Kildare First Fortnight Award 2025

Kildare County Council Arts Service invites individual artists and/or collectives in any artform to apply for the First Fortnight Award 2025.

The award, in collaboration with First Fortnight, Ireland’s Mental Health Arts & Culture Festival, and supported by the HSE, aims to support the development and presentation of new work that provokes conversation around mental health and promotes mental health awareness and wellbeing.

A grant of €4,000 will be awarded towards the development and/or presentation of new work. The recipient(s) of the award will be included as part of Kildare’s First Fortnight Festival programme of events in January 2026.

Who can apply
Applications to this award are welcome from individual artists and/or collectives in any artform from or currently residing in County Kildare, with ideas for new or ‘in development’ projects that provoke conversation around mental health and promote mental health awareness and wellbeing.

Applications are encouraged from all areas of the community regardless of your gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller Community, or socio-economic background. Applications are welcomed from artists whose first language is not English.

Application deadline
Applications must be submitted before the deadline at 12pm Friday 28 February 2025.

Application Process 
Applications will only be accepted via the online application form:
https://kildarecocoarts.submit.com//show/319

Information Session
Kildare County Council Arts Service will host a number of information sessions in locations throughout the county about applying for arts grants and bursary awards with Kildare County Council. Sessions will be of particular interest to individual artists, art collectives, community groups, youth groups and schools who intend to apply for Arts Grants from Kildare County Council in 2025.

• Athy Library – Tuesday 14 January 6 – 7.30pm | Register to attend
• Maynooth Library – Friday 17 January 10.30 – 12pm | Register to attend
• Naas Library and Cultural Centre – Saturday 18 January 10.30 – 12pm | Register to attend

Queries 
If you need help to complete and submit your application, please email or call the Arts Service team at least three weeks before the award deadline, or as early as possible. Email: arts@kildarecoco.ie / Tel: 045 980872.