Visual Artist and Craft Maker Award
Visual Artist and Craft Maker Award (VACMA)
Visual Artist and Craft Maker Award (VACMA) offers small grants to visual artists and craft makers for their creative development at all stages of their career.
These awards are supported by Creative Scotland through funding from the National Lottery in partnership with Live Borders, Dumfries & Galloway Council, DG Unlimited, Upland and Creative Arts Business Network (CABN).
Bursaries are no longer based on career stage but should reflect an applicants chosen activity. The bursary tiers are £500 and £1000.
The guidelines for the scheme are available to download on this page, they are also available in BSL here.
Autumn deadline: 5pm, Tuesday 20th October 2026
Winter deadline: 5pm, Tuesday 2nd February 2027
VACMA is supported by Creative Scotland through funding from the National Lottery. As such a VACMA bursary cannot be used as partnership funding for any other Creative Scotland funding programmes.
The scheme is for individual artists and makers living and working in the Scottish Borders or Dumfries and Galloway. Applicants must be able to demonstrate a commitment to their work– whether they are at an early or established stage of their practice- and to advancing their skills and ideas.
Applicants in the Scottish Borders can contact Creative Arts Business Network (CABN) at hello@cabn.info for application support
Applicants in Dumfries and Galloway can contact Upland CIC at hello@weareupland.com for application support
Applicants with queries about the application process itself can contact the Live Borders Arts and Creativity team at artservice@liveborders1.org.uk.
Applicants from both the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway must submit their applications to Live Borders Arts & Creativity: artservice@liveborders1.org.uk
