Creative Opportunities Round‑Up: Awards, Funding, Residencies, Career Opportunities and Open Calls
September presents a strong selection of opportunities for South African and African creatives, from national arts platforms and funding schemes to international residencies, mobility grants and writing prizes. This month’s round-up includes opportunities for visual artists, musicians, writers, filmmakers and performing-arts practitioners, with several offering substantial financial or professional support and a number of international opportunities open to South African applicants.
1. Art Omi: Artists Residency 2027
Open to: visual artists worldwide, including South Africa
Art Omi’s international Artists Residency brings together a global group of visual artists for several weeks of concentrated creative work, exchange and professional development at its 120-acre campus in New York’s Hudson Valley.
The programme covers accommodation, studio space and meals, while artists take part in studio visits, discussions with critics, curators and gallerists, and an Open Studios event. Artists from outside the United States are strongly represented, with approximately 75% of residents typically coming from outside the US.
The residency is open across visual art, sound art, performance and social practice, and formal art-school training is not required.
Residency includes:
- Free accommodation
- Dedicated studio space
- Prepared meals
- Studio visits and discussions with visiting critics, curators and gallerists
- Participation in the Open Studios programme
Eligibility:
- Artists from anywhere in the world
- At least five years of demonstrated professional art practice
- Self-taught professional artists are eligible
- A US$15 application fee applies
- Travel to and from the US is not covered
Deadline: 14 September 2026
More information: https://artomi.org/event/open-call-2027/
2. Achmat Dangor Literary Prize 2026
Open to: young, previously disadvantaged South African writers
The Achmat Dangor Literary Prize offers financial support to an emerging writer pursuing an MA in Creative Writing at Wits University, honouring the legacy of one of South Africa’s most celebrated writers and activists.
The prize is open to writers working in poetry, fiction, scriptwriting and creative nonfiction. Applicants should demonstrate a strong creative voice, with at least half of the submitted writing required to be unpublished.
Prize includes:
- Financial support to pursue an MA in Creative Writing at Wits University
- Recognition at the Achmat Dangor Legacy Project award ceremony
- The opportunity to develop a substantial creative manuscript through postgraduate study
Eligibility:
- Young, previously disadvantaged writers
- Completion of, or current enrolment in, an Honours degree or equivalent writing/publishing experience
- Poetry applicants should submit at least 25 poems or 25 pages of poetry
- Playwriting applicants should submit a full-length play
- At least half of the submitted writing must be unpublished
Deadline: 15 September 2026
More information: https://www.wits.ac.za/creativewriting/achmat-dangor-literary-prize/
3. Goethe-Institut: Mobility Grants for Artists and Culture Professionals
Open to: individual artists and cultural professionals in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, including South Africa
Part of the Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture programme, this mobility grant scheme supports individual artists and cultural professionals travelling between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe for artistic and professional exchange.
The programme covers a broad range of disciplines, including visual arts, literature, film, music, dance, photography and other creative practices. Supported activities can include research, residencies, co-creation, professional development, networking and exhibitions.
Grant includes:
- Up to €4,000 per mobility
- Travel, accommodation and daily allowances
- Support for artistic and professional development
- Additional support related to family care, accessibility and sustainable travel in eligible circumstances
The call operates on a rolling basis, with quarterly cut-off dates.
Deadline: 15 September 2026 for the next quarterly cut-off
More information: https://www.goethe.de/prj/aep/en/cal/ssa/mga/img.html
4. Miles Morland Foundation: African Writing Scholarships 2026
Open to: African writers, including South Africans
The Miles Morland Foundation Writing Scholarship is one of the most substantial funding opportunities specifically aimed at African writers. It gives selected writers protected time and financial support to work on a major fiction or nonfiction project.
Scholars are expected to produce 10,000 new words each month during the scholarship period, with the programme designed to help writers complete a first full draft of a book.
Scholarship includes:
- £18,000 for fiction writers
- Additional funding may be available for eligible nonfiction projects
- A year of dedicated writing time
- The possibility of mentorship from an established author or publisher
Eligibility:
- Writers who were born in Africa or have both parents born in Africa
- Applicants must write in English
- Fiction and nonfiction are eligible
- A published writing sample of 2,000–5,000 words is required
Deadline: 22 September 2026
More information: https://milesmorlandfoundation.com/morland-african-writing-scholarships-2026/
5. National Arts Festival: 2027 Curated Programme
Open to: South African and international artists, producers and creative practitioners
The National Arts Festival is inviting artists, producers and creative practitioners to submit work for consideration for its 2027 Curated Programme in Makhanda.
The call accepts work at different stages of development, from completed productions ready for presentation or touring to works currently being developed and early-stage ideas.
The Festival’s Artistic Director and Artistic Committee will assess applications, with selected work forming part of one of the continent’s most significant annual arts platforms.
Applicants can submit:
- Completed works
- Works currently in development
- New artistic ideas
The programme welcomes work across theatre, dance, performance, music, visual art, film, multimedia, gaming, heritage, talks and multidisciplinary practice. Applicants may submit a maximum of two applications.
Deadline: 27 September 2026 at 23:59 CAT
More information: https://nationalartsfestival.co.za/take-part/
6. SAMRO Music Creation Support Fund 2027
Open to: eligible South African SAMRO Full and Associate Members
The Southern African Music Rights Organisation’s Music Creation Support Fund provides micro-grants to help SAMRO members create new and original music.
