South Carolina Arts Commission opens FY26 individual artist fellowships; $10,000 awards, Feb. 11 deadline

Krista Grenza, grants coordinator with the South Carolina Arts Commission, led a public coaching call detailing the FY26 Individual Artist Fellowship application process, eligibility and submission rules. The fellowship awards $10,000, is not project‑based and is intended to recognize an artist’s body of work.

The commission said applicants must be at least 18 years old, not be a degree‑seeking student at the time of the award and must have been a South Carolina resident for at least one year and remain a resident during the award period, which runs July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. "Arts commission fellowships are designed to reward the artistic achievements of our state's exceptional individual artist," Program Director Tanisha Brown said during the call.

Staff outlined FY26 eligible categories as visual arts, crafts, design arts (including architecture and graphic design), media/media production and public art, with public art included as a new applicable category this year. Applicants may apply in more than one category but must submit a distinct body of work for each; if an applicant ranks highest in multiple categories they may receive only one fellowship. The commission requires at least five applications in a discipline for that category to go forward to panel review.

Work-sample and resume requirements: work samples must be from within the last 10 years (2015–2024). Visual, craft and design applicants must upload at least five high‑resolution images (up to 10). Media production applicants should provide two viewing samples (panelists will view no more than 10 minutes per submitted sample) with titles, lengths and time codes; the first sample must be noncollaborative and the second may be collaborative. Public art applicants must submit five samples (images and/or video up to the stated limits). Resumes should not exceed three pages and must use an approved font and file type; additional pages will not be reviewed.

Brown said submissions will be scored by an independent, out‑of‑state panel and awards will be made based on panel scores and the materials provided, not staff familiarity. Panel notification is scheduled after the commission’s June 2025 board meeting.

Restrictions and other rules: an artist may receive no more than two Arts Commission fellowships in their lifetime with a 10‑year waiting period between awards; fellows may not hold another Arts Commission grant during the award period. The fellowship award is unrestricted; there is no project requirement or final reporting requirement tied to the $10,000 stipend.

The application closes on Feb. 11, 2025 (staff said the portal "closes that evening on 11:59PM of February 11"); grants‑portal technical assistance is available from the grants team up until 5 p.m. on the deadline day. Staff urged applicants to create an account in the portal, begin the application early and save progress frequently to avoid last‑minute technical issues. Brown offered one‑on‑one follow‑up for applicants with category‑specific questions and said contact information is posted on the fellowships page of the Arts Commission website.

The commission encouraged applicants to share the new public‑art category with peers to help meet the five‑application threshold and to consider applying in multiple categories if appropriate. Krista Grenza closed the call by thanking participants and encouraging submissions.