** Closing date: February 3rd 2026 **
Applications for Visual Artists and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) are now open, offering small grants to Scottish visual artists and craft makers for their creative development.
VACMA offers 2 types of bursary:
- £500 Early-Career Bursary: 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
- £1000 Bursary: for artists and makers who can demonstrate more than 3 years’ experience of the public presentation of their work.
Part-time students can apply, full time students can not.
There are 2 deadlines for applying for 2025/6 awards:
Round 1: Tuesday 21 October 2025
Round 2: Tuesday 3 February 2026
Awards for artists and makers in the Western Isles are administered by Highlife Highland.
Full details at:
https://www.highlifehighland.com/vacma/
Project example: Nicola Neate
Nicola’s 2025 project A Tapestry of Connection was supported through a VACMA Bursary.
The project was centered on exploring a mile-long section of the Hebridean Way. By immersing herself in this environment through walking, Nicola aimed to reflect on the intricate relationships between human activities and ecological sustainability.
Visit the project website at: https://nicolaneate.org/a-tapestry-of-connection
