Artadia Awards 2026 — San Francisco Bay Area

Artadia is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that has run unrestricted merit-based grants for contemporary visual artists since 1999. The Artadia Awards run on a rotating regional schedule across U.S. cities — the 2026 cycle is the San Francisco Bay Area edition.

Three awardees receive $15,000 each in unrestricted funds — no project requirement, no required reporting against budget categories. Beyond the cash, awardees receive ongoing access to the Artadia Network for structured opportunities and resource sharing, and a dedicated webpage on Artadia's online Artist Registry.

Eligibility is restricted to contemporary visual artists currently living and working in one of nine Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, or Sonoma. Applicants must have a minimum two-year consecutive residency before the deadline, cannot be enrolled in an art-related degree program, and cannot have previously received $10,000 or more from Artadia.

The selection process is two-round: a first jury of three curators selects six finalists from the application pool, then a second jury conducts 45-minute virtual studio visits with each finalist. Finalists who are not ultimately selected still receive honorariums for their participation time — Artadia treats the studio visit as itself a meaningful exchange.

Applications are free, made through Submittable. Each applicant submits eight JPGs (max 2 MB each) and/or up to 6 minutes of video, plus CV, artist statement (≤200 words), and work details. The 2026 application window runs May 1 through June 1.