Arts Innovator Award

---

About the Arts Innovator Award

The Arts Innovator Award recognizes artists who demonstrate innovation in their art practice. These unrestricted awards of $25,000 are given annually to two Washington State artists of any discipline who are originating new work, experimenting with new ideas, taking risks, and pushing the boundaries of their fields.

Funding for this award is generously donated by the Dale and Leslie Chihuly Foundation. Dale recalls receiving grants that supported experimentation early in his career, adding credibility, opening doors, and enabling new connections for him as an artist. Today Dale remembers the importance of this support, and he and Leslie would like to help artists in a similar way.

To learn more about the Arts Innovator Awards, see the guidelines below. To learn how to apply for the Arts Innovator Awards, check out our How to Apply webinar below.

Guidelines

The 2025 Arts Innovator Award guidelines will be available on January 17.

Read the 2024 Arts Innovator Award guidelines.

Read a plain text version of the 2024 Arts Innovator Award guidelines.

Reference Guide

Review examples of successful application materials from previous grantees in the Arts Innovator Award Reference Guide.

Selection Criteria

• Advancement of the artist’s practice;  
• The background and experience of the artists. 
• Artist’s continued dedication and exploration of new work; 
• Artistic excellence and innovation within applicant’s field/medium;  

Selection Process

The Arts Innovator Award’s panel consists of five working artists from across Washington State with expertise in a variety of disciplines and practices. Panelists have several weeks to review and score applications through Submittable. While reviewing applications, panelists are asked to apply a lens of racial and geographic equity. They meet to discuss the highest-ranking applicants; select eight finalists, two per disciplinary category (literary, media, performing, and visual arts), for interviews; and choose two recipients based on the selection criteria. 2025 panels will be held virtually via Zoom. Interviews are held on Thursday, May 8. Finalist orientation will be held on Tuesday, May 6. Artists selected as finalists must be available for interviews.

Timeline

January 17  Guidelines available.

February 17  Application opens.

February 27  Info Session.

March 5 & 6  Office Hours.

March 11  Study Hall.

March 17  Application closes.

March – May  Panel review.

May  Notification of award status.

May  Board votes.

June Newsletter  Public announcement.

Eligibility Information

The 2025 Arts Innovator Award is open to artists and artist teams residing in Washington State working in all disciplines.

APPLICANTS MUST BE:

• 18 years of age or older by application deadline;
• Washington State residents at the time of both application and payment (payment will be made June 2025);
• Generative artists (those who are the originators of works of art) with a minimum of five years in professional art practice;
• Available for finalist interviews on Thursday, May 8, 2025.

APPLICANTS MUST NOT BE:

• Recipients of more than one AT grant per calendar year;
• Previous recipients of the James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award or Arts Innovator Award;
• Current graduate or undergraduate students enrolled at the time of both application and payment (payment will be made June 2025);
• Applying as cultural organizers, curators, or applying on behalf of a company, nonprofit, organization, fiscal sponsorship, or community group;
• Current AT staff, Board of Trustees, honorary committee, consultants, contractors, AIA panelists, or their family.
• Affiliated with Chihuly Studio, Dale and Leslie Chihuly Foundation, Portland Press, or family of Dale or Leslie Chihuly.

FAQ

Please read this FAQ prior to contacting our staff with questions. Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to respond to every question we receive.  

Am I eligible for this Award?   

You can check the eligibility requirements for this award above under the “Eligibility Information” heading. You can also view this information in our Guidelines document.   

How much money will I receive, and how many awards will be given out?    

The Arts Innovator Awards are $25,000 each. Two awards are given out each cycle. 

Can I apply as part of a collaboration or team?    

A team of two or more artists may apply if you have a documented history of creating and presenting work as a team. Artists applying as a team must contact Artist Trust to confirm eligibility before applying. If eligible, one artist will submit the application and list team members. All team members must meet the eligibility requirements for the respective award. Applications made on behalf of a company, nonprofit, organization, community group, or a fiscally-sponsored entity will not be accepted.     

If I apply as part of a team, how much money will we receive?    

The team will receive $25,000 total.      

When can I apply, and what is the application timeline?    

You can view the timeline for this application above under the Timeline heading, and in our Guidelines document linked above.   

How do I apply?    

To apply, you must create a Submittable account and submit an application through Submittable. A link to the application will be available beginning on the day the application opens. Applications must be submitted through Submittable. Emailed or physical applications will not be reviewed.     

