Maine Artist Fellowship

The Maine Artist Fellowship is administered by the Maine Arts Commission and recognizes artistic excellence demonstrated across the overall career of a Maine artist. The Fellowship is a merit-based award rather than a project grant, and applications are evaluated on the artistic creativity and vision demonstrated through the complete application. For the current cycle, six Maine Artist Fellows will be selected, with one artist selected in each of six disciplines: Fine Craft, Literary Arts, Media Arts and Photography, Performing Arts, Traditional Arts, and Visual Arts. Applicants may apply in only one Fellowship discipline. Fellows receive an unrestricted award of $5,000 and may also receive year-long promotion, inclusion of artist biographies on the Maine Arts Commission website and in digital publications, networking and collaborative opportunities, and participation in a Fellowship reception with Maine Arts Commission staff and Commissioners. The $5,000 Fellowship award is unrestricted and is intended to help the selected artist advance their career as they see fit. It may be used at the artist's discretion, provided that all activities supported through the award comply with applicable Maine state and local laws. Expenses or activities that do not comply with applicable Maine state or local laws are ineligible. The source does not identify a cost share or matching requirement. The stated award cycle is January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027. The award amount is not subject to change during the FY2027 cycle, although other opportunities provided to Fellows may change during the year. Eligible applicants are individual Maine artists or artist collectives. A collective may apply only once during the award cycle, and one member must serve as the primary contact and submit the application. Applicants must be current Maine residents who have resided full-time in Maine for at least two years before the application deadline and must remain Maine residents throughout the Fellowship period. Applicants must be at least 25 years old by the application deadline, must not be enrolled students as of January 1, 2027, and must not have previously received a Maine Artist Fellowship. Applicants must also have completed any Final Reports required by the Maine Arts Commission for previous awards, when applicable. All applications and required materials must be submitted through Submittable. Applicants in Fine Craft, Literary Arts, Media Arts and Photography, Performing Arts, and Visual Arts answer an Artist Bio question with a 250-character maximum, a Connection to Maine question with a 500-character maximum, and an Artist Statement with a 1,500-character maximum. These applicants must also submit a resume, CV, or expanded artist bio, with a 1,500-character maximum applying to an expanded artist bio, as well as artistic samples. Traditional Arts applicants answer six questions covering their bio, traditional art form, how they learned the art, length of practice, community and role as an artist, and recognition of their work, and they must submit artistic samples. Artistic sample limits vary by discipline. Fine Craft, Media Arts and Photography, Performing Arts, Traditional Arts, and Visual Arts applicants may submit up to eight samples, while Literary Arts applicants may submit up to five. Accepted materials include images in JPG, PNG, or PDF format; MP3 audio; MP4 or WMV video; YouTube or Vimeo links; PDF writing samples; and PDF documents containing links to supporting materials. Reviewers will review no more than five minutes of video. Writing samples must use 12-point Times New Roman font and may not exceed eight pages per sample. Each individual link counts as one artistic sample. Applications missing required uploads or exceeding the allowed number of artistic samples cannot be accepted. Maine Arts Commission staff first review submitted applications for completeness, eligibility, and adherence to the guidelines. Eligible applications are then reviewed by a diverse panel of arts and cultural professionals from around the country with expertise relevant to the Fellowship program. Fellowship review panels do not include Maine residents. Award recommendations are submitted to the Maine Arts Commission for final approval, and applicants are notified of their award status by email following final approval. Successful applicants receive award acceptance documents and instructions, and awardees are listed on the Maine Arts Commission website. Delivery of funds may take up to six months from award notification. The application opened September 1, 2026 and closes October 14, 2026. The award cycle runs from January 1, 2027 through December 31, 2027. The source does not identify a separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement. Grant and accessibility assistance is available from Eli Cabanas, Grants and Website Manager, at 207-215-5872. The source displays the email address as vog.eniam@sanabac.ile, so that value is retained as displayed rather than corrected or reconstructed. Grant information is available in large print by request, and applicants requiring an alternate format or assistance accessing the guidelines or application may contact the accessibility coordinator.