Guide to the Best Artist Grants and Opportunities in the Western U.S.
The Artwork Archive team set out to find the best art opportunities, artist grants, and calls for entry for visual artists in the Western United States.
Below you will find a list of the top artist residencies, international open calls, artist grants, exhibition opportunities and art competitions that we believe will benefit artists, specifically in the West.
Remember, you can now save the important deadlines for your favorite opportunities right in your Artwork Archive account.
When you find a call that interests you, simply click ‘Add to Schedule' and the call's deadline will be automatically added to your Schedule. You'll also receive weekly reminders to keep you on top of your game.
We will be updating this list throughout the year, so make sure to bookmark the page, check back often, and let us know if there is an opportunity that should be listed!
December 5, 2025 Ends today
Perch, Flutter, Soar
Exhibition
- Submission Deadline: December 5, 2025
- Entry Fee: $35
- Eligibility: Local
- Categories: Craft/Traditional Arts, Photography, Drawing, Film/Video/New Media, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline, Painting, Sculpture
- Location: California, United States
The Museum of Northern California Art is seeking original artworks for their annual bird-themed exhibition which will take place during Chico’s 2026 Snow Goose Festival. They look forward to filling their galleries with wonderful birds of all sorts, real or imagined. All media. Please note that no giclée prints of original art/non-photographic art will be accepted. No AI please.
December 8, 2025 3 days left
Vivid
Exhibition
- Submission Deadline: December 8, 2025
- Eligibility: International
- Categories: Craft/Traditional Arts, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline
- Location: Eugene, OR 97440, United States
Join Fiber Art Now’s celebration of color. Artists are invited to present their most creative and colorful art. All submissions must include a fiber material or textile technique. The print exhibition will be juried by the Fiber Art Now creative team and juried selections will be featured in the spring 2026 issue of Fiber Art Now, and be eligible for an on-site exhibition.
December 8, 2025 3 days left
2026 Artist Residencies at Alchemy Art Center
Residency
- Organization: Alchemy Art Center
- Submission Deadline: December 8, 2025
- Entry Fee: $15
- Eligibility: International
- Categories: Craft/Traditional Arts, Photography, Drawing, Film/Video/New Media, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline, Painting, Sculpture
- Location: Friday Harbor, WA
Alchemy Art Center hosts a seasonal artist residency program on San Juan Island, WA for artists working in the mediums of ceramics, printmaking, fiber art, or darkroom photography. Alchemy’s AIR program is a unique opportunity to live in an immersive arts community on San Juan Island, connect with the wider SJI community via teaching and outreach activities, and have focused time to create art in an environment that supports collaboration, cross-pollination, and innovation. Artists-in-Residence are encouraged to work in all of Alchemy’s focus areas (regardless of their area of expertise), and experiment with mediums they may not have tried before.
December 12, 2025 7 days left
Focus: Shadow and Light
Competition
- Organization: Black Box Gallery
- Submission Deadline: December 12, 2025
- Event Dates: January 1, 2026 - January 25, 2026
- Entry Fee: 40.00
- Award Info: None
- Eligibility: International
- Categories: Photography
- Location: Portland, Oregon 97214, United States
A juried group photo show on shadow and light at Black Box Gallery.
For more info: https://blackboxgallery.com
December 14, 2025 9 days left
16th Annual Patricia Sitar Juried Exhibition
Exhibition
- Organization: Sitar Arts Center
- Submission Deadline: December 14, 2025
- Event Dates: February 9, 2026 - March 14, 2026
- Entry Fee: $0-25
- Award Info: Cash prizes and chance to win solo exhibition
- Eligibility: National
- Categories: Photography, Drawing, Film/Video/New Media, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline, Painting, Sculpture
- Location: Washington, DC 20009, United States
Sitar Arts Center invites artists to submit original artwork for the 16th Annual Patricia Sitar Juried Exhibition: “Belonging.”
At people's core, all long to belong—to feel connected, understood, and accepted. “Belonging” explores the places, people, and moments that make them feel rooted, and the journeys people take to find them. It invites reflection on identity, home, community, and the bold (or quiet) ways people seek to be part of something greater than themselves.
This theme holds space for stories of inclusion and exclusion, of searching and finding, of creating a sense of belonging where it didn’t exist before. Whether fleeting or lifelong, shared or solitary, belonging shapes who people are and how they move through the world.
