Wicklow County Arts Office invites applications for 2026 Arts Act funding schemes, designed to support artists, communities, arts festivals, arts participation, and art-form development across Co. Wicklow.
These schemes are integral to Wicklow County Council’s broader efforts to encourage excellence in the arts and enhance community involvement in artistic endeavours across the county.
In 2026, Wicklow County Arts Office will be accepting applications for the Artist Award Scheme, the Artist & Community Collaboration Award Scheme , and the Arts Festival Award Scheme. Applications are welcome from all art forms, including film, music, visual arts, theatre, dance, literature, architecture, animation, performance, circus, traditional arts, music and drama.
The Artist Award Scheme is designed to support professional artists develop and realise a particular body of work or undertake professional development. It is open to artists at all career stages who are resident in or are native to County Wicklow. Professional artists working in any art form, discipline or genre are eligible to apply.
The Artist & Community Collaboration Award Scheme is designed to support artist and community collaboration in any discipline or genre of the arts to co-create a high-quality project or programme which will support both the artists’ and the community’s creative development.
The Arts Festival Awards Scheme was created to support the production and commissioning of new work for festivals, to enable the engagement of professional artists or ensembles as part of festival line-ups, to enhance audience development and public engagement or assist with the development of new strategies or approaches to the delivery of Festivals in County Wicklow.
Wicklow Arts Office is holding an online funding clinic on Thursday, 11th December 2025, at 11 am to support applicants’ understanding of the process. This funding clinic will be recorded and made available on the Wicklow Arts Office website for future reference. To register for this clinic, contact wao@wicklowcoco.ie.
Guidelines and full criteria for the funding schemes are available on the Wicklow Arts Office website at wicklow.ie/Living/Services/Arts-Heritage-Archives/Arts/Funding-Support-Opportunities/Arts-Act-Funding-Schemes-2026.
Applications must be submitted online through Submittable at wicklowcountycouncil.submittable.com/submit. The deadline for receipt of applications for the three schemes is 4 pm on Thursday, 5th February 2026.
Speaking on the funding schemes, Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, Cllr. Melanie Corrigan said, “I am pleased that the Council is in a position to provide these awards which support Wicklow artists, communities, and festivals to showcase ambition, innovation and excellence in the arts.”
Chief Executive of Wicklow County Council, Emer O’Gorman, commented, “I look forward to Wicklow County Council receiving innovative applications from our artistic community so that they might thrive and engage others in meaningful ways with their work.”