About the SOLA Awards
SOLA (Support Old Lady Artists) Awards are five unrestricted awards of $5,000 given annually to Washington State female-identified visual artists, age 60 or over, who have dedicated 25 years or more to creating art.
Founded in 2016 by Seattle artist Ginny Ruffner, the SOLA Award seeks to encourage and celebrate women’s achievements in the arts. Ginny and friends’ generous contributions to this award seek to honor, encourage and celebrate the lifetime contributions of women whose artwork has not been sufficiently or widely recognized. Learn more about Ginny Ruffner here.
One of the five SOLA Awards will specifically honor a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) artist. This funding is part of an overall strategy by SOLA and Artist Trust to reverse historic inequities in arts funding programs and move resources to Washington State communities with more limited access to other funding for individual artists.
We define BIPOC artists as individuals identifying as one or more of the following ethnicities:
Alaskan Native, Asian/Asian American/Pacific Islander or Hawaiian, Black/African/African American, Latinx, Middle Eastern, Native American or Indigenous, or South Asian
To learn more about the SOLA Awards, see the guidelines below. To learn how to apply for the SOLA Awards, check out our How to Apply webinar below.
Guidelines
The 2025 SOLA Awards guidelines will be available on January 24.
Reference Guide
Review examples of successful application materials from previous grantees in the SOLA Awards Reference Guide.
Selection Criteria
- artistic excellence;
- the professional background of the artist;
- evidence of continuing dedication to artistic discipline
Selection Process
The Twining Humber and SOLA Awards panel consists of three artists or arts professionals from across Washington State with expertise in visual arts. For example, the panel may include a painter, an installation artist, and a sculptor. Panelists have several weeks to review and score applications through Submittable. While reviewing applications, panelists are asked to apply a lens of racial equity. They meet to discuss the highest-ranking applicants and choose one recipient based on the selection criteria. 2025 panels will be held virtually via Zoom.
Timeline
January 24 Guidelines available.
February 28 Application opens.
March 4 Info Session.
March 5 & 6 Office Hours.
March 11 Study Hall.
March 24 Application closes.
April – May Panel review.
May Board votes.
May Notification of award status.
June Public announcement.
Eligibility Information
The 2025 SOLA (Support Old Lady Artists) Awards is open to female-identified visual artists living in Washington State, age 60 or over, who have dedicated 25 years or more to creating art.
APPLICANTS MUST BE:
- A female-identified visual artist; 60 years of age or older by March 24, 2025;
- Washington State residents at the time of application and payment;
- A practicing artist who has dedicated 25 years or more to creating art.
APPLICANTS MUST NOT BE: Graduate or undergraduate matriculated students enrolled in any degree program at the deadline date of March 24, 2025;
- Recipients of another Artist Trust grant in 2025;
- Applying on behalf of a company, nonprofit, organization, or community group.
- Current Artist Trust staff, Board of Trustees, honorary committee, consultants, contractors, current Twining Humber / SOLA panelists, or their immediate family.
The Twining Humber Award and SOLA Awards may only be received once. Previous recipients of the Twining Humber Award may not apply for the SOLA Awards. Previous recipients of SOLA may apply for the Twining Humber Award.
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 SOLA Awards are $5,000 each. Five 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 $5,000 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 20 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.