The Claire Rosen & Samuel Edes Foundation Prize for Emerging Artists provides a one-year, $30,000 award to a recent alumnus/a of the University of Chicago. This highly competitive award recognizes the creative potential of artists who began their careers at the University of Chicago; it is meant to provide an emerging artist with the means to substantially advance his or her practice. Additionally, two finalists who do not receive the full Edes Prize will be awarded $1,500 each. 

2013 Eligibility

Alumni who graduated from the undergraduate College or any of the graduate programs of the University of Chicago between June 2008 and June 2012 may apply for the Edes Prize. Their practice might include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following disciplines: cinema and media; creative writing; curation; music; theater and performance; and/or visual arts. Recipients may not be employed full-time or enrolled in full-time graduate or postgraduate study during the award year.  If you are currently enrolled or employed full-time, you must take a leave for a year.

Award Criteria

Successful proposals will be ambitious, imaginative, and pragmatic. The jury will assess applications based on the following criteria:

• The creative and intellectual caliber of the proposed project
• The proposed project’s level of ambition and its transformative potential for the applicant and his or her work
• The clarity of the proposed project and the applicant’s potential to accomplish it
• The strength of the applicant’s ongoing creative practice

2013 Timeline

• February 28, 2013: Application deadline. Late and/or incomplete submissions will not be considered.
• March 2013: Proposals reviewed by jury
• April 8, 2013: Finalists announced
• April 2013: Finalists interviewed by jury
• May 2013: Award announced
• July 1, 2013–June 20, 2014: Award period

Required Application Materials

• Application Cover Sheet: PDF is available for download on the right side of page.
• Artist’s Statement: maximum one double-spaced page (250 words)
• CV: maximum one page
• Abstract of Project Proposal: summarize the project and its potential impact on the applicant’s artistic practice (maximum 75 words).
• Project Proposal: describe the activities that will be undertaken during the 12-month period. In succinct and specific terms, outline the project’s goals and how support from the Edes Prize will be used to help the applicant advance to the next level of artistic accomplishment. Both new initiatives and works-in-progress may be proposed. Maximum three double-spaced pages (750 words).
• Work samples: provide work samples that 1) demonstrate the applicant’s skill and accomplishments in his or her field (or working across disciplines); 2) were completed within the past four years; and 3) if possible, relate to the proposed project. The specific requirements for various disciplines follow. Please read carefully.

2013 Edes Prize Selection Jury

• Reginald Jackson, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations
• Kaley Mason, Department of Music
• Geof Oppenheimer, Department of Visual Arts
• Jennifer Scappettone, Department of English Language and Literature
• Jennifer Wild, Department of Cinema and Media Studies

Submissions are not limited to the following disciplines.
All disciplines are welcome to apply.

Cinema and Media

• Filmmakers, videographers, and artists working in film, video, and media should submit one six-minute sample of a film, video, or new media work.
• Mark CDs or DVDs with the applicant’s name, title of work, date of work, and running time. Note whether the sample is a complete work or an excerpt, and whether the work is finished or in progress. Do not use adhesive labels on CDs or DVDs.
• If desired, submit a 75-word description (hard copy) along with the work sample.

Creative Writing

• Fiction, creative non-fiction, and other creative prose writers (including writers of graphic novels) should submit a complete work or excerpt of no more than 10 pages total (including any images, if working in mixed-media/graphic language arts).
• Poets should submit no more than 10 pages total of their work.
• Screenwriters or playwrights should submit a script or treatment excerpt, no more than 10 pages total, along with one visual sample, if available. (Submit media as described for Cinema and Media.)
• Manuscripts should be submitted in hard copy, single-sided and printed in an easily readable, 10- or 12-point font. The applicant’s name should appear on each copy. Note whether the sample is a complete work or an excerpt, and whether the work is finished or in progress.

Music

• Composers should submit an excerpt of a clearly reproduced bound score along with a six-minute sample recording. Composers who do not use traditional scores should include a note of explanation along with the work sample.
• Performers should submit a six-minute audio or video recording of their work. The recorded sample may comprise either a single six-minute performance or two shorter performances of approximately three minutes each. Applicants who would like the admissions panel to listen to something other than the first five minutes of a submitted work sample should clearly mark the score and track where the excerpt begins. Note whether the sample is a complete work or an excerpt, and whether the work is finished or in progress. Do not use adhesive labels on CDs or DVDs.
• If desired, submit a 75-word description (hard copy) along with the work sample.

Performance and Theatre

• Directors and performers should submit a six-minute sample video documentation of a performance.
• Mark DVDs with the applicant’s name, title of work, date of work, and running time. Note whether the sample is a complete work or an excerpt, and whether the work is finished or in progress. Do not use adhesive labels on DVDs.
• Up to five still images may be submitted in addition to the timebased documentation. JPEGS on CD should be high-resolution. File size for each image should be no larger than 1 MB. Please label each image per the following format: “your last name_your first name_#” (example: Smith_John_1.jpg). Do not use adhesive labels on CDs.
• If desired, submit a 75-word description (hard copy) along with the work sample.

Visual Arts

• Visual artists should submit ten digital images. At least one image should show an installation view.
• JPEGS on CD should be high-resolution. File size for each image should be no larger than 1 MB. Please label each image per the following format: “your last name_your first name_#” (example: Smith_John_1.jpg)
• On a separate sheet (hard copy) list the applicant’s name, title of work, date of work, media, and up to 75 words of description. Note whether the image depicts a complete work or an excerpt, and whether the work is finished or in progress.
• Artists working in time-based media—including film, video, new media, performance, and sound—should also submit one timebased sample, following the guidelines for the relevant discipline as described above.

Submission Procedure

• All written application materials should be submitted as a single PDF attachment in an email to: Meggan J. Lee at mjlee1@uchicago.edu
• The subject line should read “Edes Prize Application, [your last name].”
• All work samples that cannot be submitted via email or weblink (CDs, DVDs, etc.) should be sent in a single package to:

Meggan J. Lee

Administration Building 510

5801 S. Ellis Avenue

Chicago, IL 60637

Questions about submission guidelines should be directed to Meggan J. Lee, mjlee1@uchicago.edu.

2013 Deadline for Receipt of Application

February 28, 2013. Late and/or incomplete submissions will not be considered.