The Travel Awards Scheme is a rolling programme. Applications must be received at least 4 weeks before the intended date of travel. All applications must relate to travel with a departure date within 6 months of the date of an application.
These awards enable individual artists and established music groups (up to 2 members) to travel from Northern Ireland to develop their skills and expertise. Applicants must provide evidence that they have been invited by a host organisation in the country to which they intend to travel.
Artists, bands and managers who have been invited to play an international showcasing festival or conference in North America or Europe (for example, SXSW, WOMEX, Folk Alliance International, Classical: Next or Jazz Ahead) should apply to the International Showcase Fund (ISF), delivered by the PRS for Music Foundation in partnership with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Invest Northern Ireland.
Who can apply?
- Artists of all disciplines and in all types of working practice, who (a) Have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for a minimum period of one year within the last five years. (b) In a limited number of cases, individual technical staff/administrators of professional artistic companies may also be eligible.
- Emerging Artists: The Arts Council particularly welcomes applications from emerging artists – an emerging artist is someone who is in the early stage of their career as a professional artist. They are developing their artist ‘voice’ and are in the process of establishing a reputation and recognition among critics, galleries, producers etc, and will have practised as a professional artist for less than 5 years.
- Individual artists, established music groups (up to 2 members) and arts administrators
- Established music groups applying to the scheme should submit a single application. Within the contact details section of the form, they should state the name of the group as well as the name of the primary contact to whom all correspondence will be addressed. Names of all band members should be stated in Artistic CV submitted with the application, which should be the artistic CV for the group as a whole.
- Arts administrators must provide a detailed CV in lieu of an Artistic CV and do not have to provide Artform Support Material (ie, examples of artistic practice) as per Page 9 of the guidance notes.
- Employees of statutory bodies are eligible to apply but they must prove that the funds which they are seeking are for work/costs which are not properly the concern of their employer and do not form part of their professional employment.
- Undergraduates and postgraduates are eligible to apply but they must prove that the funds which they are seeking are for work/costs which are not related to their academic study. They must submit evidence of this in the form of a letter on headed paper from their Head of Department. Further detail is on page 13 of the guidance notes.
In the case of post-graduate students, the letter must clearly state the title of the student’s PhD thesis and include a declaration by the Head of Department that “The project for which funds are being sought does not form part of any academic work undertaken in relation to the above-titled PhD nor will it be assessed as part of any academic course”. - Applicants undertaking a Masters or a PhD must also include a separate statement which provides information on how the project applied for differs from their Masters or PhD work. Further detail is provided on page 13 of the guidance notes.
To apply
Read the full guidelines at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland website, at the link below.
