Artists wield the transformative power of culture to act, to live, and to imagine. From challenging norms through free expression and creating safe spaces, to initiating cooperation in the face of global crises, and asserting alternative narratives: emerging artists and cultural practitioners bring in new waves of ideas, perspectives, and energy to the positive force of culture. They deserve a chance to experiment, find their path and their communities, and gain momentum in their work. The Seed Awards aim to support this journey.

Each year, the Prince Claus Fund grants Seed Awards to 100 emerging artists who work in contexts where cultural expression is under pressure. The Seed Award is intended to support their personal and artistic development, amplify their talent, and spark a new wave of changemakers.

This is a trust-based grant, which means Seed Award recipients can decide the best way to utilise the support for their artistic and cultural development: be it through fostering new perspectives, connections, investing in materials for their practice, or simply taking some time with reduced financial pressures to be able to experiment and focus on their artistic practice.

The Seed Awards offer support to emerging artists and cultural practitioners who are talented, engaged, and determined to improve their contexts and societies through their socially and politically engaged work. We are especially interested in supporting artists and cultural practitioners with innovative, grounded, and experimental art practices that are inclusive and diverse in their process, their implementation, and their reach.

We welcome applications from eligible applicants who:
are in the early and exploratory stages of their career, within the initial 1 to 5 years of their professional career (study years not included);
have established and innovative and interesting artistic or cultural practice that addresses pressing social/political issues that are important within their local context;
have received little to no institutional recognition/support for their artistic/cultural practices;
are from, living, and working in our eligible countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.