198 Contemporary Arts & Learning, in partnership with the Rita Keegan Foundation, is proud to launch the third edition of the Women of Colour Arts Award (WoCAA) - a biannual award.

WoCAA recognises the structural inequities and additional barriers that Women of Colour and people of marginalised genders often face within visual arts practice. The award provides both financial and developmental support to UK-based artists and artist collectives at a pivotal point in their careers.

Focus of the Award

For this edition, WoCAA places a strong emphasis on materiality and process. We are interested in how artists of colour engage with materials, making, and experimentation - not solely in thematic or narrative content.

We particularly welcome work that:

• Explores materials, processes, and methods of making
  
• Is experimental or process-led
  
• Experiments with both analogue and digital practices
  

Exhibition and Awards

Shortlisted finalists will have the opportunity to exhibit in a spring 2026 group exhibition at 198 Contemporary Arts & Learning, shown alongside and/or in dialogue with the work of https://www.ritakeeganstudio.org/ - Rita Keegan.

Five artists will be shortlisted:

• One artist will receive a £5,000 unrestricted bursary
  
• Four artists will each receive a £500 Rita Keegan Foundation travel bursary to support research and practice-based development
  

Who Can Apply

Applications are open to artists from the Global Majority who identify as marginalised genders, including all women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people

Eligibility

• Artists must be living and practicing in the UK
  
• A minimum of two years of artistic practice outside of tertiary education
  
• Open to artists aged 18+
  
• Open to individual artists and artist collectives
  
• Applicants must be able to participate in the exhibition in the UK

Timeline

• Submission deadline: Monday 2nd March 2026