A4 Sounds invites applications from visual artists for two residency awards as part of our We Only Want the Earth Programme 2026.
The awards are open to visual artists currently living in Ireland from four priority communities.
Deadline: 5pm, Thursday 6th August 2026
GUIDELINES & HOW TO APPLY
WOWTE: RESIDENCY AWARDS 2026
OVERVIEW
A4 Sounds invites applications from visual artists for two residency awards as part of our We Only Want the Earth Programme 2026. Each residency opportunity will run for 5 months starting September 2026, and aims to support an artist currently living in Ireland to develop their arts practice.
The awards are open to visual artists from four priority communities:
- Artists who are transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming,
- Artists who are from from racially or ethnically minoritised backgrounds including members of the Traveller Community
- Artists who are from countries in the Global South
- Artists who are disabled
ABOUT WOWTE
The context for We Only Want the Earth is ongoing, unpredictable social change. The perceived legitimacy of international institutions and international law is collapsing. Climate change is accelerating, and the border regimes of the countries that have benefitted the most from its causes are increasingly violent, preventing escape for those suffering the worst of its effects. Ireland participates as a junior partner in and beneficiary of Western imperialism, at the cost of much of its sovereignty; popular legislation aligned with international law cannot be enacted due to a fear of the US response, while Irish neutrality is ever closer to being dismantled despite broad public opposition. Domestically, the crises of inequality, cost of living, and homelessness continue to worsen.
We are living through Gramsci’s interregnum: the old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born. New opportunities for radical social change present themselves, but they are accompanied by reactionary violence that seeks to return to an imagined idyllic past. In this context, deliberative and discursive arts practices are urgently needed.
We Only Want the Earth is a yearly programme of awards, exhibitions, and events that seeks to interrogate the goals and strategies of social change: what kind of society do we want and how should we get there?
More information about our programme here. You can also see the work produced by previous artists on the programme here.
ABOUT THE AWARDS
The purpose of the awards is to support the research and development of new, ambitious and critical work that resonates with the themes of the We Only Want the Earth Programme.
This award will support two visual artists to research and develop a body of work at the A4 Sounds Studios and to help them further develop their artistic practice.
The award will provide the selected artists with material support and an opportunity to work collaboratively with the curatorial team to develop their ideas and skills, experiment with materials and approaches in making new work, and to deepen their understanding and approach to their practice.
Please note: the artist is free to work on any topic of their choosing; there is no requirement that the work deal with issues relating to their identity in terms of the four priority communities of the award.
WHAT TYPES OF PROPOSALS ARE WE SEEKING?
We invite critical, bold, mischievous, and political proposals. This is a visual arts award, but we welcome proposals from artists with multidisciplinary approaches.
We are keen to hear from artists across a wide range of practices, including but not limited to: politically or socially engaged art, installation, media, video, sound, collaboration, conversation, performance, sculpture, print, and research.
Proposals must respond to the theme ‘We Only Want the Earth’.
We are seeking artists who critically engage with the wider politics their work is situated in. We very much welcome proposals that reflect on personal experiences, however we are interested in how those experiences are framed and contextualised through a broader political and social lens.
In this sense, the we is important in our programme questions: what kind of society do we want and how should we get there?
WHAT THE AWARD OFFERS
Stipends & Supports
- Free 24-hour access to a studio space at A4 Sounds.
- A monthly stipend of €1,600 towards materials and residency costs (Total €8,000).
- Access to a range of professional development, training and technical supports.
- Access to the facilities at A4 Sounds, including a sculpture workshop, photography darkroom, printing suite and equipment.
- Access to all A4 Sounds workshops and courses for the duration of the residency.
- Opportunities to experiment with ways to disseminate their work in public
Throughout the residency, advice and mentorship will be provided by A4 Sounds and our consulting artists.
Note: this residency does not include accommodation as part of the award. However, we can provide a small monthly budget towards travel costs.
