Residencies, Grants & Workshops

Writing/Arts Prizes and Grants

ASLE Translation Grants
ASLE Translation Grants support work in ecocriticism from international scholars translating books or other substantial projects (such as longer articles) into English. Grants are generally given in non-conference (even numbered) years, and the award amount is $1000 per grant.

LexArts EcoArts Grants
To help art come to life and touch lives, LexArts supports regional artists and arts organizations through Community Arts Development (CAD) grants and General Operating Support (GOS) grants awarded on a competitive basis. CAD grants are specific to a program or project, while GOS grants help underwrite and sustain essential infrastructure like workspace, equipment, materials, salaries and marketing. All grant applications will be reviewed in a public forum in June of each year.

AWP Award Series
The AWP Award Series is an annual competition for the publication of excellent new book-length works. The prizes are supported by the AWP Award Series Endowments. The competition is open to all authors writing in English, regardless of nationality or residence, and is available to published and unpublished authors alike. The AWP Award Series conducts an evaluation process of writers, for writers, by writers. AWP hires a staff of screeners who are writers themselves; the screeners review manuscripts for the judges. Typically, the screeners will select ten manuscripts in each genre for the judges’ final evaluations. Entries may be submitted each year from January 1 to February 28 via the online submission portal. They no longer accept submissions by post.

Residencies

2026 Aldo & Estella Leopold Residency
Deadline to apply for the 2026 Residency is February 16, 2026 with decisions made late March, 2026. An inspiring retreat for environmental writers and thinkers interested in reshaping the cultural story about the relationship between humans and Nature, the residency, an initiative of the Leopold Writing Program since 2012, includes a stay of one month at the Leopolds’ historic Mi Casita in northern New Mexico or a casita in the Galisteo Basin; a stipend; and a community presentation in Taos or Santa Fe. Interested applicants may submit a maximum two-page resume along with a maximum 500-word statement of interest describing how their work at the Residency will extend the legacy of Aldo and Estella Leopold and align with the Leopold Writing Program’s mission. Applicants should indicate how they heard about the Residency Program and list which months/locations they are able to commit to (July or November) in order of preference. College students, graduate and post-graduate students, and other emerging and mid-career professional writers are invited to apply. Please send application materials, application processing fee of $20, and any questions you may have to Program Director Nina Simon at nina@leopoldwritingprogram.org.

A Studio in the Woods
A Studio in the Woods offers residencies for artists and scholars of all disciplines. Residencies provide protected time, space and support to manifest new works. A Studio in the Woods is housed within the Tulane ByWater Institute, a research department dedicated to advancing applied, interdisciplinary research and community engagement initiatives around coastal resilience and the urban environment. Friends of A Studio in the Woods, still an independent nonprofit organization, works collaboratively with Tulane to provide financial support for the artistic and environmental programming of A Studio in the Woods. Learn more about the various residency programs.

Arte Studio Ginestrelle
Arte Studio Ginestrelle is a residency for writers and visual artist set in the Regional Park of Mount Subasio of Assisi, and at the Writing residency, located in the historical town of Assisi in Italy.  It offers residencies to writers and artists from all artistic disciplines and its aim is to support excellence and originality. For application forms and residencies programs, please, contact artestudioginestrelle@gmail.com.

Bernheim Arboretum & Research Forest (Clermont, KY) Environmental Artist in Residence
This program is a unique opportunity for artists to be a voice for nature. Climate change is a complex issue, often difficult to grasp through scientific data alone. Art has the power to distill this complexity, making the science of climate change and global warming more tangible and accessible. The Environmental Artist in Residence program aims to foster a deeper connection to the natural world, raise awareness of environmental challenges, and encourage dialogue about climate change, which is critical to inspiring action. Artists are invited to explore themes such as excessive heat, drought, flooding, extreme weather, food insecurity, displacement, environmental justice, and biodiversity loss. Application period is in the fall of each year for residency the following year.

Caldera
Every winter we invite artists from all over the world to our Caldera Arts Center near Sisters, Oregon. Artists are provided private A-frame cabins and share access to wet and dry studios, a darkroom, a kiln, editing facilities and rehearsal and performance space. Because we believe a range of backgrounds enhances the communal experience, residencies are open to artists from any field, as well as scientists, engineers, and environmentalists. While it is not required, an embrace of how art and nature communicate is encouraged at Caldera. Annual application deadline in mid-June.

