James W. Ray Awards

The James W. Ray Awards program offers two types of unrestricted awards to Washington State artists. The James W. Ray Distinguished Artist Award provides $50,000 annually to a Washington State artist working in any discipline whose work demonstrates exceptional originality. The James W. Ray Venture Project Awards provide two unrestricted awards of $15,000 each annually to support artistic excellence and the development of new ideas through individual and collaborative projects by artists of all disciplines living and working in Washington State.

Eligibility requirements include: nomination by a designated nominator, minimum of three years in professional art practice, Washington State residency at time of application and payment, and age 18 or older by the application deadline. Graduate or undergraduate students enrolled in any degree program after the application deadline are not eligible. Current Artist Trust staff, Board members, Honorary Committee members, consultants, contractors, or their immediate family members are ineligible. Previous recipients of the JWR Distinguished Artist Award or JWR Venture Project Awards are not eligible to apply again.

Applications must include: Application Form, Artist Résumé, Artist Statement or Project Description (depending on award), Budget (Venture Project Award only), and Work Samples. Work samples may include up to 20 images, 3 audio files, and 3 video files (maximum 20 total samples). A maximum of two work sample types are allowed for every discipline category. Selection is based on artistic excellence, vision, originality, and professional capacity. Applicants will be notified of results via email, with announcements made in February 2014.