Emerging Artist Scholarship Program

$5,000 scholarships for mid-career BC and Yukon First Nation artists.

Award Amount

$5,000

Number of Awards

Up to 3

Application Deadline

March 1, 2026 11:59pm PST

Description

YVR Art Foundation offers Mid-Career Artist Scholarships of $5000 each to British Columbia and Yukon First Nation artists who presently reside in BC or the Yukon and who meet one or more of the following:

• Is in the later stages of their careers; 5+ years of pursuing a career in their field
• Is a professional artist
• Has had a solo exhibit of their work
• Is recognized as established by their peers and community
• Is typically 30 years old or older

Scholarships are awarded on an annual basis to Mid-Career Artists who create visual art that reflects BC or Yukon First Nation culture and who wish to further their artistic career by expanding their work or practice into a new area, by study or work with a Master Artist/Mentor, attend a school of art, or create a visual art project that is of cultural significance to their community. Visual Art can include (but is not limited to) drawing, painting, digital art + design, illustration, carving, sculpture, printmaking, textiles, animation, photography, video and film.

Up to three Mid-Career Artist Scholarship recipients will be selected per scholarship year by a Jury composed of established Indigenous artists and/or curators. All applicants will receive notification of the Mid-Career Artist Scholarship results by April. Scholarship recipients will then be awarded and invited to attend a Scholarship Awards Reception in Vancouver in May.  

Scholarship recipients will also have the option to display their finished artwork at YVR International Airport the following year.

Scholarship Artwork

Applicants for the Mid-Career Artist Scholarship award propose to create a specific artwork while working with a Master Artist, attending a school of art, or working on a project that is of cultural significance to the artist’s community. Mid-Career Artist Scholarship award recipients have the option to display their final artwork at the Vancouver International Airport, and the potential opportunity to showcase their work with YVRAF’s other community partners.

If any additional exhibition opportunities arise during the Scholarship year, award recipients will be informed and invited to participate.

Application Assistance

Please contact the YVR Art Foundation Program Manager if you require accommodations or assistance when completing the application form.

How to Apply

There are two ways to apply:

1. Apply Online:

Review the Application Guidelines and fill out your Online Application Form.

2. Apply by Mail or Courier:

Download a pdf copy of the Application Guidelines and Application Forms, complete it and mail or deliver/courier it to the address listed on the application: See below for instructions on how to mail or deliver your application.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a YVR Art Foundation Mid-Career Artist Scholarship, applicants must:

• Be of BC or Yukon First Nation ancestry
• Reside in BC or Yukon
• Meet one or more of the following:
  • Is in the later stages of their careers; 5+ years of pursuing a career in their field
  • Is a professional artist
  • Has had a solo exhibit of their work
  • Is recognized as established by their peers and community
  • Is typically 30 years old or older
• Create visual art that engages with BC or Yukon First Nation culture, and/or significant to the artist’s ancestry, research practice, or community. *We encourage artists practicing outside of traditional visual arts mediums, or engaging in multidisciplinary art practices to still apply
• Wish to further their artistic career by expanding their work or practice into a new scale or area by working with a Master Artist/Mentor, attending a school of art, or working on a visual art project that is of cultural significance to their community
• Have completed art training including, but not limited to, formal education in visual arts, worked with an artist mentor, or a combination of similar experience
• Have achieved local and/or provincial recognition through public presentation(s) of their artwork
• Be able to submit a portfolio of artwork that demonstrates the artist’s commitment to their practice
• Be able to submit confirmation/acceptance of an opportunity to work with a Master Artist/Mentor, attend a school of art, or a proposal to work on a project that is of cultural significance to the artist’s community
• Only if the scholarship recipient chooses to display their artwork at the YVR Vancouver International Airport, they must arrange and deliver their completed artwork to YVR no later than April 30 of the year following their receipt of the award

Note: A Mid-Career Artist Scholarship can be awarded to an individual one time only.

• Applicants who receive Emerging or Mid-Career Artist Scholarship Awards will not be eligible to receive a Bill McLennan Masterpiece Study Travel Grant in the same intake year, as stated in the BMMSP Application Guidelines.

Eligible Programs of Study

Artists can apply for a Mid-Career Artist Scholarship to work with a master artist in a particular medium, attend a school of art, or to create an artwork or work on an art project that is of cultural significance to the artist’s community.