We consider it our civic duty and a privilege to champion local artists and invest in the essential creative process that drives their art forth and touches all of us, in every corner of our community. That creative energy is the foundation on which the future will be built.

Annually, as the result of a nomination and jury selection process, artists producing exemplary work in the performing, teaching, and visual arts will receive awards of $15,000 each to put to use according to their individual priorities. Artists may wish to conduct research, purchase equipment, pay for child care, rent workspace, make health insurance payments, or take the time to focus on the development of new work—it’s up to them to determine their needs. There are no strings attached.

Nearly 100 artists are nominated by 30 anonymous nominators each year. The nominators are Chicago artists, arts leaders, curators, and presenters who are acutely knowledgeable regarding artists working in a wide variety of communities in the greater metropolitan area. Their nominees are invited to submit applications and work samples to be considered for the awards.

Discipline-based panels of three judges each select the award recipients. The judges, most of whom live and work out of state, are artists, presenters, curators, and arts leaders who convene in Chicago to make their selections.

Conflict of Interest Policy: 3Arts requires judges to disclose conflicts of interest as part of the award selection process. If a personal or professional relationship exists between a judge and a nominated artist that might impair the judge’s ability to be a neutral evaluator of the work samples, the judge may not participate in the discussion or the vote related to that artist’s application.

Artists are selected through a nomination and jury process. No unsolicited applications are accepted.