South Dublin County Council Arts Office invites applications for the EDI Project Award 2026, supporting an artist working in socially engaged practice to develop and deliver an artistic project within an intercultural context in South Dublin County.
This award recognises the importance of artistic practices that foster dialogue, participation, and collaboration across diverse communities. It aims to support work that reflects the lived experiences, cultural diversity, and evolving identities of South Dublin County.
The award supports projects that meaningfully engage participants, communities, or collaborators from diverse cultural backgrounds and contribute to inclusive access to the arts. One award will be made.
The successful artist will receive €15,000 to research, develop, and realise an intercultural socially engaged arts project.
The award aligns with:
- South Dublin County Council’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion commitments
- Local integration and intercultural strategies
- The Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealaíon Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Award Details
- Artforms: Open to all artforms
- Purpose: Socially engaged project in an intercultural context
- Duration: Project must be completed within 12 months of award notification
Applications can be presented in written or video format. In this application form, there is an option to answer some questions either in text or by video. These questions ask for: an outline your artistic practice and experience in socially engaged work; how intercultural dialogue informs your artistic practice, to describe the proposed project, including:
- Artistic concept
- Intercultural context
- Communities or participants involved
- Artistic outcomes
and how participants or communities will be involved in meaningful and ethical ways.
Assessment Criteria:
- The artistic quality and ambition of the proposal [30]
- Strength of socially engaged practice [20]
- Depth of intercultural engagement [20]
- Capacity to successfully plan and deliver the proposal (detailed budget and supporting material) [30]
Eligibility – Who can apply?
Applicants must:
- Be a professional artist working in any artform *
- Be resident or working substantially in South Dublin County
- Be aged 18 years or over
- Have experience of working collaboratively with communities or participants in intercultural contexts
- Not be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student at the time of application
• Applicantions
• You must apply online through the Submit platform.
Incomplete proposals or late applications will not be assessed. Please ensure that all of the required supporting material is included.
* A professional artist can be defined as someone for whom their artform is their whole-time occupation or who holds a third level qualification in their field of practice or has been paid and advertised as a solo or leading performer/exhibitor in a state funded institution or has been published or produced by a recognised publisher or theatre/film company or venue or is recognised as a professional by his/her peers and received recognition in the form of commendations, rewards, awards, grants, appointments to panels, etc.
Supporting material to submit with your application
In order to be considered eligible for assessment for the Individual Artist Award, you must upload and submit the following supporting material online:
- A detailed up-to-date CV (max. two pages)
- Video clips or images showing samples of your recent work
- Where your proposal relies on the expertise of other people or organisations, you should submit brief biographies outlining their expertise, accreditation and track record.
Budget
Applicants can apply for funding of up to €15,000. You are required to provide a breakdown detailing costs, expenditures and incomes. The proposed expenditure should include an artist's fee - this is the amount you will pay yourself per day or per hour for the development of your practice or the development of your proposed artwork. SDCC Arts Office advocates for the fair and equitable remuneration of artists in line with the Arts Council’s policy on Paying the Artist. Other costs could material costs, technical costs, residency costs (travel and accommodation), studio hire costs. It is important to include any in-kind support and to put a value of that (presented in both the expenditure and income side).
Ineligible. What you cannot apply for
• Applications /activities for charity fund-raising purposes, for participation in a competition, or for primarily profit-making purposes
• Film production - the development of conventional film, including mainstream short film, animation and documentary and work for television
Queries to: oscannell@sdublincoco.ie
Deadline for queries: Monday 13th of April, 4pm
Deadline for Applications: Friday 17th of April 2026 at 16:00pm
Query responses will be posted below.