Q&A

Who can apply?

Self-employed visual artists and art historians, associations, groups and organisations who are working on projects that encourage the creation and promotion of art and an improved knowledge of the Icelandic visual arts, domestically and internationally.

The Visual Arts Fund awards grants to facilitate the execution of projects in the creative arts and art research. The Fund also awards grants for the preparation of projects that fall within the scope of the Fund.

Grants are not normally awarded for the operation and/or administration of associations, businesses and organisations, nor for projects and events that have already taken place.

The Fund does not award travel grants.

Galleries and venues cannot apply to the Fund for artists’ fees or salaries.

Artists cannot apply to the Fund for their own salaries. Instead they should apply to the Artists’ Salary Fund, at the Icelandic Centre of Research – Rannís.

Can I apply in English?

Applications should be in Icelandic if possible, but an English version of the form is available.

How is the application submitted?

The application form is available through the Origo eForm portal, myndlistarsjodur.eydublod.is/Forms, a system used by several public institutions, including Registers Iceland and the Museum Council of Iceland.

Accepted identification means are Icelandic electronic ID (rafræn skilríki) or Ice Key, see the portal for public services in Iceland, www.island.is/.

Save your application form after each stage. It may erroneously save as “empty” if left open in the browser too long. Always save your application before closing the browser.

Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) must be completed.

The application is not valid until the “send” button on the final page is pressed.

The application can be viewed on “Mínar síður” (My Pages), under “Send erindi”.

If the application form is exited before completion, it is possible to return to “Mínar síður” (My Pages) and find the application again under “Erindi í vinnslu” on the left-hand side when entering My Pages.

Access to the application system is through the Visual Arts Fund homepage, under “Umsóknarform”, or directly at myndlistarsjodur.eydublod.is/Forms.

How should accompanying documents be submitted?

Accompanying documents must be submitted with the application, through the application system.

Up to 10 MB of data may be submitted, in JPEG, PNG or PDF format.

Accompanying documents will not be accepted after the application deadline.

What if I encounter a problem submitting the form?

It is strongly recommended that applications are made in a timely manner, to avoid last-minute difficulties. Heavy user traffic on the final application day may make the system slow to respond and cause completion issues.

If something prevents your application from “sending”, contact us on tel. +354 562-7262 or at info@myndlistarsjodur.is

If you are submitting your application at the last minute, when it is no longer possible to get assistance/advice from our office, and encounter technical problems associated with the application system, they must be notified by email before the application deadline expires, preferably with a screenshot attached to illustrate the problem. Complaints about technical problems arriving after the application deadline are not admissible.

Problems not associated with the application system are not normally admissible: the application period is at least six weeks long, allowing ample time to solve such problems. Notifications about such problems arriving after the application deadline are not admissible.

How do I know that my application has been received?

After you submit your application, an acknowledgment will be sent to the email address you provided, with a PDF attachment of your application form. Note: You sometimes need to check your Spam folder.

If no email acknowledgment arrives, submitted applications can be viewed on “Mínar síður” (My Pages). If you click on “Send erindi” it should say “Móttekin” (Received). A PDF of the applications should be available there too.

When can I expect to hear?

Decisions should be available 5-6 weeks after the application deadline. All applicants will receive a reply. Grant allocations will also be published on the Visual Arts Fund’s homepage.

How are grant committees appointed?

The Visual Arts Council allocates grants from the Visual Arts Fund twice a year. Decisions on grants are made based on professional evaluations of the applications. For each allocation, new committees are appointed and categories of applications are divided between committees. The evaluation committees propose how the available monies should be allocated, and the Visual Arts Council does not normally deviate from their proposals. The Council’s involvement in deciding who receives a grant, and how much, is therefore limited.

May I make more than one application?

There is no limit to the number of grants. For example, the same applicant may receive grants in two categories, for different projects. However, multiple applications do not guarantee a successful outcome – it is the quality of the application that matters.

If the project is an exhibition series or group exhibition the council advises organisers to hand in one application for the project as a whole rather than applications from individual participants. In cases where participants choose to send in individual applications covering their contribution it is advised not to also send in an application for the whole project.

Still have a question?

Further help is available at the Icelandic Art Center office, telephone +354 562–7262, or by email: info@myndlistarsjodur.is