The purpose of the Next Generation artists award is to support a group of promising artists across all disciplines at an early but pivotal stage in their career. Recipients will receive €25,000 and will also take part in a collective week-long residential programme in spring 2022. Joint applications and interdisciplinary applications are welcomed. The selection panel will comprise, a non-voting Council Chair, two Council members, and a number of external panellists. This award is designed to support emerging artists to:

• buy time to develop their work and practice;

• support unique development needs to advance their own practice (this might be through engagement with a mentor, research, non-formal study and/or non-vocational training, collaborative partnerships, etc.). Applicants must detail the development need that would most advance his or her career at this time.

It will prioritise those who;

• demonstrate ambition and vision for their work;

• show potential to develop and strengthen a distinctive and assured creative practice;

• show how they will benefit artistically from timely support for their artistic development;

• demonstrate in a compelling way how the award and financial investment of this level and at this particular time will have a transformative effect in bringing them to the next stage of their artistic development.

In addition to the general purpose and objectives of the award (outlined in section 1.1), priority across all artform and practice areas will be given to emerging artists of proven talent, assurance and potential who:

• demonstrate ambition and vision for their work

• show potential to develop and strengthen a distinctive and assured creative practice;

• show how they will benefit artistically from timely support for their artistic development;

• demonstrate in a compelling way how the award and financial investment of this level and at this particular time will have a transformative effect in bringing them to the next stage of their artistic development.