ArtFund Me Autumn 2026: Applications Are Now Open
Applications open today, 18 September, for ArtFund Me’s Autumn 2026 cycle. Discover the $1,000 award, meet artists from the community, and hear from Summer winner Kenzie Colvin.
A new cycle starts today
What could a little more room to make change in your practice? A chance to try a different material, document a collection or protect time in the studio can become a useful next step. ArtFund Me’s Autumn cycle opens today, inviting artists to put forward their work and explain what support would make possible.
Applications close on Friday 20 November 2026 at 11:59pm UK time. The award offers one $1,000 unrestricted grant and 18 Honorable Mentions. It is open worldwide to creatives aged 18 and over, across mediums and career stages. The application fee is $35 USD, non-refundable.
Explore the Autumn cycle and apply at ArtFund Me.
Meet Summer winner Kenzie Colvin
Kenzie Colvin received the Summer 2026 award. A self-taught acrylic painter, she uses a largely black-and-white palette to explore emotion, identity and connection. Her winner interview looks at the choices behind that work and her interest in developing a more colourful flower series.
Watch Kenzie introduce her practice below, then read her full winner interview or visit her website.
Video: ArtFund Me’s interview with Kenzie Colvin. Watch on YouTube.
Eight artists from the ArtFund Me community
These participating artists have shared work across sculpture, painting, public art and experimental practice. Their submissions offer different starting points for looking. This editorial selection recognises participation; it does not indicate an Autumn award result.
Asbirdman
A mural of an oversized bird and a small feeding figure brings playful shifts of scale into a public setting. Asbirdman’s submitted practice spans murals, printmaking and canvases.
Submitted work: Asbirdman. Explore Asbirdman’s work.
Rebecca Harvey
Roar brings a bright red head together with yellow and pale sculptural fragments. Its textured surfaces reward a closer look.
Submitted work: Roar. Explore Rebecca Harvey’s work.
Colours of a Butterfly
In Noir, a cat’s orange eyes emerge from a densely worked dark surface. The submitted mixed-media work shows how repeated marks can build both an image and its texture.
Submitted work: Noir. Explore Colours of a Butterfly’s work.
Theo Olivier
Meteor Shower turns repeated blue forms into a glossy abstract sculpture. Olivier identifies carbon fibre and resin as materials in this painted sculptural practice.
Submitted work: Meteor Shower. Explore Theo Olivier’s work.
Jasper
Jasper participated with LOVE and identifies painting as the main medium. Explore the artist’s work through the submitted Instagram profile.
Submitted work: LOVE. Explore Jasper’s work.
Juniper Sikora
Water Response Atlas was submitted as part of an interdisciplinary practice combining experimental photography, material work and ecoacoustics.
Submitted work: Water Response Atlas. Explore Juniper Sikora’s work.
Margarita Costa
Costa’s submission, A Clearing / After The Rain, sits within an acrylic abstract practice. Visit the artist’s profile to explore more.
Submitted work: A Clearing / After The Rain. Explore Margarita Costa’s work.
Toast
Toast submitted This the White House and works in oil painting. The artist shares further work through the portfolio linked below.
Submitted work: This the White House. Explore Toast’s work.
Make space for your own next step
Start by choosing examples that show what interests you now. Write about the decisions behind the work in your own language: a material you keep returning to, a question you are testing, or something you hope the viewer notices. Then describe a practical next step that support could help you take.
Applications are assessed by a panel using published criteria covering the work, originality, story, purpose and impact. No formal training or gallery representation is required. Read the full guidance before submitting, including the fee and current dates.
