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Guild of Book Workers Mid-Career Award

This new award is generously funded through a grant from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation. The award will be given to two Guild of Book Workers members each year for at least the next three years.  The award funding will allow the recipient to set aside time for study, reflection, opportunities, new projects, experimentation, and exploration, as well as attend the Guild’s annual Standards of Excellence Seminar. Awards are subject to state and federal tax guidelines. 

 

The award includes registration and hotel at the Standards of Excellence Seminar (up to 4 nights), and a $5,000 unrestricted cash award to put toward your work (can be used for materials, travel, studio rent, website updating, conferences, workshops, anything to help your pursuit of the book arts). The GBW expects that the recipients will, at minimum, write something for the newsletter about how the grant money was used to help further their career.

Timeline:

  • Applications accepted: April 1-April 30.
  • Jurors review applications and select winners: May 1-May 31.
  • All applicants notified via email by June 15.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • This program is open to any Guild of Book Workers member in good standing. 
  • You must have or maintain GBW membership for at least one year prior to application. 
  • You have been in the field for at least seven years.
  • You have a body of work that demonstrates a sustained level of accomplishment, commitment, and excellence in the field of book arts.
  • Applicants may only receive one GBW award per year.
  • Applicants must have a US tax ID and will need to submit a W-9 if selected

Jury Panel: 

A three-member panel consisting of experienced and well-respected arts professionals will select the GBW Mid-Career Award recipients. All panelists are from outside the Guild of Book Workers. Panelists, insofar as possible, will represent a diversity of ages, ethnicity, gender, and geography. The panelists remain anonymous during the selection process. The names of the panelists will be revealed once the grant recipients are notified.

 

Applications will open on April 1st 2025.

 

Preview of form requirements

  • Contact Information

  • Work Samples:

    • Up to 10 images accepted. Applicants must include clear and professional work samples that have been made within the last 10 years. You may include full and detail shots, but each file counts as one of the ten total images submitted. Upload samples in the order you would like them to be experienced by the jurors. Your samples should be rotated to view correctly when opened. No composite images or explanatory text on images is permitted. Each juror reviews applications individually, one sample at a time, on a personal computer monitor.
    • Please include an accompanying document that includes image number, image title, year made, dimensions, and an optional short description for your work samples. Use the description to provide further necessary information that will help the jurors understand the piece. Avoid overly interpreting the work for the jurors. Label each work sample: Name_Image1.jpg

  • Résumé:

    • Submit a current résumé that highlights your professional accomplishments, including exhibitions, awards, and grants or other relevant materials. Label and upload your resume like this: Name_Resume.PDF

  • Personal Statement:

    • The Personal Statement about your work (one page, 500 word limit) should address the following questions:
      • How will the grant benefit your practice?
      • What will you do with the funds?
    • A strong Personal Statement describes your practice in relation to the images you are submitting and how the award will affect you and your work.
    • Label and upload your file like this: Name_Statement.PDF