Do you accept late applications?   

We do not accept late applications under any circumstances. Note that Submittable often slows down due to high use on the day of the deadline. We recommend submitting early to avoid last minute technical difficulties that may result in missing the deadline.    

Can I edit my application after I submit?   

If you submit your application before the deadline, we are able to open your application for edits. You will be responsible for re-submitting your application after it’s opened for editing.     

Requests to re-open applications for editing made close to the deadline may not be accommodated, due to the high volume of requests and questions at that time. The Artist Trust team does our best to assist with all requests.   

 After the deadline, applications cannot be edited.   

Where can I find help with my application?    

We offer several support services and resources to help you with your application, including virtual Info Sessions, Office Hours and Study Hall, workshops, reference guides, and other resources. They are listed above in the Timeline. You can view and register for them on our Events page once the guidelines are published.   

What do I do if I’m having technical difficulties with my grant application?   

If you aren’t able to sign into Submittable, have questions about uploading or formatting files, are experiencing glitches with the application form, or have other technical questions, visit this page.  You can submit a question directly to submittable here.   

What materials do I need to include in my application?   

You can view the complete list of required application materials in our guidelines document linked above.   

Can I see examples of past successful application materials?   

Yes! Examples of past successful application materials can be viewed in the Reference Guide linked above.   

I can’t decide on my career stage. Will that affect the panelists’ decisions?   

Select the career stage that feels like it best describes your experience. Career stage is not part of the selection criteria for this award and does not have an impact on whether you are chosen for a grant. This information is collected only for demographic purposes. 

What happens if I don’t follow the application guidelines?  

If you do not follow the guidelines for this application, your application will be marked ineligible and will not be viewed or considered by the panel. Applications are most commonly found ineligible because an applicant has included more work samples than permitted, or included promotional materials in their work samples. Make sure to carefully read through the work sample guidelines before submitting your application.  

What’s the most important part of this application?   

Your work samples are the most important part of your application. Spend the most time honing your samples. If you are submitting images, audio, or video, make sure your documentation is high quality. An applicant can only submit up to 10 work samples (1 work sample means either: 1 image, 1 minute of video, 1 minute of audio, 1 page of manuscript). Be sure to follow the work sample guidelines outlined in our guidelines linked above.  

 Additionally, the written parts of your application help panelists understand your vision, process, and philosophy and give context for the work in your work samples. Start on these parts early and have friends or colleagues read them. You can find examples of successful applications in our Reference Guide. For tips and tricks on the written parts of your application, visit our Resources  here.   

How are the awards selected?   

All applications are reviewed by one multidisciplinary panel consisting of three to five artists from across the state with expertise in a range of artistic disciplines. Panelists review all eligible applications online through Submittable and meet over Zoom to discuss applications and recommend recipients. Panelists are required to review all applicants through a lens of racial equity, consider geographic diversity, and highlight a range of disciplines and practices.     

Artist Trust recognizes that Black and Indigenous people experience more barriers and less opportunities than other people of color. We use the term BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) to acknowledge this reality. Throughout the process, panelists will be asked to prioritize Black and Indigenous artists, artists living in rural areas, and artists who identify as LGBTQIA+ by considering structural, institutional, and historical barriers artists face and how it can impact their career.   

The members of each panel change for each award, every grant cycle.   

How does racial equity impact the selection of awardees?   

We have a strong commitment to racial equity throughout our organization. Within our award programs, we ask selection panelists to review all applications through a lens of racial equity. This means when a panelist is considering an applicant, we ask them to be mindful of structural, institutional, and historical barriers artists of color face and how those barriers may impact their work and their career. Additionally, panelists are encouraged to have an intersectional approach and to highlight a range disciplines and practices as well as discuss marginalized identities within BIPOC communities.     

Read more about our work towards racial equity  here.   

How are the awards funded?   

Our support for artists is powered by donors from our community. To make a gift in support of this grant, visit www.artisttrust.org/donate. Deep appreciation to our donor community, participants in our statewide artist focus groups, the Artist Trust Strategic Vision and Stewardship Committee and Racial Equity Committee, Board of Trustees, and staff for making this program possible.   

If you have questions not addressed in this FAQ, please be in touch with our Program Director, Lydia Boss at lydia@artisttrust.org.