2021 Betty Bowen Award

The Seattle Art Museum is accepting entries for the 44th Annual Betty Bowen Award, which honors a Northwest artist for their original, exceptional, and compelling work. The award is open to visual artists in all media working in Washington, Oregon, or Idaho. Artists of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

The winner receives an unrestricted cash prize of $15,000 and a selection of their work will be exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum in spring 2022. Up to two Special Recognition Awards of $2,500 are often granted at the discretion of the Betty Bowen Committee. Additionally, three awards of $1,250 each are available. Finalists selected in the first round of jury review will receive a $500 honorarium for related expenses.

Applicants must submit a resume, artist statement, and six images of their work online, including title, date, medium, dimensions, and a brief description for each work. Artists working in performance, film, or video must upload six stills and submit no more than three downloadable video files via Dropbox, Google Drive, Vimeo, or WeTransfer to [email protected]. Video files must be video artworks; supplementary videos will not be considered. All applications must be completed and submitted online by 11:00 PM PST on August 1, 2021. The entry fee is $10.00. Selection is based on the compelling nature of the artist's ideas and contribution to the field, the quality and creativity of the work submitted, the artist's commitment to developing their work, and the impact the award will have on the artist and their career.