2025 Twining Humber (THA) and SOLA Awards Guidelines

2025 THA SOLA Guidelines
Background image: Betty Pasco (2024 THA Recipient)


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About Artist Trust

Artist Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Washington State artists thrive. Recognized as a national model for direct funding and professional development for working artists, we have invested over $15 million in individual artists since our founding in 1986. We view our mission to support and encourage artists working in all disciplines in Washington State through a lens of racial and geographic equity, actively working to ensure that artists from all backgrounds and Washington State geographies are reached through our services.

About the Twining Humber Award

The Twining Humber Award is an unrestricted award of $10,000 given annually to a Washington State female-identified visual artist, age 60 or over, who has dedicated 25 years or more to creating art. The award is made possible by a generous gift from the painter Yvonne Twining Humber (1907-2004), who established the Irving and Yvonne Twining Humber Fund for Artistic Excellence to support the grant through Artist Trust in recognition of female artists who oftentimes must interrupt or postpone art-making in order to answer the demands of family life. The award recognizes artistic excellence, professional accomplishment, and longstanding dedication to the visual arts.

Learn more about Yvonne Twining Humber (PDF download).

About the SOLA Award

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

Artists who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA+, living with/having disabilities, and/or living in rural communities are strongly encouraged to apply. For support with your application, see the Help with Your Application section.

Betty Pasco (2024 THA Recipient), Simply Salish, 2018, Photo credit: Duane Pasco
Jan Hopkins (2024 SOLA Recipient), Oh Eleanor, 2012, Photo credit: Ken Rowe

Who is eligible

The Twining Humber Award and SOLA Awards are open to female-identified visual artists, 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 may not be:

  • Graduate or undergraduate students enrolled at the time of both application and payment (payment will be made June 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 members, current Twining Humber / SOLA panelists, or their immediate family.

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.

The Greedy KingTip Toland (2022 THA Recipient), The Greedy King, 2021. Photo credit: Ann Welch

How to apply

The 2025 Twining Humber Award & SOLA Awards application is available online starting February 28, 2025. Visit artisttrust.submittable.com/submit to submit.

DEADLINE: Monday, March 24, 2025, 11:59 PM PST

Materials to Submit

  • Biography -150 words or less or up to 1.5 minutes of video/audio
  • Artist Statement – 350 words or less or up to 3 minutes of video/audio
  • Work Samples – 20 work samples total (details below)
  • Artist Résumé – 8 pages or less

Applications are only accepted through Submittable.

Video guidelines for your biography and artist statement

Materials submitted in video format should be low-tech. Low-tech videos are unedited, without filters, scene changes, or multiple clips. The video should be a straight and clear shot of the applicant. The video can show the applicant’s full body, from the waist or shoulders up. The video cannot contain any of the applicant’s artwork.

The video should be:

  • Clear and focused footage of the applicant
  • Up to 1.5 minutes long for the biography and up to 3 minutes long for the artist statement
  • Easy to see and hear the applicant
  • Footage of the applicant speaking clearly

The video should not be:

  • Footage of more than one person
  • Multiple clips and/or reels or edited in any way
  • A video with voiceovers
  • More work samples or have the applicant’s work in view
  • Longer than the maximum time – up to 1.5 minutes for the biography and up to 3 minutes for the artist statement

Audio guidelines for your biography and artist statement

Materials submitted in audio format should be clear and easy to hear without any additional audio including music, white noise, other voices, and/or any background noise that is not the applicant’s own voice.

