Arts Journalism Grant 2026
About
Now in its fourth edition, the SAF Arts Journalism Grant seeks to provide support to early- or mid-career journalists/reporters in an effort to develop a body of reportage around creative communities/practices in the subcontinent. Situated as we are within an ecosystem that is more saturated with initiatives for critical and curatorial writing, this Grant hopes to address a seeming lacuna in opportunities for accessible arts journalism, to drive greater interest and public stakeholdership in the arts.
Expanding from a single awardee in the previous editions to a small cohort, the revised grant foregrounds skills-building, ethical reporting, editorial rigour, and access to publication.
The awardees will be chosen by an external jury via an open call. The essays will be published online, with the hope to eventually publish them as a collated printed anthology after the first few editions are complete.
GRANT SCHEME
₹25,000/- each for 4 writers
Structure and Phases
Phase 1: Open Call and Selection
An open call invites applications from across the subcontinent. Shortlisted essays are reviewed by a jury, followed by deliberations and final selection. Four writers are awarded the grant.
Phase 2: Sessions and Workshops
A structured series of sessions and workshops introduce participants to key tools and approaches in arts journalism. Sessions are open to all applicants, while workshops are exclusive to the grantees.
Phase 3: Reporting and Submission
Grantees develop and submit original essays based on independent reporting and research, with ongoing mentorship support.
Phase 4: Editorial Process
Each writer works closely with assigned editors through multiple drafts to prepare essays for publication, emphasising clarity, structure, and journalistic integrity.
Eligibility Criteria
- At least 2 years of experience in journalistic writing, whether as a freelancer or full-time for a newsdesk. Experience in the Arts and Culture beat preferred, but not essential. Multimedia journalism does not fall within the purview of this grant.
- Applicants must be Indian nationals residing in India.
- Applicants must be under 35 years of age.
Application Requirements
Submission of a single PDF file (no more than 20 MB), whose constituents would be:
- A 1000-word writing sample or links to 2 publications.
- A 300-word pitch that would include details of the subjects chosen for the reports, an argument for why these stories need to be told, a tentative list of sources, and a rough overview of methodology.
- CV/ Resume
Kindly name your document in the following manner, ArtsJournalismGrant2026_<applicant’s name>.
Outcome
- Four selected writers receive a reporting grant and structured mentorship.
- Editorial guidance across multiple drafts.
- Online publication of completed essays.
- Select essays may be collated into a printed anthology in future editions.
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