Access Budget
An additional access budget is available for participating artists who may need it. We will work with the awardee artists individually to discuss any specific support needs they may have and endeavor to support them as best we can with the available budget. Examples of this support include cost of travel support, assistive technology support, and additional time.
If known, please let us know in your application what supports you may need. Please note, we understand that applicants may not be familiar with what supports may benefit them at the time of making their application and this will not impact available accommodations being provided later if successful in their application.
AIMS & EXPECTATIONS OF THE RESIDENCY
The selected artist is expected to
- Be available to work from the studio for the duration of the residency a minimum of 3 days per week.*
- Participate in studio life and take full advantage of resources and learning opportunities available.
- Be available to meet with the programme producer monthly to discuss their work and receive feedback and advice.
- Be fully engaged with their practice and spend time developing their ideas and understanding of the themes in the proposed work.
- Develop new work across a five-month period**
We will work with the successful artist to document their progress and ask that aspects of the documentation be made available to A4 for use.
Notes
* We understand some practices may involve off-site work at different points throughout their residency, however the primary site for the residency should be taken to mean the studio provided at A4 Sounds.
The A4 wage is €17 per hour. Our residency stipends are valued at the A4 hourly wage and are the equivalent of a 3-day work week totalling €1,600 per month.
The stipend is valued in this way to:
- Set a fair expectation for the awardee artists’ time in terms of work and workload
- Compensate any artists currently in full-time employment fairly for taking time away from work to participate on the residency,
Outside of the minimum 3-days per week artists are free to avail of their studio time as much or as little as they need.
**Artists who engage fully with the residency may be considered for exhibition in 2027/2028 as part of our Common Thread Strand.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
We invite applications from visual artists who are:
- Currently based in Ireland, and
- Identify as being from at least one of the awards’ priority communities (outlined below).
Priority Communities
The award is open to artists from the following communities only:
- Artists who are transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming,
- Artists who are from from racially or ethnically minoritised backgrounds including members of the Traveller Community
- Artists who are from countries in the Global South
- Artists who are disabled
To be eligible, applicants must identify as being from at least one of the above communities.
Note: Due to the high rental costs and difficulty securing accommodation in Dublin this award may be best suited to someone who currently lives in areas with easier commutes including Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Meath or Louth. We welcome applications from outside these areas but please let us know on your application form how you will manage your accommodation and/or travel to Dublin.
WHO IS NOT ELIGIBLE?
- Artists who are not currently living in Ireland. This is not an international residency programme. The award is open to visual artists from the priority communities outlined above who are living and working in Ireland at the time of application only. In the spirit of the award and to ensure fairness we may request proof of address during the review process.
- Due to the significant workload of the residency, artists who are currently in full-time undergraduate or post-graduate education cannot apply.
ACCESSIBILITY
We endeavor to be as accessible as possible with the resources available to us. However, we understand that this award is not fully accessible and will not meet the requirements for all people who may be interested in applying.
Below we have summarised our studio and residency accessibility as a general guide to help applicants gauge whether our residency award can meet any accessibility needs they may have. If there is any area we have not covered that you have a query on please email us via wowte@a4sounds.org and we will do our best to answer any questions.
Access Plan
The selected artists will work closely with our programme producer who will discuss any needs they have in advance and develop an access plan with you.
The Building
The A4 Sounds studio building is not fully accessible.
The studio space and bathrooms are located on the first floor and accessed via a flight of stairs (approx. 22 steps). There is no lift.
The photography darkroom, print, textiles, and library facilities are also located on the first floor.
The workshop facility, gallery and outdoor garden area are located on the ground floor and are accessible. There is an accessible toilet in our outdoor area.
There is LED lighting throughout the building.
Our library room also acts as a quiet room with sofas to relax in if needed. We also have a garden area to take breaks in throughout the day.
The Studio
The residency studio is a private workspace in a room shared with two other artists. It has LED lighting, a comfortable chair and is generally quiet, but at times there will be loud sounds leaking through the building from our workshop and gallery.
