The Kennedy Center Office of VSA and Accessibility is accepting applications for the VSA Emerging Young Artists Program. This year’s theme, Merge, invites artists to consider the intersections and combinations of their creative process and disability identity.We encourage you to apply if you are eligible, to share this opportunity with your students, and circulate the call for entry among your networks.

The VSA Emerging Young Artists Program highlights the important perspectives of visual artists with disabilities, ages 16-25, residing in the United States. Fifteen artists will share a total of $60,000 in awards, with a grand prize of $20,000. For winning artists, one of the submitted artworks will be selected for a national exhibition. As a cohort, the artists will attend professional development activities provided by the Kennedy Center, gaining skills and tools to craft sustaining careers as artists. The program has played a pivotal role in the lives of young artists by creating a supportive cohort for learning and growth, increasing the visibility of their artwork, and connecting them to established artists with disabilities in the field.

The deadline to apply for this year’s Kennedy Center VSA Emerging Young Artists Program (EYA) has been extended to May 5! Don’t let emerging artists in your network miss out on applying for EYA, which has played a pivotal role in the lives and careers of visual artists with disabilities.

Fifteen artists will share a total of $60,000 in awards, with a grand prize of $20,000. For winning artists, one of the submitted artworks will be selected for a national exhibition. As a cohort, the artists will attend professional development activities provided by the Kennedy Center, gaining skills and tools to craft sustaining careers as artists.

The application deadline is May 5, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. All eligibility details can be found on the Call for Entry page.

If you have any questions about the program or the application process, please email Emerging Young Artists Program Coordinator, Tyler French at tfrench@kennedy-center.org.

If you have any questions about the program or the application process, please contact Tyler French, VSA Emerging Young Artists Program Coordinator at tfrench@kennedy-center.org or (202)416-8121.