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Decade of Centenaries - Minister Martin doubles number of Markievicz Awards for 2021

Online applications for enhanced Markievicz Award will open on 5th January 2021

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, today announced that her Department’s Decade of Centenaries Markievicz Award bursary scheme for artists will be significantly enhanced for the period 2021-2023 and will open for online 2021 applications via the Arts Council’s website on Tuesday, 5 January 2021 and will close at 17:30 on Thursday, 4 February 2021. 

Awards under the scheme will be made each year in the period 2021-2023 to up to 10 artists (either individual artists working alone or in collaboration with others) – double the amount of previous years to a value of €25k per individual or group, an increase on €20k in previous years. The Minister’s Department is partnering with the Arts Council on the administration of the scheme and the Minister hopes to announce the award recipients for 2021 early in May next year.  Guidance to Applicants for the bursary scheme was also published on the website today.

The Markievicz Award is intended to support artists to develop their craft and ultimately produce great art that recognises and commemorates the role of women in the historical period covered by the Decade of Centenaries and beyond.

Minister Martin said: “I am pleased to announce this significantly enhanced scheme for the Markievicz Award for the period 2021-2023.  The Award continues to both honour Constance de Markievicz – herself an artist – and to provide support for artists from all backgrounds and genres in producing new work that reflects on the role of women in the period covered by the centenary commemorations and beyond.  2021 is the third year of this successful scheme and I am particularly committed to supporting and sustaining artists, in this meaningful way for the development of their craft, during the on-going public health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.”

From 5 January the scheme will be open via a public call to artists working in all arts genres supported by the Arts Council.  Given the importance of the Irish language revival movement during the revolutionary period, and the Department’s ongoing and particular responsibilities to support the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, one of the awards each year will be assigned to an artist working in the Gaeltacht and through the medium of the Irish language, subject to them achieving awardable standard.  Applications from individuals or groups within culturally diverse communities and from people with disabilities are also encouraged under the scheme.

This significant increase in both the value and the number of awards made annually will support the Minister’s on-going efforts under the Decade of Centenaries 2012-2023 programme to highlight and raise awareness of the role of women during the revolutionary period.

Minister Martin said: “It is important that the role of women for the remainder of the Decade of Centenaries continues to be highlighted and my Department is currently developing a new online women's project that I will launch next year.  The project will engage with the Award recipients and their work as part of an exploration of the diverse and vital role played by women in Ireland 100 years ago and over the course of the intervening century.”