Major Individual Awards are intended to create the circumstances in which established artists with national / international recognition may develop extended or ambitious work. Awards can be for specific projects, specialised research, personal artistic development and materials/ equipment.
4 awards of up to £15,000 each are being offered in 2022/23.
Who can apply?
Eligible applicants to this scheme are as follows:
Artists of all disciplines and in all types of working practice who have not previously received a major award and who have achieved national or international recognition.
Please note: You must contact the relevant artform officer and discuss your proposal with them prior to submission of any application to the Major Individuals Awards and by close of play on 10 August 2022 at the latest. Applications submitted to the Major Individual Awards programme with no prior contact with the relevant art form officer will be ineligible for consideration. Staff contact details are available on the Arts Council website.
Employees of statutory bodies, undergraduates and postgraduates are eligible to apply but they must prove that the funds which they are seeking are for work/costs which are not properly the concern of their employer and/or are not related to their work or academic study. They must submit evidence of this in the form of a letter on headed paper from their Head of Department.
In the case of post-graduate students, the letter must clearly state the title of the student’s PhD thesis and include a declaration by the Head of Department. This declaration must state “The project for which funds are being sought does not form part of any academic work undertaken in relation to the above-titled PhD nor will it be assessed as part of any academic course”.
Applicants undertaking a Masters or a PhD must also include a separate statement which provides information on how the project applied for differs from their Masters or PhD work.
Please note: The Arts Council may use its own judgement in determining this matter.
Eligible applicants must also have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for a minimum period of one year within the last five years; and,
be at least 18yrs old and not in secondary education.
What you can apply for
Eligible costs for Major Individual Awards may include:
Project assistance
Art materials/equipment
Buying time for own practice/creation of new work
Fees for training courses
Artistic fees of Mentors
Artistic or technical fees including those towards production or post-production costs associated with presentation or exhibition of work
Venue hire e.g. rehearsal space
Technical equipment related to the project/proposal
Translation costs
Documentation costs
Childcare costs
Travel costs, including mileage costs (@25.7p per mile) and air travel
Residency costs
Subsistence costs @£15 per day
Accommodation costs
Guidance Notes
Download Guidance Notes here.
How to apply?
You must apply using our online system. We will not accept applications in hard copy or by email.
If you feel you have a disability which affects your ability to complete the online application form, please contact the University of Atypical (UoA). The UoA will provide tailored advice and support to D/deaf, disabled and Neurodiverse applicants when submitting application to ACNI Programmes.
Online applications may be edited, saved and returned up to the closing date.
You must submit all mandatory enclosures associated with the application at the same time as your application, ie. they must be uploaded to your online application prior to its submission. These enclosures are listed on the Attachments page within the online application and are detailed below.
Please ensure that you leave sufficient time to upload all documents to the system as there can be long delays as the closing deadline approaches and the system will shut down at 12 noon precisely on the closing date, 15 August 2022. If your complete application is not fully uploaded when the system closes, your application will not be accepted.
If you submit your application by the closing deadline, you will receive an automated email advising that your application has been successfully submitted to the system. If you do not receive this email, your application has not been submitted.
Please remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that we receive the application form and uploaded enclosures by the closing time and date.
Online Applications
You must apply using our online system. We will not accept applications in hard copy or by email.
Apply Online Now Edit an Application Form Online
Deadline for Applications
The deadline for applications is Monday 15th August 2022 at 12pm
Decisions will be made by Saturday 1st October 2022