Looking Back, Creating Forward: December 2025 Artist Opportunities

As the year draws to a close, it’s a powerful moment to reflect on our creative journeys and plan for the chapters ahead. This year-end list offers a bridge to 2026, featuring a balance of urgent calls for entry and transformative, long-term opportunities for visual artists, writers, and filmmakers. Whether you're seeking a supportive studio, emergency aid, or a major career prize, these programs are designed to help you build momentum for the new year.

An artist meticulously works on a mural, using a printed image for reference as he brings a detailed scene to life on a large exterior wall.

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🎨 Residencies & Studio Programs

1. Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program (Brooklyn, NY – Visual Arts)

This highly competitive program offers 17 visual artists rent-free, non-living studio space for a year in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Open to professional artists nationwide and US citizens abroad.

📅 Deadline: January 15, 2026 (Application opens Dec. 15)

🔗 Apply via Slideroom

📝 Grants, Fellowships & Prizes

2. Artists & Mothers Grant (NYC – Visual & Performing Arts)

Specifically designed to support artists at an inflection point in their careers, this grant provides $25,000 for childcare expenses to NYC-based artists with children under age three.

📅 Deadline: January 2, 2026

🔗 Learn More

3. 2026 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize (Baltimore, MD – Visual Arts)

A prestigious $30,000 prize for a visual artist or collaborative living and working in the Baltimore region. Finalists' work will be exhibited at the Walters Art Museum.

📅 Deadline: January 5, 2026

🔗 Submit

4. Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants (National – Visual, Film, Choreography)

One-time grants of up to $5,000 for artists facing recent, unexpected medical, dental, or mental health emergencies.

📅 Deadline: January 6, 2026 (5:00 PM ET)

🔗 Apply Here

5. Color the Curb: School Safety Program (Washington, DC – Public Art/Murals)

DC-based artists experienced in large-scale murals and youth engagement can apply for a $30,000 grant to design and install ground murals near three DCPS schools.

📅 Deadline: January 12, 2026 (9:00 PM ET)

🔗 RFA Details

6. Fresh Paint: CAH Mural Program (Washington, DC – Public Art)

This program funds experienced local mural artists to design and install large-scale exterior murals on selected buildings in Washington, DC.

📅 Deadline: February 23, 2026 (9:00 PM ET)

🔗 Apply Here

🎬 Festivals & Exhibitions

7. Bethesda Film Fest (Bethesda, MD – Short Documentary)

Five short documentary films will be selected for screening and filmmaker discussions in April 2026.

📅 Deadline: January 9, 2026

🔗 Submit Film

8. The Superfair (Multiple US Cities – Visual Arts)

An artist-centric art fair held in DC, Austin, Houston, San Francisco, and New York. Application deadlines vary by city for the 2026 events.

📍 Next Deadlines: New York (April 24-26, 2026) - Deadline to submit March 15
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DC (May 1-3, 2026) - Deadline to submit March 15th

🔗 Exhibit Your Work

📚 Publications & Development

9. Women's Studies Quarterly (WSQ) – Call for Papers: Testimonio/s (Global – Academic & Creative Writing/Visual Art)

The peer-reviewed journal seeks written and visual work for a special issue on testimonio as a genre used by women from the Américas to challenge oppression.

📅 Deadline: March 13, 2026

🔗 Submission Info

10. Creative Capital Artist Lab (Global – All Disciplines)

A free, online professional development curriculum designed to help artists at any career stage build sustainable and thriving creative practices.

📅 Enrollment: Open

🔗 Start Learning

✨ Year-End Reflections & Next Steps

• Major Prizes: The Sondheim Art Prize (#3) and public art grants (#5, #6) offer significant funding to elevate your work in the new year.

• Immediate Support: Grants for childcare (#2) and medical emergencies (#4) address critical, timely needs for working artists.

• Local DMV Focus: Multiple opportunities in Bethesda (#7) and Washington, DC (#5, #6, #8).

• Long-Term Planning: The Sharpe-Walentas residency (#1) and WSQ publication (#9) have deadlines well into 2026, perfect for forward planning.

  
  

Which opportunity will be your first creative milestone of 2026? Let us know in the comments!

🔗 Thank you for being part of our creative community this year. We look forward to supporting your journey in 2026.