Early-career artists* working in figurative painting, drawing or original printmaking are invited to apply for the NEAC Artist Scholarships 2024-25 worth over £5,000.

The three annual Scholarships are aimed at individuals who have not historically benefited from many opportunities to engage with the NEAC and aim to support those who face financial barriers in pursuing the arts in a professional capacity.

 

*Early-career artists include anyone who feels they are at the beginning stages of their professional artistic career, regardless of age (although applicants must be aged 18 and over and living in Great Britain).

 

The successful applicants will benefit from a scholarship prize to support artistic development, as well as the opportunity to attend classes and develop mentoring relationships with the talented members of the NEAC. It is hoped that successful applicants will continue to engage with the NEAC beyond the scholarship year.

 

It’s free to apply but you will need to write a statement to tell us how you would engage with the opportunity and share examples of your best work. You must also be prepared to travel to London (reasonable travel costs will be reimbursed*) if you are selected for interview.

 


The £5,000 award offers:

  • £5,000 scholarship prize, paid in two instalments, to facilitate the artistic development of an early career artist
  • A year of close mentorship with leading figures of the NEAC
  • Free entry to all courses, classes and workshops run by the NEAC
  • A selection of work created during the scholarship year will be showcased in the NEAC Annual Exhibition at Mall Galleries in 2025

 


The two £250 prizes offer:

  • £250 scholarship prize
  • A year of mentorship with leading figures of the NEAC
  • Free entry to all courses, classes and workshops run by the NEAC
  • A selection of work created during the scholarship year will be showcased in the NEAC Annual Exhibition at Mall Galleries in 2025

 

‘Being granted the NEAC scholarship has felt a little like doing a self-directed MA in observational drawing. Through experimenting freely at the excellent life drawing classes, having the chance to work in other ways on the workshops as well as the encouragement received at the one-to-one mentoring sessions with NEAC artists, I have been able to investigate, reflect on my process and consolidate my work.'
Beverley Isaacs, Past NEAC Scholar


‘Leaving the comfort zone of my studio and daily habits, and allowing myself to try new experiences has been a great journey. Attending regular life drawing classes and workshops led by all different artists has taught me to experiment with various approaches and techniques. This has been a year of self-discovery, becoming a lot more confident and determined. The only negative aspect is that the journey has gone by way too fast!’
Gabriella Marchini, Past NEAC Scholar

 


How to Apply

See below for the link to the online application form. You will need to log into your Google account to access the form (you will be asked to log in if you aren’t already). Then enter your details and upload your application portfolio which must be in PDF format (max file size 10MB).

 

 

Portfolio Instructions and Guidelines

You can create your application portfolio in any suitable program/app that you are familiar with (e.g. Word, Google Docs, PowerPoint, Keynote) but you must save your document/presentation as a PDF before you upload it. Important: When you save the file (as a PDF) please use the following file-naming convention: surname-firstname


The first page of the PDF should include your name and a maximum 350-word statement telling us a bit about yourself, what the NEAC Scholarship would mean to you, and how you would engage with the opportunity.


The subsequent pages should feature images of up to 6 examples of your work:

  • One image per page (nice and big please so the judges can see it clearly)
  • You may (if you wish) add a short caption under each image (e.g. title, medium, brief description)
  • Maximum of 6 images, so your PDF should be no longer than 7 pages (i.e. 1-page statement + 6 images)

 


Eligibility

Artists must be aged 18 or over, based in the UK and working in figurative painting, drawing or original printmaking.

 

CLICK HERE TO START YOUR APPLICATION

 

Deadline: Friday 17 May, 12 noon

If you have any questions or have any difficulties with the form, please contact us

 


Key dates

  • Submissions open: Friday 15 March, 12 noon
  • Submissions close: Friday 17 May, 12 noon
  • Invitations to interview: Friday 31 May, 12 noon, by email
  • Interviews: Wednesday 5 June, 10am to 5pm, at Mall Galleries
  • Notification of selected artists: Friday 7 June, 12 noon, by email
  • Awards ceremony: Wednesday 12 June, 7:30pm, during the Private View of the NEAC Annual Exhibition 2024 at Mall Galleries

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are grateful to Sir David and Lady Clementi for sponsoring the NEAC Artist Scholarship

 


*The NEAC will reimburse reasonable public transport travel expenses (up to a maximum of £150) to those selected for interview