Spring 2025 Creative Fuel: 15 Can’t-Miss Opportunities for Artists

This guide to April/May deadlines highlights key opportunities, from prestigious poetry prizes to enriching dance residencies. Whether you're a poet seeking recognition or a dancer joining a vibrant community, this guide ensures you don't miss important dates. Note the specific requirements and submission guidelines for each, as they vary.

We’ve dug through submission piles so you don’t have to. These opportunities are sorted by urgency (April vs. May) and creative nutrient content (funding, exposure, or space to grow).

🌱 Fresh Picks for Your Artistic Garden

⏳ LAST CALL: April Deadlines

1. Trawick Prize (Bethesda, MD – Visual Arts)

   
   

   $10,000 award for contemporary artists.

   
   

   📅 April 30

   
   

   🔗 bethesda.org/trawick-prize

   
   

2. Josephine Sculpture Park AIR (KY – Eco-Art)

   
   

   Residency + $2,500 stipend.

   
   

   📅 April 30

   
   

   🔗 josephinesculpturepark.org/air

   
   

3. COAL Prize: Freshwater (Global)

   
   

   €10,000 for water-themed art.

   
   

   📅 April 30

   
   

   🔗 projetcoal.org/freshwater

   
   

4. Glen Echo Park Residency (MD/DC/VA)

   
   

   Studio access near DC

   
   

   📅 April 30

   
   

   🔗 eastcityart.com/glenechoassist

   
   

5. Call for Entry: Museology

   
   

   Museology is a call for art that invites an exercise in strategic thinking for an artist's legacy or as a means for advancing recognition or individual fine art practice. The call has an emphasis on sculpture, metal casting specifically.  All mediums are welcome for submissions as 2d work will be apart of the exhibition.

   
   

   🔗 artist.callforentry.org

   
   

   📅 April 30

🌷 May Flowers: Upcoming Deadlines

6. Gallim Moving Artist Program (NYC – Dance)

   
   

   $2,500 movement artist residency.

   
   

   📅 May 1

   
   

   🔗 gallim.org/movingartist

   
   

7. Darwin Martin House Residency (NY)

   
   

   Historic site creative retreat.

   
   

   📅 May 1

   
   

   🔗 martinhouse.org/residency

   
   

8. Ken Burns Prize for Film (Documentary)

   
   

   $200,000 for American history films.

   
   

   📅 May 5

   
   

   🔗 betterangelssociety.org/ken-burns

   
   

9. NYC On Pointe Dance Festival (Choreographers)

   
   

   Performance showcase opportunity.

   
   

   📅 May 5

   
   

   🔗 dance.nyc/on-pointe

10. Works & Process Residencies (NYC)

    
    

    Guggenheim-backed experimental arts.

    
    

    📅 May 10

    
    

    🔗 worksandprocess.org/residencies

    
    

11. Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize (National)

    
    

     $25,000 for published poets.

    
    

    📅 May 15

    
    

    🔗 poets.org/lenore-marshall

🌱 Year-Round Growth

12. PEN America Writers' Emergency Fund

    
    

    Crisis grants for writers.

    
    

    📅 Rolling

    
    

    🔗 pen.org/writers-aid

    
    

13. Strathmore Artist Residency (MD – 2026)

    
    

    Opens Fall 2025 for musicians.

    
    

    🔗 strathmore.org/air-apply

    
    

14. DC Public Art Building Communities

    
    

    Murals and installations funding.

    
    

    📅 July 21

    
    

    🔗 dcarts.dc.gov/pabc

    
    

✨ Pro Tips for Applicants

• Local artists: Prioritize #3, #5, #6, and #7 for DMV/MD connections.

• Dancers: #8–10 offer NYC performance and development chances.

• Global submitters: #12 (COAL Prize) closes soon!

  
  

Which opportunity excites you the most? Let us know in the comments!

🔗 Bookmark this page and check back for updates.

Happy creating! 🚀

Did we miss any great opportunities? Share them below! 👇

---

ABOUT RHYTHM VISIONS

Rhythm Visions Production Company is a non-profit that empowers artists and communities through transformative initiatives, which foster creativity, collaboration, and growth.