The fund supports the development of new royalty-generating works and can be particularly useful for musicians and composers looking to finance a specific creative project.
Funding can support:
- Singles
- Albums
- Compositions and scores
- Music videos
- Other new original music works
Up to 120 members are expected to receive support, with grants of up to R25,000.
Eligibility:
- SAMRO Full or Associate Members
- Applicants must meet the fund’s eligibility requirements
- Members subject to the fund’s cooling-off period may not be eligible
Deadline: 30 September 2026 at 17:00
More information: https://www.samro.org.za/csi/the-samro-music-creation-support-fund
7. ifa Artists’ Contacts Programme 2026
Open to: visual artists and cultural practitioners from countries in the Global South, including South Africa
Germany’s Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) supports international exchange between artists and cultural practitioners from Germany, countries of the Global South and countries in transition.
The Artists’ Contacts programme focuses on visual arts and supports international mobility and collaboration. Funding can be used for working visits, research trips, exhibitions in Germany, artist residencies, workshops, lectures, conferences and other international exchange initiatives.
Eligible practitioners include:
- Visual artists
- Curators and art educators
- Art theorists
- Architects and designers
- Photographers
- Media artists
An invitation from a foreign cultural or exhibition institution is required, along with project documentation and other supporting material.
Projects funded in this round must take place between March and November 2027.
Deadline: 30 September 2026
More information: https://www.ifa.de/en/funding/artists-contacts/
8. Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture: Connect & Create – Professional Mobility 2027
Open to: organisations and international events in Sub-Saharan Africa and the European Union
This Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture call supports organisations and international events such as festivals, professional meetings, trade fairs and markets that host delegations of cultural professionals from Africa and Europe.
The call is particularly relevant to organisations working in the performing arts and music sectors that want to bring African and European professionals together for networking, knowledge exchange and longer-term collaboration.
Support focuses on:
- Professional delegations
- International networking and exchange
- Festivals, markets, conferences and professional meetings
- Stronger long-term Africa-Europe cultural partnerships
Eligibility:
- Organisations and international events in Sub-Saharan Africa or the EU
- Projects involving cultural professionals from both continents
- The call is aimed at organisations/events rather than individual artists
Deadline: 30 September 2026
More information: https://ifprog.emundus.fr/en/campagne-info?cid=352&view=programme
9. Africa–Europe Partnerships for Culture: Connect & Create – Circulation of Performing Arts and Music 2027
Open to: eligible African artistic productions and organisations working across Africa and Europe
A second Connect & Create call focuses specifically on the circulation of African performing arts and music.
The programme provides financial support for touring and programming African artistic productions at major international events in Africa and Europe. Its aim is to increase the visibility and circulation of African work while helping artists and artistic teams build stronger international networks and reach new audiences.
Support includes:
- International touring
- Programming at major international events
- Greater visibility for African artistic productions
- Professional networking and access to new audiences
- International circulation of performing arts and music
The call is particularly relevant to performing-arts companies, music projects and organisations with existing productions ready for international presentation.
Deadline: 30 September 2026
More information: https://ifprog.emundus.fr/en/campagne-info?cid=353&view=programme
10. The Writers’ College Annual Short Story Competition 2026
Open to: emerging writers worldwide, including South Africa
Run by SA Writers College, this international short story competition is aimed at emerging writers and accepts entries from around the world.
The 2026 theme is “The End of the Line”, and stories may be up to 2,000 words. Entries are judged anonymously, with winning stories published in an anthology.
Prizes include:
- R10,000 for first place
- R5,000 for second place
- R2,500 for third place
- Publication in an anthology
- Editorial feedback for the top three entrants
Eligibility:
- Writers aged 16 and older
- Open internationally
- Unpublished writers and writers with four or fewer previous publications
- Stories must be original and unpublished
- Maximum length: 2,000 words
- A R150 entry fee applies during the paid-entry period
Deadline: 30 September 2026
More information: https://www.sawriterscollege.co.za/the-sa-writers-college-annual-short-story-writing-competition/
11. Château de Lavigny Grant Fellowship 2027
Open to: published writers and literary translators worldwide, including South Africans
Writers looking for dedicated time away from their usual surroundings can apply for a four-week residency at the Château de Lavigny in Switzerland.
The fellowship accepts applications from writers working in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, literary translation, plays and screenplays. Applicants must have published at least one book, excluding self-published books. Playwrights and screenwriters must have had work published or produced.
Residents receive accommodation and dedicated working space at the château, alongside opportunities for informal exchange with other writers and a public reading.
Deadline: 15 October 2026
More information: https://www.chateaudelavigny.ch/writers-residence
12. Evaristo Prize for African Poetry 2026
Open to: African poets who have not yet published a full-length poetry collection
The Evaristo Prize for African Poetry, administered by the African Poetry Book Fund, is aimed specifically at emerging African poets.
The annual prize awards US$1,500 for a group of 10 poems. Poems may have been previously published or won other awards, but the poet must not yet have published a full-length poetry collection.
Entries must consist of exactly 10 poems, with each poem no longer than 40 lines.
Prize: US$1,500
Entry: Free
Deadline: 1 November 2026
More information: https://africanpoetrybf.unl.edu/contest-prizes/evaristo-prize-for-african-poetry/
