place £25, plus Public Choice Winner receives BwD Venues Voucher (announced 25th April, voting closes 22nd April). One submission per artist.

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New Art Exchange invites applications from emerging Global Ethnic Majority curators based in the Midlands for CURATE, a co-curated development and upskilling programme tailored to participants’ needs. Launching Spring 2026, this comprehensive programme offers 8 places with bursaries covering travel, accommodation, and expenses.

The programme includes a three-day in-person residency in Nottingham (29th April-1st May 2026) facilitated by curator Mark Devereux, who holds over 18 years’ art sector experience specializing in artist professional development, curation, production, and project management. Additional components include two online feedback sessions with Mark, a two-day curatorial placement at New Art Exchange during Open 2026 installation, and a final pitching day where participants present exhibition proposals.

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The Art House invites disabled artists living and working in the UK to apply for The Patricia Sutcliffe Artist Residency, an annual residency named in honour of their founder and disabled artist, Patricia Sutcliffe. This residency supports disabled artists working in any medium, reflecting Patricia’s vision for a more inclusive and equitable arts future.

The one-month residency (flexible timing April-March, can be broken into smaller periods to suit needs) provides a £2,500 support budget (suggested breakdown: £1,500 artist fee, £750 materials, £250 travel), studio space and accommodation at The Art House, free access with technician support to Print Studio, Ceramic Studio, and Darkroom, plus 1-2-1 coaching and mentoring with The Art House Programme team.

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One-time stipend of $7,500 for U.S. individual emerging artists WITHOUT an MA or MFA degree and extensive exhibition experience. The grant brings attention to emerging, underrepresented voices and themes, using art to elicit dialogue, inquiry and understanding.

Requirements include creating a body of work to be presented at Bader + Simon, online presentation and discussion of work reflecting the mission, attendance at exhibition opening with artist talk (travel and accommodations provided), quarterly Zoom check-ins with grant panel representative, and serving as panelist for following year’s grant review.

Funding begins 1st May 2026, winner announced 6th April 2026. Guidance Zoom session 5th February 2026, 8pm EST.

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Creative Flair, in partnership with Women in Art Prize, invites women artists at any stage of their career to submit work for Public Canvas, a one-day public exhibition on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2026. Five women artists will be selected by the Women in Art Prize curatorial team to appear together on central London digital billboards across King’s Cross, Angel Islington, Shoreditch, Waterloo, and Tower Bridge, creating a collective digital visual statement for International Women’s Day.

This is an exciting opportunity for women artists who want their work seen as part of a global movement celebrating women in art. Selected artists will have their artwork displayed across five prominent London locations simultaneously on 8th March, reaching thousands of viewers throughout the day.

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The K Blundell Trust awards grants of £2,000–£3,000 to British authors under 40 whose work aims to increase social awareness. Open to fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and script projects, this fund supports work-in-progress for authors who have previously had a commercially published work as sole author.

Applicants must be under 40 on 1st March 2026, British by birth, and currently resident in the United Kingdom. Grants support one work-in-progress only. Hybrid and self-published books are not currently eligible, nor are editors, AI-generated works, or applications for publication/promotion/production costs.

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Art Fund and London Gallery Weekend partner for the fifth year to offer grants supporting travel and three nights’ accommodation for curators working at UK museums and galleries (outside London) to visit London Gallery Weekend, 4-7 June 2026. LGW sees galleries across the city present exhibitions by major international names and emerging artists, alongside a public programme including gallery receptions, exhibition tours, performances, and artist talks.

Designed for curators from organisations unable to cover travel/accommodation costs, targeting individuals working in acquisitions, programming exhibitions, and commissioning artists.