About the Program

What is the Production Awards Program?

The Production Awards Program, launched in 2004, supports young artists and writers below the age of 35 (born between January 1990 and December 2009), from the Arab region, whether residing in it or in the diaspora, by offering production grants in the following disciplines: Literature, Visual Arts, Music & Sound Art, Performing Arts, and Cinema.

The program supports up to 25 projects yearly, 5 in each discipline. Since 2004, the program has provided around 400 grants to artists from the Arab region.

Applications are accepted and evaluated once a year as per the dates below:

Open Call: 14 August, 2024

Deadline to Apply: 31 October, 2024, 16:00 Beirut Time

Results: First half of March, 2025

You can find a preview of the application forms here:

For Required documents, please click here.

How to apply?

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    To apply, please go to the applications platform and register or log in with your email and password if you already have an account.
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    Following registration, an activation link will be sent out to your inbox. Click on the activation link to activate your account.
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    Once logged in, select the program you want to apply to, and find the application form which you can fill out online.
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    You may save your applications in progress at any point and return to them later.

Please read the application guidelines on the second tab of this page before completing the application. Any application that does not follow the application guidelines will be disregarded.

The grants cover the following types of productions in each discipline:

  • Performing arts: Development and production of dance, theater, and multidisciplinary projects, as well as other forms of performing arts.
    Grants awarded up to €8,500

  • Visual arts: Development and production of artworks, exhibitions, installations, art books, and comics, including sculpture, engraving, photography, light art, video art, virtual reality, immersive and interactive art and/or multidisciplinary art.
    Grants awarded up to €8,500
  • Literature: Creation and publication of novels, memoires, biographies, graphic novels, short stories, poetry collections, and theater texts.
    Grants awarded up to €6,500
  • Music & Sound Art: Creation and recording of music albums, experimental music/sound projects, sound installations, live concerts, and music-related visuals.
    Grants awarded up to €8,500
  • Cinema: Production and post-production of short, medium-length, and feature fictional, documentary, animated, and experimental films.
    Grants awarded up to €13,000

Important Notes:

 

  • The program does not cover the reproduction of a project that has been previously produced or presented.
  • The program does not cover the following domains: websites, workshops, support for entities or organizations, academic and art research-centered projects or TV series.

Application Guidelines

Who is eligible to apply?

  • Applicants who are born between January 1990 and December 2009.
  • Applicants who originate from an Arab country regardless of ethnicity and citizenship status or whether they are currently residing in the Arab region or abroad.
  • Previous recipients of the Production Awards can reapply under the following conditions:
  • If the previous grant is closed
  • If two rounds have passed since the last grant was awarded, meaning that they are eligible to apply to the third round
  • The application must be submitted by:
  • The film director for projects in the cinema category
  • The theater/performance director or the choreographer, for the performing arts category
  • The writer for the literature projects
  • The main musician, the main performer, music composers, sound artists or producers who write their own music for the music/sound art category
  • The main artist or curator for the visual arts category

Application terms

  • The application must be completed entirely in Arabic, apart from the fields that require English.
  • All uploaded documents should be PDF, JPEG or PNG files.
  • Incomplete applications or those lacking the required attachments and supporting documents will be disregarded.
  • Applicants may not apply for support for more than one project in the same round.
  • The awarded projects must be completed within at most 18 months after the date of the agreement signature. Grantees have the right to request an extension, and Culture Resource reserves the right to accept or reject this request.
  • The grant may not be used to purchase machinery or equipment.
  • The grant amount should be disbursed in the Arab region and/or benefiting talents and resources from the Arab region.
  • Applicants under the age of 18 must include with their application:
  • a copy of their birth certificate;
  • a letter of approval signed by a parent or guardian;
  • a copy of the identity card/passport of that parent/guardian.

How are grantees selected?

  • Once the results are announced, Culture Resource sends agreements to the selected grantees.
  • Applications that meet all the requirements are submitted to an independent jury for each of the five disciplines. Each year, a different jury consisting of three members is assigned for each discipline.
  • The applications are assessed by the selected jury based on the following criteria:
  • The quality and relevance of the project;
  • Originality;
  • Practicability of the projected budget;
  • Feasibility of completion by deadline.

Contractual procedures and obligations

  • Once the results are announced, Culture Resource sends agreements to the selected grantees.
  • The agreement details the grant’s scope, conditions, and duration of the support.
  • Grantees also receive a document explaining the intellectual property rights of both parties.
  • The first installment (70% of the total grant amount) is paid upon signing the agreements.
  • The second/last installment (30% of the total grant amount) is paid after Culture Ressource receives all contractually stipulated reports (financial and narrative) and material documenting the project.
  • If a selected grantee does not sign the agreement within 45 days after it was sent, the grant will be canceled.
  • In the event that the project is not completed on time, whether for personal, health or other reasons, the grantee may apply for an extension. It is also possible for the grant to be canceled. Culture Resource reserves the right to approve or reject the request after studying the case.
  • Should a grant be canceled for any reason, the program will cover only the expenditures the grantee made before the date of cancellation. The grantee will be obliged to return the remainder of the payments they have received.
  • Culture Resource has the right to halt payment of the second/last installment to the grantee should they fail to submit the required reports or meet other agreed-upon commitments.
  • The deadline for completing a project may only be extended once and on the condition that the application for an extension is submitted at least 30 days before the end of the agreement period. The one-time extension shall not exceed 6 months in the performing arts, literature, music & sound art, and visual arts categories, and 1 year in the cinema category. Extension requests should be emailed to: [email protected]. Culture Resource reserves the right to accept or reject extension requests without citing cause.
  • A grantee must pledge to furnish two guarantors for their project. At least one of the guarantors must be fully aware of the nature of the project to be carried out and an expert in the relevant field. The guarantors shall agree to all the articles of the agreement, co-sign it, and pledge to guarantee the implementation of the project and to return any grant money disbursed in the event that the project is not completed by the contractually agreed-upon deadline.
  • By accepting the grant, grantees commit to citing Culture Resource, including its logo and the phrase, “This {work/project/film/etc.} has been produced with the support of Culture Resource” in all project outputs. Grantees also commit to reference the grant in all news items, reports, and publicity (print or digital) pertaining to the supported projects/works.

For further questions, please contact the Production Awards team: [email protected]

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