New opportunities for NI designer makers!
29th September, 2026
Funding awards of £5,000 - £20,000 available for NI designer makers through the Rosy James Memorial Trust.
The Rosy James Memorial Trust is now welcoming applications through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. For the first time one award of £20,000 will be available for an established craft maker and three awards of £5,000 will be available to emerging craft makers. Applications are now open and completed forms must be received by the Arts Council by 12noon on Monday 9th November 2026. For guidance notes and eligibility information please visit https://artscouncil-ni.org/funding-for-individuals/rosy-james-memorial-trust-awards
These unique bursaries aim to assist craft makers to develop their careers by creating a new body of work which would otherwise have been unattainable without the funding.
The Emerging Maker Awards, worth up to £5,000 each, are aimed at craft practitioners or designer-makers who are in the early stages of their professional careers within their chosen craft discipline. Applicants should be developing their artistic voice and beginning to establish a reputation and recognition among critics, galleries and other relevant audiences. They will typically have practised professionally for less than five years.
The Major Award, worth up to £20,000, is aimed at established craftspeople or designer-makers with national or international recognition who are seeking to develop or create ambitious new work. The proposed project should result in a significant creative outcome.
Administered by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Rosy James Memorial Trust Award, established in 2014, was established thanks to the generosity of Rosemary James (Rosy), a local patron of the arts. Originally from Belfast, Rosy had a lifelong commitment to the arts and following her death in 2010, bequeathed over £500,000 to help artists and craft makers pursue their careers.
Previous recipients of the prestigious award include glass artist Scott Benefield (2015), silversmiths Stuart Cairns (2014) and Cara Murphy (2016) and in 2017 two awards were made to ceramicist Anne Butler and furniture designer Brian McKee, stone sculptor Sheena Devitt (2018),glass artist Alison Lowry (2023), sculptor John Rainey (2023), ceramicist Eleanor Wheeler (2023), and ceramicist Derek Wilson (2024).
Dr Suzanne Lyle, Head of Visual Arts, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented, “We are delighted to invite applications once again to the Rosy James Memorial Trust Award. Rosy’s incredible passion for the arts demonstrates the power of philanthropic giving to create lasting impact. Her love for the arts, and craft in particular, led her to leave a legacy that would allow new work of high quality, and of international interest, to be produced by local artists.
These awards, presented in her name, gives artists the chance to devote time to developing their creative practice over the course of a year and to develop a new body of work that otherwise may have been unattainable. We are excited this year to introduce three awards of £5,000 for emerging artists plus a £20,000 award for an established designer-maker. These are incredible opportunities for designer makers, thanks to the generosity of Rosy James, and we look forward to receiving the next round of applications.”
Applications are now open and will close at 12noon on Monday 9th November 2026.
For further information, guidance notes and eligibility to apply visit https://artscouncil-ni.org/funding-for-individuals/rosy-james-memorial-trust-awards