Konstnärsnämnden's honorary awards

Konstnärsnämnden's honorary awards

You receive a one-time cash award of 150,000 to 300,000 SEK (about 13,000 to 26,000 EUR), depending on which of the six awards you receive. This is a single payment that recognises outstanding artistic work. There is no ongoing funding and no fixed period. Konstnärsnämnden, Sweden's state arts council, gives the awards each year to active artists in different fields. The six awards are:

• Stora stipendiet inom bild och form (300,000 SEK): for a leading visual or applied artist who matters to new generations.
• Stora musikstipendiet (300,000 SEK): for a genre-crossing musician whose work opens new ground.
• Birgit Cullberg-stipendiet (200,000 SEK): for a young choreographer.
• Mai Zetterling-stipendiet (200,000 SEK): for a film director pushing the limits of short or documentary film.
• Stora teaterstipendiet (200,000 SEK): for a theatre artist devoted to the craft of dramatic storytelling.
• Dynamostipendiet (150,000 SEK): for one or more people who create chances for other artists to show their work and reach an audience. They do not have to be artists themselves.

Who can apply

• Field: You work in dance, music, film, theatre, or visual and applied art. For the Dynamostipendiet, you support artists by giving them a platform.
• Standing: You are an active artist in Sweden with a body of work of very high quality, or someone whose work has been significant to other artists.
• No application: You cannot apply for these awards. The arts council's own working groups nominate and choose the winners, so you can only be selected.

How realistic are your chances?

There is no way to apply and no way to improve your odds directly. Each award goes once a year to a single person or group picked by the council's own juries. These honours recognise an established career rather than open a door. They reach you through your work becoming visible in your field, not through anything you submit.