Due to the competition for resources for DC-artists, Artists must be based in in Washington, DC. Artists must provide a Washington DC address on their application.
No, students currently enrolled in undergraduate/graduate programs are not eligible. We encourage you to apply once you have finished your degree.
S&R Evermay takes a broad view of how social impact is created, promoted and fostered by the work of artists. In general, we are looking for applications that display one or more of the following characteristics:
- Work that is rooted in engagement or co-creation with a defined community.
- Work that challenges the status quo, and educates or inspires a defined audience to view, approach and relate to the world around them differently.
- Work that seeks to build significant public will for ambitious change within the context of a pressing social issue or challenge.
- Work that prioritizes mentorship as a core goal.
- Work that engages Washington-DC specific history, narratives, or locations.
The Washington Award Selection Committee is comprised of nine leading artists, leaders, administrators, and other arts professionals. Committee members assess applications in their field of expertise and make recommendations on awardees during a selection committee meeting in June each year.
Applications will be judged across three, equally weighted criteria: Artistic Quality and Innovation, Social Impact, and Career Development. For more information about the selection criteria and process, click here.
The Washington Award supports artists at critical moments in their careers. Cash awards are unrestricted with no expectations of how funds will be spent. Cash awards are therefore not project grants, however if an individual artist’s practice takes the form of project work, they may freely apply with these materials. However, project-based applications and non-project based applications will be judged in the same way across the three assessment criteria.
If you are applying for the Filmore School Studio Prize and you are successful, please note that there are some expectations in terms of activities to be conducted during the 12-month residency period. Successful candidates for the Filmore School Studio Prize will eligible for additional $1,000 stipend to support community-based activities during their 12-month residency. Applicants may make project proposals for the Filmore School Studio Prize if they choose, but as with the Washington Award, project based and non-project based applications will be judged the same way.
Yes, past applicants may reapply, but we encourage you to include your latest work in your updated application.
Former and current Washington Award Recipients are welcome to apply to the category of award that they did not receive. For example, a cash prize winner is welcome to apply to the studios prize. In order to maximize this opportunity for the broadest number of D.C. resident artists, the Selection Committee has discretion to give preference to applicants who have not previously won the Washington Award.
Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications, we are unable to provide feedback to individual applicants.
We accept applications from individuals only.
Applications for the 2022 Award will be open from March 1, 2023 until April 30, 2023. Applications will be reviewed from May-June and the winners will be announced in July 2023. The award ceremony will take place in the Summer/Fall of 2023 (exact date to be confirmed when winners are notified), and we require all winners to attend in order to receive their prize money.
In any one award cycle, successful artists will only receive awards in one prize category. Artists are welcome to apply for both opportunities but please note, the artist statement requirements for the Washington Award and Filmore Studios Prize are different, so anyone applying for both opportunities will need to do so with separate applications.
