2026 Artist Travel Prize - Call for Artists

On behalf of The Municipal Art Society of Baltimore City (The Society), Create Baltimore is proud to announce the annual awarding of the Artist Travel Prize. This year, The Society will award $8,000 to a visual artist or visual artist collaborators, living or working in Baltimore City.

The successful proposal selected by The Society’s Board of Directors must clearly articulate the artist’s reason for travel to a specific destination and how this travel is essential to their studio practice. The Society’s focus will be on emerging artists.

Applicants must live or have a studio in Baltimore City during the time of application and during the granting period and may not be full-time students or be enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application or during the granting period. 

This year, as an additional component of the Travel Prize, the selected artist must present, within one year of return from their funded travel, a public-facing presentation to be scheduled by the artist, The Society, and Create Baltimore. This presentation will be a showcase of new work created during the artist’s travel or as a result of their travel experience.

PRIZE TIMELINE

June 9, 2026 - Artist Call released, application opens.

July 14, 2026, 5:00 PM - Application closes, all submissions due.
August 25, 2026 - Selected artist notified; all applicants notified of application status.

September 9, 2026 - Public announcement of Prize winner. 

PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS

2016: Stephen Towns

2017: Nate Larson

2018: Erick Antonio Benitez, Erin Fostel

2019: LaToya Hobbs, J.M. Giordano

2020: Hoesy Corona, Schroeder Cherry

2021: Rosa Leff

2022: Jackie Milad, Elena Volkova

2023: Jill Orlov

2024: Sherry Insley

2025: Tony Shore

For questions about this application, please contact Create Baltimore's Grants, Competitions, & Exhibitions Manager, Troy Jennings, at tjennings@promotionandarts.org. 

(Photo: "Threshold" by Sherry Insley, the 2024 Travel Prize recipient.)

Application Process 

The Municipal Art Society of Baltimore City Artist Travel Prize is accepting online applications at this site. Materials submitted outside of Eventeny will not be considered. Documents must be upload in PDF format. Images must be in JPEG format.

Once you have successfully submitted your application materials, you will receive an email confirmation from Eventeny. If you do not receive a confirmation within 48 hours, contact Troy Jennings, tjennings@promotionandarts.org. 

Artists are asked to submit the following:

1.Written Proposal (one page max, PDF only) 

This should include:

• Where you would go if awarded the prize,

• A section about your work, and,

• An explanation of how this opportunity would advance your studio practice. 

The primary goal of the Travel Prize is to advance an artist’s work by broadening their experience through travel and observation. The proposal does not need to be tied to a possible or secured artist residency. Travel can be the objective of your proposal; however, if this is the case, please explain why you have selected your destination, what you hope to see, and how this trip might enhance the way you think about your work

Accessibility: Applicants are encouraged to budget for accommodations that support their full participation as artists or collaborators with disabilities. Proposals may include reasonable expenses associated with, but not limited to, accessible transportation, personal care attendants, and adaptive equipment or assistive technologies.  

2. Artist Resume or CV (two pages max, PDF only)

3. Images of Work (10) and an Image List

• Artists must submit 10 images of their work most relevant to their proposal.
• Images should be in JPEG format, and not be larger than 1 MB. (1240x900 pixels, 72 dpi)
• Label each image with your last name, first name, and number corresponding to your image list (example: DoeJane_01.jpg, DoeJane_02.org, etc.)
• Image List must be in PDF format.

4. Videos (Optional)

Artists wishing to submit video work in lieu of images may do so by submitting a maximum of 3-5 links to their videos on YouTube, Vimeo, etc. Videos should not exceed two minutes; you do not need to submit your whole project. Pick a representative sample that will give jurors a good example of your work.

5. Travel Budget 

Provide the most realistic budget for your proposed travel, including all things that need to be funded to realize the trip. Do not feel compelled to pad your travel with the highest number of locations or quantity of travel — the budget should reflect the needs as described in your travel proposal and the most realistic use of the funds. Please keep funds specific to the artist's needs for travel. Equipment costs are not eligible, and childcare and non-contributing partner expenses should be avoided.

ELIGIBILITY

• Artists living and/or working in Baltimore City are eligible.
• Artists must live or work (have a studio practice or arts/arts-related organization/program) within Baltimore City limits during the time of application and during the entire granting period.
• Artists must be at least 21 years old.
• Artists may not be full-time students or enrolled in a degree-granting program during the time of application and during the entire granting period (Summer 2026 to Fall 2027).
• Artists who apply as individuals must submit original artwork that is principally created by them. It is understood that sometimes individual artists may employ the work of another artist to complete a larger scale project. For example, an artist who works in video may choose to include sound in the video that is composed by another artist. In such cases, the individual artist applying for the Travel Prize must be the primary creator of the work. They must disclose any assistance received on artwork submitted for consideration and they must obtain permission from the contributor to submit the work for consideration. Failure to disclose this support will disqualify the applicant, and the artist will be required to return any prize monies awarded.

• Previous winners of the MASB Artist Travel Prize are not eligible to apply for this award, just as recipients of the Henry Walters Traveling Fellowship are not eligible.

• Create Baltimore (formerly BOPA) and MASB Board members, employees, and/or Immediate family (defined as children, spouse, domestic partner, or parents) are not eligible to apply for the MASB Artist Travel Prize.

GUIDELINES

• The award may not be used for the purchase of equipment or materials for art production.
• The recipient of the MASB Artist Travel Grant Prize will be responsible for paying all applicable federal, state, and local taxes. A1099 MISC Form will be issued by Create Baltimore for tax purposes. The Travel Budget included with the submission will also be submitted to the MASB Treasurer and Create Baltimore's Finance Department in support of the distribution of the prize funds.
• Create Baltimore and MASB reserve the right to reproduce images of applicants’ work for printed or internet publicity, catalog, marketing, or promotional purposes. 
• The decisions of the jurors are final. The jury consists of the members of the MASB Board of Directors, and jurors/board members may change without notification.
• The award will be paid in three installments: The first payment of $4,000 will be paid upon signing a Letter of Agreement with MASB and Create Baltimore wherein the artist agrees to the guidelines outlined here. The second payment of $3,000 will be paid upon delivery of final travel arrangements, itinerary, and presentation of paid travel (transportation, accommodations, etc.) confirmed by receipts to Create Baltimore. The third payment of $1,000 will be paid to the artist upon return from their proposed travel to support a public-facing event when the date of that event is set.