Selected opportunities for painters, sculptors, photographers, and visual artists. Updated monthly.
Deadlines approaching fast. If you need a portfolio PDF, artist bio, or artist statement before you apply — ExhibitFolio generates everything in minutes →
Finding the right opportunity is only half the work. The other half is getting your materials ready in time. This page lists curated open calls, residencies, grants, and juried exhibitions closing in April 2026 — with notes on what each one requires so you know exactly what you're preparing for.
Deadline: April 2, 2026 · No fee listed · Open to U.S. artists
One of the most prestigious artist grants in the country. Creative Capital supports individual artists across all 50 states working in visual arts, performing arts, film, and literature. The Creative Capital Award offers unrestricted project grants of up to $50,000 to create new work. A new State of the Art Prize also provides unrestricted grants of $10,000.
You'll need a strong artist statement and bio for this one. Generate yours with ExhibitFolio →
Deadline: April 1, 2026 · No entry fee · Prizes: $5,000 – $36,000 + Exhibition
A significant no-fee grant for American painters. Awards range from $5,000 to $36,000, plus exhibition opportunity. One of the more generous painting-specific grants available with no submission cost.
Deadline: April 1, 2026 · Open to NYC-based artists
Artadia provides unrestricted financial support and recognition to artists. Finalists receive studio visits with jurors; awardees receive $15,000 in unrestricted funds. A genuinely career-changing opportunity for NYC-based artists.
Deadline: April 7, 2026 · No fee · Grants up to $20,000
Provides grants of up to $20,000 to environmental art projects led by women, transgender, and gender-nonconforming artists in the United States and U.S. Territories.
Deadline: April 5, 2026 · Fully funded · London residency
In partnership with The Charles Wallace India Trust and The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation, Delfina Foundation offers a fully funded residency in London for contemporary visual artists from India. The residency takes place January–March 2027.
Residency applications almost always require a bio, statement, and polished portfolio PDF. ExhibitFolio generates all three →
Deadline: April 6, 2026 · Fully funded · London residency
Two artists will be selected for fully funded 12-week residencies in London. Open to Latin American and Caribbean artists based in those regions, or from related diasporic communities living in the U.S. A partnership with El Espacio 23 / Jorge M. Pérez Collection.
Deadline: April 7, 2026 · Stipend: $10,000 + lodging + travel
A brand new residency offering hands-on instruction, collaborative fabrication, and full production support for Indigenous artists exploring neon for the first time. Residents receive a $10,000 stipend, lodging, and round-trip travel — plus training and equipment.
Deadline: April 12, 2026 · Funded · London
Open to contemporary visual artists from Latin America and the Caribbean. The selected artist will be in residence at Delfina Foundation and also at St. Paul's Cathedral, exploring the relationship between space and spirituality.
Deadline: Ongoing (Summer 2026 cycle) · Fully funded · Brooklyn, NY
A 6-month, fully funded 430-square-foot studio in Brooklyn, culminating in a solo exhibition or open studio event. Two cycles per year. Summer 2026 runs July–December.
Deadline: April 6, 2026 · Open to painters, photographers, sculptors
Open to all emerging and established artists, photographers, and sculptors. Cash awards for Best of Show, First, Second, and Third Place across all mediums. A special award for Best Landscape is also given. No crafts or commercial prints accepted.
Deadline: April 6, 2026 · Middlebury, VT · Photography
Juried by Ann Jastrab. A respected photography gallery in Vermont seeking entries exploring the theme of Luminosity. Juror's Award $300, Director's Award $200, plus honorable mentions. Open to all photographers 18 and up.
Deadline: April 10, 2026 · Exhibition: July 18–October 2, 2026
An annual juried fine art exhibition and online auction open to visual artists. A good opportunity for Western U.S. artists with strong landscape or representational work.
Deadline: April 10, 2026 · Providence, RI · Photography · $500 in awards
Seeking photography that explores the Unseen or Forgotten — people, places, and things hiding in plain sight that need to be remembered or revalued. Juror: Lou Jones. $500 in awards. Open to photography addressing what is overlooked, abandoned, or underrepresented.
Deadline: April 20, 2026 · New York City · Two-dimensional media
Chelsea's Bowery Gallery opens its annual juried competition to all artists working in two-dimensional media. Juror: Susan Lichtman, Professor Emerita. One of the more prestigious New York gallery competitions for painters and works on paper.
Gallery submissions almost always require a polished bio and statement. Generate yours in minutes →
Deadline: April 19, 2026 · Bendheim Gallery, Greenwich, CT · $2,000+ in awards
A prestigious annual juried exhibit at the Bendheim Gallery. Juror: Caitlin Chaisson, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture, Museum of Modern Art, NYC. Accepted works displayed and marketed for sale online.
Deadline: April 19, 2026 · Online exhibition · $4,000 in awards
Open to all photographers. Theme: Luminosity. Juror: Crista Dix. $4,000 in total awards — one of the larger photography prize pools for an online exhibition.
Deadline: April (check organizer site) · CMC Centro Culturale, Milan · €5,000 in awards
An international group exhibition in Milan open to painters, photographers, sculptors, graphic designers, and more. Awards include collaboration with a new Malamegi collection, acquisition award, cash prize, and a monographic book prize. One for artists looking for international exhibition credits.
Most open calls ask for some combination of the same core materials:
The difference between applying and not applying is usually whether those materials are ready. ExhibitFolio generates all of them in one pass — upload your artwork images, fill in your details, and download everything ready to submit.
Create your portfolio PDF — $19, one-time →
See your portfolio before you pay · No subscription · Print-ready PDFs
Painters:
Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant · Cape Cod Art Center Spring National · Bowery Gallery Annual Juried Competition · Greenwich Art Society 109th Annual
Sculptors:
Artadia Awards · Anonymous Was a Woman Environmental Art Grants · Malamegi International Exhibition Milan
Photographers:
PhotoPlace Gallery Luminosity · Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts · New York Center for Photographic Art · Cape Cod Art Center Spring National
Residency seekers:
Delfina Foundation (India) · Delfina Foundation (Latin America & Caribbean) · Native Neon Indigenous Artists · Delfina / St. Paul's Cathedral · TNT Residency Brooklyn
Grant applicants:
Creative Capital · Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant · Anonymous Was a Woman · Artadia Awards
International artists:
Delfina Foundation calls · Bowery Gallery · Malamegi Milan · Native Neon · New York Center for Photographic Art
Most of these opportunities ask for the same core materials: an artist bio, an artist statement, individual artwork documentation, and a portfolio PDF. The difference between applying and not applying is usually whether those materials are ready.
ExhibitFolio generates your complete portfolio package — bio, statement, individual tearsheets, and a full PDF catalog — in minutes. Upload your artwork images, fill in your details, and download everything ready to submit.
Create your portfolio PDF — $19, one-time →
No design software. No subscription. Print-ready PDFs, gallery-ready writing.
This page is updated monthly. Bookmark it and check back in May for the next round of opportunities.
Know of an open call we should include? Email us at hello@exhibitfolio.com
Get next month's open calls in your inbox
We'll send you the May list as soon as it's live — plus portfolio tips for artists.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
You're on the list. Watch for the next issue.