December 15, 2025 10 days left
Startup Art Fair Los Angeles 2026
Art fair
- Organization: Ray Beldner
- Submission Deadline: December 15, 2025
- Event Dates: February 27, 2026 - March 1, 2026
- Entry Fee: $30.00
- Eligibility: International
Startup Art Fair LA is the premier hotel art fair for professional, independent artists. The core mission of Startup is to provide a supportive platform that gives those artists the power to grow their careers and present and sell work on their own terms.
Application deadline is rolling and accepted artists can immediately select their preferred space. Don't wait—early applicants get the best rooms!
-
Bridgette Mayer, Owner/Director, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadephia, PA -
Liz Garvey, Director, Co-Founder/Director, Garvey|Simon, NYC -
Max Presneill, Director/Chief Curator, Torrance Art Museum, CA
- 4 nights at the hotel
- Complimentary fair passes your guests
- 24/7 security on the premises
- A personal artist page on the Startup website
- Discounted overnight parking
- PR, advertising, and marketing through our newsletter, ad buys, and social media channels
- Curatorial and professional development support in the weeks before and after the fair
- Public liability insurance
-
Automatic acceptance to our exclusive online sales partner, Singulart, and 50% off all of their services
December 15, 2025 10 days left
The Catchlight Global Fellowship
Grants & Fellowships
- Submission Deadline: December 15, 2025
- Award Info: Fellowships of $30,000
- Eligibility: International
- Categories: Photography, Film/Video/New Media
At CatchLight, they are harnessing the power of visual storytelling to inform, connect and transform communities. Through the CatchLight Global Fellowship, CatchLight supports individuals who want to cultivate significant audience engagement through inventive distribution methods that will increase the impact of their work.
December 15, 2025 10 days left
Jane King Artist Residency 2026-2027
Residency
- Organization: The Arts Division of Lane Community College
- Submission Deadline: December 15, 2025
- Eligibility: National
- Categories: Craft/Traditional Arts, Photography, Drawing, Film/Video/New Media, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline, Painting, Sculpture
- Location: Eugene, OR, United States
The Arts Division of Lane Community College is pleased to announce a call to artists for the Jane King Artist Residency program during the 2026-2027 academic year. The residency invites dynamic and engaging artists from all disciplines to spend a few days to a few months on campus collaborating with students and faculty. This residency offers a unique opportunity for artists to immerse themselves in a vibrant academic environment, engage with a diverse student body, and contribute to the rich cultural landscape of Lane Community College and the greater Eugene community. The Jane King Lane Community College Artist Residency is designed to foster reciprocal learning and creative exchange.
December 15, 2025 10 days left
Chulitna Lodge Wilderness Retreat -- Creative Residency, Summer 2026
Residency
- Organization: Chulitna Lodge Wilderness Retreat
- Submission Deadline: December 15, 2025
- Event Dates: May 16, 2026 - September 26, 2026
- Entry Fee: $35
- Award Info: 6-week fully funded Fellowships; Short term residencies (1-3 weeks) by weekly fee
- Eligibility: National
- Categories: Craft/Traditional Arts, Photography, Drawing, Film/Video/New Media, Mixed-Media/Multi-Discipline, Painting, Sculpture
- Location: Lake Clark National Park, Alaska 99653, United States
Chulitna Lodge Wilderness Retreat seeks to provide the time, space, clarity, and facilities for all forms of creative professionals or researchers to make and meditate.
From visual artists, to writers, to scientific researchers, music, dance, and more, they encourage all to apply for their various programs.
Chulitna Lodge is 180 miles from the nearest road, with fly-in access only; a historical landmark on the shores of Lake Clark National Park.
Their Mission: to share a love for responsible exploration of the world's most remote locations, with the intent of passing forward the value of maintaining such places wild, and to personally reap the benefits of life a world apart.
December 16, 2025 11 days left
Sony Future Filmmaker Awards 2025
Competition
- Submission Deadline: December 16, 2025
- Award Info: $2,500 (USD) - $5,000 (USD)
- Eligibility: International
- Categories: Film/Video/New Media
- Location: California, United States
The Sony Future Filmmaker Awards is a major program providing exceptional opportunities for creators and filmmakers. The shortlisted filmmakers are flown to Los Angeles for an exclusive four-day event to gain unparalleled insight into all aspects of the filmmaking process to advance their careers. After the workshop program the filmmakers will attend an awards ceremony at Sony Pictures Studios.