Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards
Applications are open now for the Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards (Glasgow, 2025/26)
Autumn Deadline - Tuesday 21st October 2025 at 5.00pm
Winter Deadline - Tuesday 3rd February 2026 at 5.00pm
Run in partnership with Creative Scotland, the Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) are available for individual artists and makers, based or resident in Glasgow.
The purpose of these bursaries is to support visual artists and craft makers in their creative and professional development. The VACMA scheme offers two levels of bursaries:
Bursaries of £1,000 for artists and makers who can demonstrate more than 3 years’ experience of the public presentation of their work.
Early-career bursaries of £500 for artists and makers who have graduated within the past 3 years or those who can demonstrate experience of the public presentation of their work within the same timeframe.
In addition, requests for support towards Personal Access Costs will be considered. Personal Access Costs are treated separately to your bursary request, this is to ensure that applicants with access needs are able to use the full bursary for their planned activity.
On this page, download the application form, and several other documents that will help you make your application (below)
Applications should be emailed to gl.learningteam@glasgowlife.org.uk by the deadline given.
Information Sessions
Creative Scotland are planning to hold two online Information Sessions:
30 September 2025 (10.30am to 12pm)
and 13 January 2026 (2 to 3:30pm)
Details are available on the Creative Scotland website here
Download the application form and supporting documents
Scroll down to download these four documents:
VACMA application form (Word Document)
VACMA Guidance (PDF)
Please read this document before you start your application form. It will help you to submit the strongest application you can.
Equalities Monitoring Form (Word Document)
Please complete and submit this form along with your application - it is used to provide Creative Scotland and the VACMA partners with essential statistical information about who our applicants are, and who we’re funding
VACMA Artist checklist (PDF)
This tick list will help ensure you submit everything you need to support your application. You can also see the same checklist as text at the bottom of this page
Artist Checklist
Applying to VACMA? Make sure you:
Ensure it is a professional artist/maker CV and take out anything that isn’t relevant
Have good photographs of your work – particularly recent work – and carefully select images to back up your application.
Label your supporting material and include an image list with dates, the medium and dimensions.
Make sure that your proposed activity is realistic and can be delivered within the level of bursary that you are applying for.
Is it easy to understand what you do, and is it
clear what support you’re looking for? Ask someone who doesn’t know your practice to check over what you’ve written.
Check the deadline of your local scheme – not all schemes run both deadlines so make sure
you check ahead of applying.