Awards & Bursaries

Please see below for open and upcoming Awards. If you would like to express an interest in an Award, even if it is currently closed, please contact Sandie Mattioli.

Current Awards:

The Cockpit Arts / Leathersellers’ Award

Open all year round, applications accepted on a rolling basis

Download an application form here in Word or .pdf format

Please contact sandie@cockpitarts.com for further information

These Awards are generously sponsored by The Leathersellers’ Company Charitable Fund. The prestigious Cockpit Arts / Leathersellers’ Awards are intended for talented makers who are seeking business development support to take their creative business to the next level. In return for a place at Cockpit Arts, the winners will be required to develop new work where leather is a major constituent. Previous award winners include Laura Amstein (2012), Benjamin John Hall (2013-14), Georgina Brett Chinnery, Ben Elbel, Maria McLean and Mark Tallowin (2014), Fflur Owen, Candice Lau and Asdrubal Barreto-Abreu (2015) Charlie Laurie (2016), Joost Pasman and Harry Owen (2017).

The Cockpit Arts / Radcliffe Craft Development Award

Currently closed for entries: Next round Autumn 2018

This Award is generously sponsored by The Radcliffe Trust. The Award is intended for a talented maker with a commitment to high quality craftsmanship, who demonstrates a clear need and commitment to developing their craft skill. As well as a subsidised place at Cockpit Arts for one year, the winner will receive a £1,000 bursary towards a craft development programme of their choice. The outgoing Awardee is Vanessa Hogge (2017) and the incoming Awardee is Hannah Refaat (2018).

The Cockpit Arts Ceramic Residency

Currently closed for entries: Next round Autumn 2018

We are pleased to announce the launch of our inaugural Ceramic Residency, which will support a ceramicist who has a strong desire to experiment and take risks with their practice. We are looking for makers who demonstrate originality, innovation, creativity, craft skill and quality in the work and concepts presented. The Award will be open to UK-based ceramicists not currently based at Cockpit Arts. Supported by a Circle of Patrons, the successful applicant will be provided with a dedicated studio at our south London premises, the provision of a kiln and business support. The incoming Resident is Victoria Andrew (2018).

The Cockpit Arts / Haberdashers’ Award

Currently closed for entries

The Cockpit Arts / The Haberdashers’ Awards aim to assist makers working in knit to set up in business by providing studio space and business support provided by Cockpit Arts. These Awards are generously supported by The Haberdashers’ Company, with additional support from The Framework Knitters’ Company. Previous Award winners include Carlo Volpi and Claire Anne O’Brien (2014), Katie Jones, Genevieve Sweeney and Caitlin Charles-Jones (2015), and Olivia Holland and Mila Harris-Mussi (2016).

The Cockpit Arts / The Arts Society Award

Currently closed for entries

This annual Award is supported by The Arts Society (formerly The National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies or NADFAS) and supports a maker practicing a traditional craft that requires skills at risk of dying out. Since 2012, the Award has been organised in conjunction with the Heritage Crafts Association. Previous Award winners include Thomas von Nordheim (2007), Tamasyn Gambell (2008), Tobye Le Vaillant (2009), Alex Bishop (2010), Shaun Grace (2012), Alex Potter (2013), Sarah Kelly (2014),  Beth Lewis-Williams (2015) and Lucy McGrath (2016). Additional Awardees include Camilla Lee Lambert (2015 – The David Bell Memorial Award) and Mariano Palencia Crespo (2016 – The Arts Society Greater London Award).

The Cockpit Arts Artist-Maker Residency 2016-18

Currently closed for entries

In celebration of our 30^th Anniversary and with support from Arts Council England, we are delighted to announce the inaugural Cockpit Arts 2016 Artist-Maker Residency. The Residency is a unique development opportunity for an artist-maker whose practice is based in craft and explores ideas and concepts. Cockpit Arts will provide a support structure for the selected artist-maker to develop their work and ideas, and at the same time work towards a sustainable model of practice. The current Award winner is Jane Hoodless.

The Cockpit Arts / Clear Insurance Award

Currently closed for entries

Clear Insurance Management continue to show their commitment to supporting creative businesses; having run The Clear Insurance Scheme for Craft Workers & Designer-makers since November 2002. This Award which specifically aims to support professional makers who have been in business for less than three years and have aspirations to develop their craft business. Previous Award winners include Sara Gunn (2014), Matthew Warner (2015) and Leah Jensen (2016).

The Cockpit Arts / The Clothworkers’ Company Awards

Currently closed for entries

Open to graduates within the last five years, these awards aim to assist weavers to set up in business by providing studio space and business support provided by Cockpit Arts as well as shared use of looms. The selection panel looks for individuals who demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit as well as creative excellence and craft skills. Weavers can be working in any form, for example, creating products; visual art; working with mills and making samples for industry. The Awards include space in a shared studio equipped with Leclerc, Louet and new ARM looms, a dye area and a number of other benefits. Previous Award Winners include Laura Adburgham, Soukaina Aziz El Idrissi, Teresa Georgallis, Catarina Riccabona, Nadia-Anne Ricketts, Cassandra Smith, Lisa Bloomer (2012-13), Emma Calvert, Calum Clarke, Beatrice Larkin, Aisha I Qazi, Josefin Tissingh (2014-15), Rowenna Mason, Maria Stavrapoulou (2015-16), Majeda Clarke, Fiona Faumuina, Carmen Machado (2016-17), Alice Timmis and Claire Whelan (2017-18).

The Cockpit Arts / Worshipful Company of Turners Award

Currently closed for entries

This Award supported by the Worshipful Company of Turners aims to help an aspiring or established turner i.e. someone who practices the art and craft of turning on a lathe in wood or other materials to develop their craft practice and business by providing a sponsored place at Cockpit Arts for a year including studio and support services. Previous Award winners include Eleanor Lakelin and Frank Boggis Rolfe (2011), Chloe Robertson (2012), Matthew Corbishley (2014) and Darren Appiagyei (2017).

Awards Schedule

Our Awards programme helps to support the next creative generation, by providing sponsored places at our creative business incubators. We run four rounds of Awards each year, the schedule for the coming months is as follows:

Autumn 2018
Announced: September 2018
Deadline: October 2018
Start date: January 2019

Winter 2019
Announced: January 2019
Deadline: February 2019
Start date: May 2019

Spring 2019
Announced: March 2019
Deadline: April 2019
Start date: July 2019

Summer 2019
Announced: June 2019
Deadline: July 2019
Start date: September 2019

Please email Sandie Mattioli for more information.

Visit the “Apply for a Studio” page to see the key dates for all other applications, FAQs and application information.

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