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RDS Craft Awards Rules

The RDS Craft Awards consists of 5 x €10,000 bursaries to assist with the business and skills development of emerging professional Irish craft makers.

Only winners of the Design & Craft Council of Ireland’s Future Makers Awards & Supports Programme in the preceding year are eligible to apply for the RDS Craft Awards.

The work of entrants to the RDS Craft Awards must be handmade or partly handmade to qualify as craft.

The bursaries are to enable the winners to further their professional career. The money can be spent on further education and training, research, development of new work, mentoring, purchase of equipment, studio improvements, technology, website & residencies.

The eligible applicants are required to complete a detailed online application form which will be emailed to them. 6 x good quality images of their work must be uploaded as part of the process. Late application forms will not be accepted.

Winners have the opportunity to share their work at an RDS Craft Awards Winners branded stand at Gifted – The Contemporary Craft & Design Fair in the RDS for five days in early December.

Candidates shortlisted for interview will be informed and invited to attend in the RDS. Physical examples of the maker's work should be brought to interview. Work submitted should be of the maker's own design and made within the last two years.

The RDS Arts Programme Manager will attend the interview as an observer.

The RDS reserves the right to use images submitted as part of the RDS Craft Awards application process in the promotion of the Awards. The makers retain copyright of these images.

The RDS reserves the right to withdraw or redistribute funding if applications received are not of sufficient quality.

The winners of the RDS Craft Awards will be announced by the RDS on a date to be confirmed.

The judges’ decision will be final. No correspondence will be entered into.

Winners will be required to submit a report within 12 months to the RDS stating how they spent the award and outlining the impact of winning on their career development/progression. Winners may be invited to speak at future events in the RDS.

A maker who wins a €10,000 RDS Craft Award or RDS Irish Craft Bursary must wait five years before being eligible to reapply and interview for a second RDS Craft Award. Candidates should note: It is only possible to win an RDS Craft Award twice in total.