Artist Mentoring Award

Opens for applications: 14.10.25 Closing date for applications: 02.12.25

Artist Mentoring Award is designed to support the development of emerging artists from any arts discipline who would benefit from the guidance of a leading professional to help the applicant take the next steps in their career development.

This Award provides the applicant artist with the funding to access someone who can help them develop their artistic practice, provide objective feedback, or help to work through career plans or obstacles. Mentoring can be very broad, relating to long-term goals or very specific, relating directly to taking the next crucial steps. In all instances the mentor is more concerned with helping the mentee resolve questions. Mentorship is not training or skills development.

The application is completed by the mentee. To make an application, the applicant must have identified an appropriate mentor with which they have together developed a mentorship programme for the agreed fee and timescale. Each programme will be unique. While some disciplines require more time to review work in advance, all mentorships should seek to maximise the amount of one-to-one contact. The Award provides a fee of €1000 which is paid directly to the mentee (the applicant) who in turn pays the mentor. As a rough guide, the schedule should allow for approximately 15 hours of one-to-one contact at €50/hr with €250 provided to the mentor for review of work before and during the programme.

Applicants can come from any artistic backgrounds and work in any artform. Applicants can apply for a mentoring award of €1,000. Before applying, please familiarise yourself with the Terms and Conditions, including the eligibility criteria. You may download a sample copy of the application HERE.

Requirements and notes:

The applicant is the mentee.
The mentee must be a professional artist ordinarily basing their practice in County Longford.
The mentorship must be completed before 15 November 2026.
Mentors do not have to be from Longford, or indeed Ireland.

Completed application forms must be accompanied by the following:

An outline plan for the mentorship (download template)
C.V./biography of both the mentor and mentee
Images/recordings etc. of previous work of the Mentee (the applicant).

Applications are assessed under the following criteria by an independent external expert panel:

Track record of Mentee (or potential) and proven commitment to high quality arts practice.
Track record of mentor, and their suitability and ability to meet the mentees needs.
Likely benefit of activity on applicant’s practice.
Level and quality of planning for the mentor programme.

Conditions for successful applicants:

Drawdown of funding will be in 2 instalments paid to the mentee on receipt of invoices.
The first instalment of 50% (€500) will be paid on receipt of an invoice and signed Mentorship Planning Form.
The final instalment of 50% (€500) will be paid on receipt of an invoice accompanied by a completed evaluation form from both mentor and mentee. (The final invoice will not be paid until both evaluations have been received.)
Final instalment of the funding must be drawn down by 16th November 2026.
Payment will be by Electronic Funds Transfer.

Notes

You may download a copy of the required preliminary planning form here - PRELIMINARY PLANNING FORM

Artist applying to the Mentorship Award may not apply for the Artist Bursary Award in the same year.

Completed forms must submitted no later than 5pm, 2nd December 2025 using the online form below.

Apply Now

For further information contact – artsoffice@longfordcoco.ie

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