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Programmes

2025 Call for Applications

Call for Applications

Emerging artists and cultural practitioners bring a new wave of ideas, perspectives, and energy to the force of culture. They play a pivotal role in shaping new norms through free expression and creating safe spaces, fostering cooperation in times of community crises, and promoting just and fair ways of being. As such, emerging artists deserve the chance to experiment and build momentum in their work, and the Seed Award aims to support this journey. 

Image: courtesy of 2024 Seed Awardee Htet Aung Lwyn (Eddie) and Swannie Dean.

Each year, the Prince Claus Fund grants the Seed Award to 100 emerging artists who work in contexts where cultural expression is under pressure. The Seed Award is intended to give emerging artists the chance to amplify their practice and interests, thereby sparking a new wave of changemakers. 

Each Seed Award recipient will receive a grant of €5.000 to invest in developing their artistic and cultural practice on their own terms.

The Seed Award is a trust-based grant, allowing recipients to determine the best way to utilise the support for their artistic and cultural development. This could include exploring new perspectives and nurturing connections, investing in materials, or simply taking time to experiment and focus on their work without financial pressures. 

The Seed Award offers support to talented and engaged emerging artists and cultural practitioners who are committed to improving their contexts and societies through socially and politically engaged work. We are particularly interested in supporting those with a grounded and innovative art practice that is inclusive in its process, implementation, and reach. 

We welcome applications from individual applicants who: 

  • are in the early and exploratory stages of their career, within the initial 1 to 5 years of their professional career (excluding study years); 

  • have established an 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 our eligible countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. 

Eligibility and Application Process

Eligibility Criteria and Eligible Expenses

How to Apply and Selection Process

You can apply by submitting an application on our online application platform. The application form includes a set of questions and requires supplementary materials which include: samples of your work, a C.V. and reference letter, and a pitch answering the question: What drives you as an artist?

Kindly note that only completed applications that are submitted via the Prince Claus Awards Platform will be considered.  

The application deadline is January 21, 2025, at 17:00 Amsterdam time. 

Application

If you are eligible, you can apply by submitting an application on our online application platform. Kindly note that only completed applications that are submitted via the Prince Claus online application platform will be considered. 

APPLY now

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see what the application form looks like before submitting an application?

Yes. You can create an account/log-in into our Prince Claus Awards Platform and see the application form and its steps before filling it out and submitting your application. Once you begin filling out the form, you can save it at any point and return to complete it later if this is before the deadline.

Am I eligible to apply again if I have already received a Seed Award?

No. The Seed Award is awarded on a one-time only basis; successful award recipients are not eligible to apply again to the Prince Claus Awards. You are, however, encouraged to apply for the Prince Claus Fund Fellows Award.

Am I eligible to apply again if I have applied in the past and did not receive the Seed Award?

Yes, you are welcome to apply again this year if your application has not been successful the previous time.

What should I include in a pitch?

A pitch is a presentation where you introduce yourself, your work and most importantly, you answer to the question: What drives you as an artist/author/cultural practitioner?. We ask you to present your pitch in the format of a video or audio media of maximum 3 minutes long. We encourage you to be creative – this is our chance to get to know you a bit better, especially beyond the format of the application form.  

How do I know if my application has been received?

You will receive an email confirmation within 10 minutes after submitting your application. If you have not received a confirmation, please make sure that the application is completed and that it was submitted. Additionally, you can check the status of your application on the Prince Claus Awards Platform under ‘My Submissions’. A completed application should read ‘submitted’ rather than ‘in progress’.

What are supporting materials?

Supporting materials refer to any information about you and/or your work that have not been shared within the application form but are still important to be considered during the assessment phase. These could include samples of your previous or current work (images, videos, texts, etc.), a portfolio, reviews, interviews, extra references, or any links to social media that you would like to share. 

The country that I am from is not listed on the eligible countries list. Can I still apply?

No. To be eligible, an individual must come from and be living and working in one of our eligible countries at the time of the submission of your application.

We understand that there is a dire need for support in many places in the world. The Seed Awards are financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the framework of contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals, for which the focus is on OECD’s DAC listed countries. The OECD’s DAC stands for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Development Assistance Committee. Due to the provenance of our funding, Prince Claus is limited to grant Seed Awards only in OECD’s DAC listed countries.

The country that I (temporarily) live and work in is not listed on the eligible countries list. Can I still apply?

No. To be eligible, an individual must come from and be living and working in one of our eligible countries at the time of the submission of your application.

We understand that there is a dire need for support in many places in the world. The Seed Awards are financed by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the framework of contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals, for which the focus is on OECD’s DAC listed countries. The OECD’s DAC stands for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Development Assistance Committee. Due to the provenance of our funding, Prince Claus is limited to grant Seed Awards only in OECD’s DAC listed countries.

When is the final deadline for my application for the Seed Award?

You can submit your application online until January 21, 2025 at 17:00 Amsterdam time. After this time, our online system will automatically close and you will no longer be able to submit your application. We encourage you to apply well before the deadline as our online system can be busy on the date of the deadline and closes automatically at 17:00, after which we cannot accept any applications. 

When will I hear about the final decision regarding my application?

You will receive an email with the final decision regarding your application by mid-July 2025. 

Can I receive individual feedback on my application?

Due to the number of applications received we are not able to provide personalised feedback to all applicants. The Prince Claus Fund will provide all non-successful applicants with a general report on the common mistakes we received overall in the applications, and will share the major points for improving applications in the future.

What artistic and cultural practices does the Seed Award support?

We hold a very broad disciplinary understanding of arts and culture and encourage you to apply with a practice is embedded in this field. If you would like to see the disciplines that we have supported in the past, you can look into the repertoire of creatives that we have supported in the past here. We are always open to applications from experimental, innovative and inter-disciplinary art practices.  

We do not support practices that are embedded in the academic or development field, such as academic scholarships or academic research.  

What is a reference letter and who should this letter be from?

A reference letter is a letter which is written by a person, or on behalf of an organisation, that knows your work, and/or has worked with you in the past and can recommend your work. The letter should explain how the referee knows your work and why they recommend you for the SEED or FELLOWS Award. The reference letter should be signed and contain the contact details of the person referring you. It does not have to be longer than a page. 

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