Group 2 of the fund opened for applications on Monday 9 March, with the deadline of Thursday 14 May for applications to be submitted - it includes the strands Catalyst, Boost and Playwright’s Bursary (more information below).
Late last year, when the commissioning plan launched, call outs for the Shetland Arts Commissioning Fund 25/26 were broken down into different titles and split into two groups for applications at different points in the year. Applications for Group 1 closed in December 2025 and it recently was announced by Shetland Arts that 6 artists were successful, with projects due to get under way soon.
The Shetland Arts Commissioning Fund is due to continue on an annual basis, creating 6 opportunities for artists to apply for funding every year. Shetland Arts feels passionate about supporting artists at any stage of their career, and we intend for our commissions to address artist needs such as time, space and money. The funding strands will remain the same so artists can prepare ideas for their applications in advance.
Catalyst (Training and Development) - up to £3,000 available
This fund is developmental, and its intention is to support an artist to further their practice, attend a training course or participate in a developmental opportunity. You will be asked to reflect upon your experience, which can be done via sharing at an Artist Gathering, writing a blog post or a meeting with our Creative Project Manager, Kathryn Gordon.
This could be training or learning, such as professional courses, workshops or peer-to-peer learning. It might also include mentoring and skills development, like working with a mentor or developing new skills to support your creative growth. Additionally, participating in residencies that support your creative and professional development.
Boost (Retail) - up to £1,000 available
We want to enable artists and makers to develop prototypes for limited edition products that can be retailed at between £10 and £30 (wholesale £5 to £15).
Each successful applicant will receive £1,000 funding to develop a design that Shetland Arts may commission for a production run, to be sold through our retail outlets.
We invite artists and makers in Shetland, or with a strong Shetland connection, that:
- Can demonstrate the quality of previous work
- Are keen to explore the potential of limited-edition production runs
- Can design a product to be wholesaled at between £5 to £15 per unit
- Are happy to grant exclusive rights to Shetland Arts for an initial period of 12 months, plus 12 months from production being commissioned. After which you can make the product available through all your usual sources. If we decide not to commission your product for any reason the rights will revert to you immediately
We will provide the funding and two artist meet-ups, as well as a project initiation and a mid-project meeting with the Shetland Arts team to discuss ideas and development of concept and production.
Playwright's Bursary – up to £750 available
Playwrights’ Studio Scotland will come to Shetland to deliver 1 workshop on playwriting (14th April), specifically focusing on the process of creating new writing. This will be open to all as an introduction as to what they do and what the support for the bursary will entail. Details of how to join this workshop will follow soon.
This commission will include the same in-kind offer as others (space and technical support), however the mentoring for it will be delivered by Playwright Studio Scotland, who will cover half of the bursary fee. This bursary is being offered in partnership with Playwrights' Studio Scotland.
More information about the Shetland Arts Commissioning Fund 25/26 can be found on the Shetland Arts Commissioning Fund page.
