2025 21c St. Louis Artadia Award

Artadia is a non-profit organization founded in 1999 that supports visual artists through unrestricted, merit-based awards and professional opportunities. Their programming includes a set of city-specific awards offered on a rotating annual basis in major art hubs across the United States. The 21c Artadia Award is a unique collaboration between Artadia and 21c Museum Hotels, designed to provide artists in select regions with significant financial support and access to Artadia’s robust professional network. The award cycle for the 21c Application opens on June 15, 2025, and closes on July 15, 2025. The primary objective of the Artadia Awards is to recognize and reward artistic excellence and foster sustainable careers for visual artists. Awardees receive $15,000 in unrestricted funds, which may be used at the discretion of the artist for any professional or personal purpose. For the Los Angeles-based Marciano Artadia Award, the award amount is $25,000. Awardees also gain access to the Artadia Network, including a personalized profile on the Artadia Artist Registry, and are introduced to opportunities for exhibitions, partnerships, and wider exposure. The organization’s awardee pool reflects a strong commitment to diversity, with over 50 percent identifying as female and more than 40 percent as persons of color. Applications are submitted exclusively through Submittable during a one-month window. Artists must be practicing contemporary visual artists working in contexts such as museums, galleries, arts nonprofits, or public art initiatives. Media submissions may include digital images and time-based media. The review process begins with an initial jury panel of three curators, including one local to the eligible city. This panel shortlists six finalists. A second jury, with one returning and one new juror, conducts 45-minute virtual studio visits with each finalist. Of these, three are selected as final Awardees. Non-selected finalists are compensated with honorariums for their time and participation. Eligibility criteria include living and working within the eligible counties associated with the award city for at least two years, not being enrolled in or planning to attend an art-related degree program, and not having previously received $10,000 or more from Artadia or its predecessor, The Art Council. Applicants must be the sole conceptual author of their work unless applying as a collaborative, in which case contributors must be fully credited. Long-term residency participants must apply from the city of permanent residence and be available for virtual studio visits if selected. Applicants must organize digital submissions through the Submittable platform and can edit their application until the close date. Physical submissions are not accepted, and all correspondences or assistance requests should be directed to info@artadia.org or via phone at (212) 727-2233. The 21c Award is part of a broader national schedule, which also includes applications in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, and Houston, each with their own designated windows. Artadia’s overall grantmaking strategy prioritizes cities with vibrant contemporary art ecosystems, demonstrated institutional support, active commercial markets, and established academic programs. For 2025, recurring deadlines are clearly identified, signaling Artadia’s structured and transparent grant calendar. While there are no pre-application deadlines for the 21c Award, applicants must ensure their materials are submitted by July 15, 2025. The program is not rolling but does recur annually.

Applications can be edited before the deadline. Only one way to apply is via Submittable.