Rosy James Memorial Trust Emerging Maker Awards 2026 — Three £5,000 Bursaries for Early-Career Northern Ireland Craft Makers
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
The Rosy James Memorial Trust Awards, administered by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland since 2014, come from a bequest of over £500,000 by Belfast arts patron Rosemary (Rosy) James to help craft makers create new bodies of work; past recipients include glass artist Scott Benefield and silversmiths Stuart Cairns and Cara Murphy.
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Three new Emerging Maker Awards of up to £5,000 each to create a new body of craft work that would otherwise be unattainable. Funding goes to the new body of work and may cover project assistance, materials and equipment, buying time to replace lost earned income, training fees, mentors, production and presentation costs, technical equipment, documentation, childcare, travel, residencies and subsistence (£25/day) and accommodation.
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Emerging craftspeople or designer-makers in the early stage of their professional career, developing their artistic voice and beginning to establish recognition, typically practising professionally for less than five years. Craftspeople and designer-makers in Northern Ireland (the awards are announced for NI designer makers; full criteria in the Guidance Notes) who hold a degree or equivalent in a relevant area, trained as an apprentice in a craft discipline, or have practised professionally for at least three years. Only one award (Major or Emerging) may be applied for.
Dates & details
- Deadline
- 12 noon (application form and enclosures by email)
- Programme dates
- About one year to develop the new body of work
- Costs to the artist
- None — the bursary covers the body of work