Bursary Awards for Professional Artists in Dublin City (Ireland)

Deadline: 28-Oct-2026

Nominations are now open for the Bursary Awards, which support individual professional artists living within the Dublin City Council administrative area to develop their artistic practice. The scheme provides funding that allows artists to dedicate time and resources to professional development, including developing skills, exploring new ideas, and deepening their engagement with their chosen artform. The Bursary Awards are focused on the development of artistic practice rather than the delivery of a finished public project. The proposed bursary activity must take place in 2027.

About the Dublin City Council Bursary Awards

The Bursary Awards are designed to give professional artists the opportunity to invest in their artistic development. Funding can enable artists to dedicate time and resources to activities that strengthen their practice, develop new skills, explore creative ideas, or deepen their work within their chosen artform. The programme supports artistic growth without requiring applicants to focus on producing a completed public project. What Do the Bursaries Support? The bursaries support activities that contribute directly to an artist’s professional development.

Supported activities may help artists to:

- Develop their artistic skills. - Explore new ideas. - Develop their artistic practice. - Deepen their engagement with their chosen artform. - Dedicate time and resources to professional development. The scheme is intended to support the artist’s development rather than the delivery of a finished public project. Funding Available Applicants can request up to €5,000. The requested funding should support activities that contribute directly to the applicant’s professional development. Personal access costs are excluded from the €5,000 funding amount. Who Can Apply? The Bursary Awards are open to individual professional artists who meet the programme’s eligibility requirements.

Applicants must:

- Be professional artists. - Live within the Dublin City Council administrative area. - Work in an artform supported by the Dublin City Council Arts Office. - Not currently be undertaking undergraduate education. - Propose bursary activity that will take place in 2027. Eligible Artforms Artists working in any artform supported by the Dublin City Council Arts Office can apply. The programme is therefore open across the range of artforms supported by the Arts Office, provided the applicant meets the other eligibility requirements. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion The programme encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and experiences. This reflects Dublin City Council’s commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion within its support for artistic practice. Professional Development Focus The Bursary Awards are intended to provide artists with an opportunity to focus on their own professional development. Applicants should demonstrate how the proposed activities will contribute to their artistic practice and help them develop within their chosen artform. The scheme is not primarily designed to fund the delivery of a finished public project. Activity Period The proposed bursary activity must take place during 2027. Applicants should ensure that their proposed professional development activities can be undertaken within the relevant period. Key Facts About the Dublin City Council Bursary Awards

- Programme: Bursary Awards

- Funder: Dublin City Council

- Maximum funding: €5,000

- Applicants: Individual professional artists

- Location requirement: Dublin City Council administrative area

- Artforms: Any artform supported by the Dublin City Council Arts Office

- Focus: Artistic and professional development

- Supported activities: Skills development, exploration of new ideas, and deeper engagement with an artform

- Personal access costs: Excluded

- Undergraduate students: Not eligible while currently in undergraduate education

- Activity period: 2027

- Approach: Supports artistic practice development rather than a finished public project

- Equality and inclusion: Applications encouraged from artists of all backgrounds and experiences

Frequently Asked Questions About the Dublin City Council Bursary Awards What are the Dublin City Council Bursary Awards? The Bursary Awards provide support to individual professional artists living within the Dublin City Council area to develop their artistic practice. How much funding can artists request? Artists can request up to €5,000, excluding personal access costs. What can the funding be used for? The funding is intended to support activities that directly contribute to the artist’s professional development, such as developing skills, exploring new ideas, and deepening engagement with their chosen artform. Is the bursary intended to fund a finished public project? No. The scheme focuses on the development of artistic practice rather than the delivery of a finished public project. Who is eligible to apply? Individual professional artists living within the Dublin City Council administrative area and working in an artform supported by the Dublin City Council Arts Office can apply. Can artists from different artforms apply? Yes. The bursaries are open to artists working in any artform supported by the Dublin City Council Arts Office. Can undergraduate students apply? No. Applicants must not currently be in undergraduate education. Do applicants have to live in the Dublin City Council area? Yes. Eligible applicants must live within the Dublin City Council administrative area. Does the programme encourage applications from diverse backgrounds? Yes. The programme encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and experiences as part of its commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. When must the proposed bursary activity take place? The proposed bursary activity must take place in 2027. Are personal access costs included in the €5,000? No. The funding amount of up to €5,000 excludes personal access costs. Conclus