Jan Michalski Foundation
Writer Residencies at the Jan Michalski Foundation in Switzerland. The mission of the Jan Michalski Foundation is to foster literary creation and encourage the practice of reading through a range of initiatives and activities. Residences are available for all types of writers engaged in literary creation. While we give priority to writers and translators, we are also open to any other discipline as long as writing is at the heart of the project.  Two week-, one-, two-, three- or six-month stays are available. Residents’ travel costs to and from their home address will be covered by the Foundation, and they are granted a weekly allowance of CHF 400. The application period for 2027 should be approximately late May to late August 2026.. Read more and apply.

PLAYA
PLAYA is a retreat for artists and scientists who can benefit from time and space spent in an inspiring and unique natural environment. There is also plenty of opportunity for interaction, if desired, with a cohort of residents and the local rural community. A residency provides the solitude needed to create substantive work or to research and reflect upon one’s creative or scientific processes. Residents can focus on their projects, immerse in a desert landscape of basin and rangeland, and find inspiration through self-directed inquiry and dialogue with others focused on writing, visual arts, science, and other creative disciplines. Located in the Oregon Outback, near Summer Lake in Lake County, PLAYA manages its residency program and offers a range of community and educational outreach activities. Residencies are provided without a fee and span most of the year.

Sitka Center for Art & Ecology
Sitka Residencies offer dedicated time and space for artists, writers, scientists, educators and interdisciplinary creators to immerse themselves in independent work amid the remarkable ecology of Cascade Head and the Oregon coast. Residencies, ranging from two weeks to three months between October and May, are awarded through an annual juried process and provided free of charge. Some Sitka residents also receive living and travel stipends as part of their awards. Applications for Fall 2026/Spring 2027 are open now. Deadline for submission is March 10, 2026.

PRAx at Oregon State University
The Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts creates and manages residencies at the intersections of arts, humanities, science and technology. Our residencies take many shapes—from unplugged solo retreats in the woods to collaborative projects in research labs, field stations and interdisciplinary settings. We work with each resident to co-create an experience that is supportive and generative. Whether you are a musician or visual artist fascinated by the idea of long-term engagement with a science or engineering lab at OSU, a writer craving a couple of weeks at a quiet cabin, or a humanities scholar wanting to bring together a dream team of collaborators, we invite you to browse our opportunities to find the residencies and fellowships that meet your needs. PRAx offers opportunities at various residency locations, including a cabin in the Coast Range Mountains, a long-term research forest in the Oregon Cascade Range and a marine science hub on the coast. Through a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation, PRAx and the Polar STEAM project help facilitate residencies for artists and writers in Antarctica.

United States National Park Service Artist in Residence Program
Artists have created art in national parks since the late 19th century when famed Hudson River painters captured the majestic views of our nation’s western parks. Artist-in-Residence opportunities are offered directly by individual National Park Service sites. Programs vary however residencies are typically 2 to 4 weeks in length and most include lodging. Often artists are invited to participate in park programs by sharing their art with the public. Each park in this directory has its own application process and timeline so visit the park’s website for further information.

Vermont Studio Center
Vermont Studio Center (VSC) was founded by artists in 1984. We welcome writers and artists for residencies in Johnson, Vermont, and host programs and events. Our mission is to provide studio residencies in an inclusive, international community, honoring creative work as the communication of spirit through form. Our buildings, many of them historic Vermont landmarks, overlook the Gihon River in the northern Green Mountains. VSC residency includes a private room in a shared house, a private studio, meals, and access to the Visiting Artist and Visiting Writer Program. During every session there will be opportunities for residents to share their work through Resident Presentations and Open Studios. For more details, visit the Vermont Studio Center Residency Program page. 

Workshops and Courses

Environmental Arts Organizations

The Ashden Directory
Bringing together environmentalism and the performing arts.

The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts 
The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts is a Think Tank for Sustainability in the Arts and Culture.The CSPA views sustainability as the intersection of environmental balance, social equity, economic stability and a strengthened cultural infrastructure. Seeing itself as evolved out of the principles of the 1987 Brundtland Report and 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the CSPA aligns itself with the policies of Agenda 21 for Culture as a resource to artists and art organizations. The CSPA’s activities include research and initiatives positioning arts and culture as a driver of a sustainable society.

International League of Conservation Photographers
International League of Conservation Photographers furthers environmental and cultural conservation through communication initiatives that create vital content and disseminate conservation messages to a wide variety of audiences.

Women Environmental Artists Directory
Focusing on women’s unique perspectives we collaborate internationally to further the field and understanding of ecological and social justice art.