Facilities
Our facilities manager is available three days per week for questions and queries. Facilities training is available on an ad hoc basis for individuals and scheduled basis for groups usually one day per week. Adhoc training can be booked up to a week in advance.
Our facility manager is available to support artists in using and making work with any of our facilities which may pose access barriers.
General Support
Members of staff will be available on weekdays to offer in-person support and by email, text and call if any queries arise. These hours will be communicated at the beginning of the residency.
Communication
We will work with artists to decide on their preferred form of communication at the beginning of the residency. This might include text only, bullet pointed emails, meetings at specific times only and so on.
Fluctuating Energy Levels & Additional Time
We understand some artists interested in applying may have fluctuating energy levels week to week. We welcome applications from such artists and, at the beginning of the residency, we will discuss what supports we can put in place. An example of this may be working remotely during low energy periods, good communication around down times, or structuring and shortening residency days to ensure workloads are manageable.
A4 Sounds Team
The A4 team is made up of neurodivergent, queer and/or trans folk who have experience of working with artists with diverse needs. While we are always improving our processes, we have a good foundation to build on and welcome new knowledge and perspectives from the artists and groups we work with.
General Accessibility Information
You can read our general accessibility information for visitors via the link below that includes maps, transport routes and building information.
HOW TO APPLY
To apply please:
- Read in full about our programme here.
- Read our open call and complete the application form via the apply here button below
SELECTION PROCESS
Selection will be made by a panel that includes representatives from A4 Sounds and our consulting artists. There will be two stages to the selection process:
Stage 1: Eligibility check and shortlisting
Stage 2: Panel Assessment
Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:
- How the proposal responds to the theme We Only Want the Earth
- Artistic quality of the proposed work
- Artistic quality of previous work
- Potential of the artist to develop their artistic practice and how the award will benefit the artist
- Feasibility of the proposed work within the timeframe of the award (5 months)
THE ASSESSMENT TIMEFRAME
Proposals received are processed as follows:
- Proposals acknowledged by email on the day of submission.
- The review process as outlined above will begin after the deadline of Friday 24th July 2026.
- Shortlisting decisions will be communicated via email after completion of Stage 1.
- Decisions will be communicated via email to applicants after completion of Stage 2.
- Feedback will be included for all shortlisted applicants in our decision emails.
The assessment process is expected to be completed within three weeks of the application deadline.
ABOUT A4 SOUNDS
A4 Sounds is a non-profit artist-run workspace and gallery in north-inner-city Dublin. It is one of the biggest artist-led spaces in Ireland, currently providing facilities and professional development supports to 60 artists. Its mission is to transform the means by which cultural works are produced, accessed, and understood in Ireland, and by doing so to contribute to the development of a more just society. Guided by feminist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist, and LGBTQI+-inclusive politics, A4 Sounds supports artists and activists who fight for change.
PRIVACY & YOUR INFORMATION
Data Protection
A4 Sounds acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the personal data of applicants to and beneficiaries of the residency award. Privacy and data protection rights are important to us and we are committed to protecting the privacy of individuals in relation to processing of personal data that we may seek, collect, and use or disclose. A4 Sounds will treat all personal information volunteered or sought with the highest standards of security and confidentiality, in accordance with data protection law and regulation and best practice approaches.
Data Management
A4 Sounds may seek, collect, and use or disclose personal information as part of its management of the We Only Want the Earth Awards. Information collected through the application process is used solely for the purpose of the management of the awards. Personal data will not be disclosed to any external third party, without consent, except where it is necessary to comply with statutory requirements. Application forms and supporting materials will be deleted after the selection process is complete.
Visit the WOWTE website to learn more about the programme’s exhibitions, events and particpating artists.
While we get all our work added to the WOWTE website, a full list of the programme outcomes, and artists and groups we have worked with can be found on our archive page.
We Only Want the Earth is kindly supported by The Arts Council’s Art Grant Funding 2020-2026