Age & Opportunity’s Arts programme invites applications for three awards intended to support the development of older artists in Ireland and to increase the knowledge around the arts and ageing in general: the Creative Ageing Writing Bursary, Professional Development Artist Award and Emerging Artist Award.

The deadline for all three awards is 5pm, Friday 22nd March 2024.
Applications can be submitted via the online forms on our website.

For any queries, please contact [email protected]

To get a sense of the work these awards support, you can read about the 2023 award winners here.

CREATIVE AGEING WRITING BURSARY 2024
Launched in 2021, the Age & Opportunity Creative Ageing Writing Bursary aims to generate discussion, debate and knowledge about the growing arts and ageing sector in Ireland. The recipient of this bursary is required to write an essay reflecting on their practice as an artist, writer, or arts worker; their experiences working with older people in the arts; or other ideas relating to the arts and ageing that influence their work, thinking and research (please note by writer we do not necessarily mean literary writer).
This essay will be published on the Age & Opportunity and Bealtaine websites, and shared widely amongst the arts and ageing sector.
It is hoped that through offering time and space for an artist to reflect on these ideas, the resulting essay will become a useful resource for people who work with or are thinking of working with older people (including older artists), while generating discussion and debate about this area of work. In the coming years, we hope to contribute to this growing body of knowledge of the arts and ageing in Ireland as we continue to offer this award.

One award of €1000 will be made to the successful applicant.
Please read the guidelines before submitting your application form.
Deadline: 5pm, Friday 22nd March 2024.

PROFFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ARTIST AWARD 2024
Developing as an artist is a lifelong commitment, and Age & Opportunity Arts is particularly committed to supporting new opportunities for older artists as they continue to hone their creative practice or develop expertise in other artforms.
The Professional Development Artist Award was launched in 2022 in order to support the development needs of older artists. Through this award, older artists are encouraged to seek out further learning, training, research, or other activities that benefit their career and practice.

One award of €1000 will be made to the successful applicant.
Please read the guidelines before submitting your application form.
Deadline: 5pm, Friday 22nd March 2024.

EMERGING ARTIST AWARD 2024
As part of continuing work to support older artists at every stage of their career, Age & Opportunity launched the Emerging Artist Bursary in 2022 to encourage those at an early stage in their career. There can be many barriers preventing people to take up artistic practice at a younger age, and Age & Opportunity recognises that there is no age limit on ‘emerging’. This award is also important in how it promotes the concept of lifelong learning and the ability we all have to grow at any age.
Through this award Age & Opportunity Arts would like to celebrate an exciting, up-and-coming artist aged 50+ who shows dedication and determination as they embark on a new path to becoming a professional artist. This award can be put towards activities that develop their practice further or the creation of new work.

One award of €1000 will be made to the successful applicant.
Please read the guidelines before submitting your application form.
Deadline: 5pm, Friday 22nd March 2024.

Please note that Age & Opportunity welcomes applications from all communities, and particularly encourages artists from underrepresented communities to apply.