State artist grants awarded to 309 professionals

A record number of applications for state artist grants, around 3600 in total, were received this year. Due to the large number of applications, the competition for artist grants was particularly tough this year. Among all applications, fewer than nine percent were awarded a grant. The approval rate varied among the different fields of the arts. Applicants in the field of music faced the most competition for artist grants. Among architects and translators, more than one in five was awarded a grant. In terms of actual numbers, the visual arts accounted for the highest number of grants, 74. The visual arts also accounted for the highest number of applications, almost a thousand.

The length of the grant terms varies from half a year to five years. 

Female artists account for more than half of grant recipients

On average, 60 percent of recipients of artist grants this year are women. Female artists accounted for 58 percent of applicants. The share of women among both applicants and recipients varies among the different artforms. For example, women accounted for just over 40 percent of recipients in the field of music, but the share of women was even lower among applicants in the same field. The most female-dominated fields of the arts in this call for applications were design and dance art, in which more than 80 percent of grant recipients are women.

One in six grant recipients is a young artist 

Next year, 54 young artists will begin working on a state artist grant. The share of artists under the age of 35 among grant recipients has remained the same in recent years. This year, young grant recipients can be found especially in the fields of architecture, music and circus art. They are least represented in the fields of literature and illustrations and comics.

Over 60 percent of applicants live in Uusimaa 

More than two hundred grant recipients live in Uusimaa in Southern Finland, representing 68 percent of all grant recipients. Artists from Uusimaa accounted for 61 percent of applications. Among applicants in the fields of cinema and media art, almost 80 percent are located in Uusimaa, whereas among applicants in the fields of literature and the visual arts, almost half live elsewhere in Finland.

Applications reviewed in arts councils by more than 70 artists and other experts 

Applications for state artist grants were reviewed by seven arts councils with a total of 75 members. Artists in different fields of the arts and other experts participated in the peer reviews. Members of the arts councils can serve for a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms.

Taike decides the allocation of grants between the different artforms, after which the arts councils for each artform select the recipients independently. The awarding of grants is based on the Artist Grants Act (734/1969). 

The total amount of artist grants is approximately 13.6 million euros per year.  Altogether, almost six hundred artists will be working on an artist grant from the start of next year. The amount of each artist grant is 2080 euros per month, from which the grant recipient must pay for compulsory pension and accident insurance.

Further information:

Henri Terho, Head of Arts Support
[email protected],
t. +358 295 330 901