The audio should be:

  • Clear and easy to hear the applicant’s voice
  • Up to 1.5 minutes long for the biography and up to 3 minutes long for the artist statement
  • The applicant’s voice only

The audio should not be:

  • More than one person’s voice
  • Edited audio of the applicant including auto-tune, sped up or slowed down manipulation, and/or higher or lower pitched
  • More work samples
  • Longer than the maximum time (up to 1.5 minutes for the biography and up to 3 minutes for the artist statement)

Help with your application

Applying for grants can be hard, and we want to help you. Artist Trust offers the following support services and resources to guide you through the application process:

2025 THA/SOLA Info Session
Attend this Info Session on Monday, March 4, 5:30 – 6:30 pm to learn about the 2025 Twining Humber and SOLA Awards! During this event, our Programs Team will share general information about applying for 2025 THA and SOLA Awards. This is not a private session, but rather a space for learning and asking basic questions about the application process.
Register for the Info Session

How to Apply for 2025 AIA
A brief walkthrough of how to apply for the 2025 Twining Humber and SOLA Awards, the process, and selection criteria.
Watch the webinar on YouTube

Office Hours
20-minute consultations with our staff provided in person, via Zoom or by phone, on March 5 and 6. Available by appointment.
Reserve a spot for March 5
Reserve a spot for March 6

Study Hall
Pop into this open Zoom session on Tuesday, March 11, 1 – 3 pm to work on your 2025 Fellowship Award application. During Study Hall you can speak with program staff, work through your application on mute, or request a breakout session for direct support. This is not a private session, but rather a space for information sharing and work time.

Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82821778740

Reference Guide
Review examples of successful applications from past year’s grantees at artisttrust.org/resources/twining-humber-sola-awards-reference-guide.

Contact Us
We are happy to answer questions about your application. Please note: it’s hard for us to answer questions on the day of the deadline. Start your application early and don’t wait to contact us with questions.
Jump to contact information.

If you require a translator to complete your application or have other accessibility needs, please get in touch.

Tips & hints

  1. Read the guidelines and instructions carefully and follow them.
  2. Start your application at least a week before the deadline and give yourself plenty of time to prepare your materials. Don’t wait until the last minute to submit. Submittable slows down from high traffic in the hours before the deadline. We do not accept late applications.
  3. Write and save your application in a word processing program. Copy and paste the text into Submittable when you are ready to submit.
  4. A biography (150 words or less or up to 1.5 minutes of video/audio) tells your story as an artist. It provides details about you and your work, such as where you were born or grew up, your training, career development, accomplishments, or other information that may not be found elsewhere in the application.
  5. An artist statement (350 words or less or up to 3 minutes of video/audio) is an introduction to your work or a specific body of work. It gives an overview of its concepts, ideas, and themes. It may include information about how your work developed, why you have created it, your vision, influences and inspirations, your philosophy of art-making, and other details that introduce your work. A strong artist statement is clear and specific, captures your speaking voice, and avoids clichés and jargon.
  6. Work samples are the most important part of your application. Include your strongest work. Make sure your work samples are well-documented, cohesive, and follow the work sample guidelines. See the Work Sample Guidelines section for more information.
  7. An artist résumé (8 pages or less) is an overview of your arts and related experiences, accomplishments, education and/or training, and other information about your artistic career. It’s much like a job résumé, except its focus is your art. The résumé must be submitted as a .pdf file.
  8. Do not include links to external websites, portfolios, social media, etc. in any of your submitted materials.
  9. Take advantage of our support services and resources listed above. You can find examples of each component of the Twining Humber Award/SOLA Awards application in the reference guide.
  10. Have a friend, colleague, or another artist review your application before you submit.
  11. If you have questions about your application, the guidelines, your eligibility, or anything else, give us a call or email. Find our contact information below or call (206) 467-8734 and ask to speak with someone from our programs team.

Work sample guidelines

You may submit work samples in image and video format. The works in your samples should reflect the breadth of your artistic career. Review the guidelines for information on file types, sizes, and lengths and total number of samples. We do not accept physical artwork in any format, slides, or files sent via email. All work samples must be submitted within your Submittable application.

The total amount of work samples submitted must equal no more than 20, which may not necessarily be how many files you upload.

If you are submitting multiple file formats, you may submit no more than 20 work samples. One image is equal to one minute of video. For example, you can submit a single 10-minute video, 10 images, or 10 manuscript pages. Or you can submit a combination. For example, you can submit 2 minutes of a video, 5 pages from a manuscript, and 3 images—this equals 10 work samples.

To respect the panelists’ time, samples submitted over the maximum allowed will not be considered. Links to third party websites, such as SoundCloud, Vimeo, and YouTube, are not accepted. If you have questions about submitting multiple file formats, please contact us before the deadline.

File Format Details

Images

  • Maximum of 20 images.
  • Recommended no smaller than 1920 pixels on the longest side.
  • Recommended 72 ppi/dpi (standard web resolution).
  • Submit one piece per file (do not collage several angles or multiple pieces within one image).
  • Each piece should be well-lit and in focus.

Video

  • Maximum of 20 minutes total.
  • Do not submit work samples designed for promotional purposes (such as a filmography or choreography reel).
  • Video samples must highlight your work as a visual artist.
  • Submit an individual file for each distinct work.
  • Video compilations of still images are not allowed.
  • Begin and end each sample where you want the panel to begin and end.
  • Do not submit samples with cue times.
  • Links to work samples on third-party websites, such as YouTube, Vimeo, SoundCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. are not accepted
  • Resolutions: recommended minimum 640 x 480, maximum 1920 x 1080.
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3 or 16:9.
  • Bit Rate: recommended above 240 kbps.
  • Frame Rate: recommended minimum 12 fps, maximum 30 fps.
  • Format: .avi,.mp4, .m4v, .mpg, .wmv.

Submittable has a default maximum file upload size of 400 MB and a default maximum total submission size of 800MB. This means individual files cannot exceed 400MB, and in total, your application cannot exceed 800 MB.

Work sample descriptions

You may add Work Sample Descriptions as metadata when uploading each file. A window will pop up once you have uploaded the work sample. Work sample descriptions should include: title, materials, dimensions, time, or pages, and the year work was completed. You may include a short (1-2 sentence) description of the work.

Work sample order

Submittable orders your files in the order that you upload them.

Selection process

Selection Criteria

All applications are reviewed by one panel consisting of three artists with expertise in the visual arts. Panelists review all eligible applications online through Submittable and meet online via Zoom to discuss applications and recommend recipients. Panelists are asked to review all applicants through a lens of racial equity and consider geographic diversity. The panel selects the recipients based on:

  • Artistic excellence
  • The background & accomplishments of the artist
  • Evidence of continuing dedication to artistic practice

Racial Equity

Background
Artist Trust is a nonprofit organization that helps Washington State artists of all disciplines thrive through direct support, connections, and advocacy. We believe a fair and just society ensures artists of all background and identities are included in its cultural narratives.

Artist Trust Racial Equity Statement
Artist Trust is committed to becoming an anti-racist organization, and to working against the systems of racism we have inherited, upheld, and perpetuated. We know we are not there yet. Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have been systematically oppressed, and we are committed to partnering with them to eradicate white supremacy throughout our organization and to support historically marginalized artists across Washington State.

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.

Read more about our work towards racial equity.

Panelists Selection

Panelists are chosen by Artist Trust staff and represent a range of disciplines, ages, genders, geographies, ethnicities, and stages in their careers. Panelists are kept confidential until the announcement of the awards.

Schedule

Application opens: February 28
Application deadline: March 24
Panel review: April – May
Notification: May
Award announcement: June

Questions?

Contact Artist Trust

  • With questions about applications, guidelines, eligibility, support services, and resources;
  • If you need to access or edit a submitted application prior to the deadline of March 17, 2025.

Contact Submittable

  • With website access issues;
  • With questions about uploading or formatting files;
  • With other technical support needs.

Submittable Contact Information
submittable.com/help/submitter

Artist Trust Contact Information
Monday–Friday: 9:30 am – 3:00 pm PST

Anna Teiche (she/her) // Program Coordinator
anna@artisttrust.org: (206) 467-8734 x23

Lydia Boss (she/her) // Program Co-Director
lydia@artisttrust.org: (206) 467-8734 x25