Creative Arts Awards
The Division of the Arts offers awards annually to students, staff, and faculty in the arts. Funding totaling $130,000 is available for creative arts research, outreach, and achievement.
The application window is open now through December 15, 2026.
Application Timeline
Applications Open
Application window is open
Now – December 15
Review
Applications are reviewed by committee
January through February
Notification
Applicants are notified
Mid-March
Award Ceremony
The public award ceremony will be held on
April 19, 2027
Fund Distribution
The award funds are distributed during
Spring Semester
Application Instructions
Start the process here to review eligibility and instructions.
The application needs to be completed in one sitting, so we recommend preparing all your materials first, using this guide.
Examples of successful applications are also available -by request- for reference.
Please send application questions to caa@arts.wisc.edu.
The Awards
Undergraduate Student Arts Research and Achievement
Lyman S.V. Judson and Ellen Mackechnie Judson Student Award in the Creative Arts
The Lyman S.V. Judson and Ellen Mackechnie Judson Student Award in the Creative Arts is presented to an undergraduate and graduate student in the creative arts “who has made the greatest contribution to the field(s) of study covered.”
Up to two awards provide support in the amount of $2,500 each.
2026 Recipients:
- Elizabeth Larson, Computer Science, Philosophy, Photography (Certificate)
- Jameson Milhaupt, Theatre and Drama
The Studio Awards
The Studio Award recognizes achievement and provides support for arts projects, research, and service. The award is eligible to active residents of The Studio, a residential learning community that brings together first-year student artists from diverse majors.
Undergraduate Arts Award
Funded by the Division of the Arts, the Undergraduate Arts Award supports undergraduate students working across disciplines to create work and/or to conduct scholarly research. Full-time undergraduate students enrolled in creative arts academic programs at UW–Madison during the spring semester of the award year and their collaborators are eligible.
The award provides support in the amount of $1,000.
2026 Recipients:
- Bryce Dailey, Consumer Behavior & Marketplace Studies
- Matthew Lyga, Textile Fashion Design
- Ahema Odeng-Out, Art, Graphic Design
- Justin Russell, Elementary Education
- Vivian Ye, Art BFA
Graduate Student Arts Research and Achievement
David and Edith Sinaiko Frank Graduate Award in the Arts
The David and Edith Sinaiko Frank Graduate Award in the Arts is designed to support and encourage graduate students in the visual and performing arts by providing them with an opportunity to present their work in public. It is not intended as a teaching award or an award for excellence in scholarship.
The award provides support in the amount of $2,500.
Graduate Student Arts Award
Funded by the Division of the Arts,the Graduate Student Creative Arts Award supports artistic performances, exhibitions (including curatorial exhibitions), readings, and research necessary to develop arts programming.
The award provides support in the amount of $2,000.
2026 Recipients:
- Tanya Habjouqa, MFA Photography
- Tina Rose Rea Meister, Painting / Interdisciplinary Art
- Maurice Norman, MFA in Creative Writing (Poetry)
- Blue Rachapradit & Aida Arosoaie, Fine Arts
- Lars Shimabukuro, Design Studies MFA 2nd Year
- Christie Tirado, MFA in Print, Book and paper
Lyman S.V. Judson and Ellen Mackechnie Judson Student Award in the Creative Arts
The Lyman S.V. Judson and Ellen Mackechnie Judson Student Award in the Creative Arts is presented to an undergraduate and graduate student in the creative arts “who has made the greatest contribution to the field(s) of study covered.”
Up to two awards provide support in the amount of $2,500 each.
2026 Recipients:
- Emily Nott, Curriculum and Instruction
- Anne E. Stoner, Art
Janice and Jean-Pierre Golay Award for the Visual Arts
Eligibility: Graduate students in Art or Art History enrolled at UW–Madison during the spring of the award year.
The Janice and Jean-Pierre Golay Award for the Visual Arts supports a graduate student enrolled at UW–Madison during the spring of 2027 in either the Art or Art History Departments and is based on merit, including quality of graduate work.
The award provides support in the amount of $1,000.
Faculty Arts Research Awards
Bassett Arts Award
Funded by the generosity of the Norman Bassett Estate Fund, the Bassett Arts Award (formerly the Creative Arts Award) recognizes and honors extraordinary artistic projects and endeavors of the highest quality carried out by UW–Madison creative arts instructors. The award supports general creative arts research for projects beginning July 1, 2027. Past recipients are ineligible to apply.
New this year: Eligibility is expanded to include current UW–Madison instructors in the creative arts, including tenured, tenure-track, teaching faculty, academic staff instructors, and lecturers.
Emily Mead Baldwin Professorship in the Creative Arts
The Emily Mead Baldwin Professorship in the Creative Arts recognizes and honors extraordinary artistic projects and endeavors of the highest quality carried out by tenured or tenure-track members of the UW–Madison creative arts faculty.
Up to two awards provide support in the amount of $25,000 each.
Staff and Faculty Arts Outreach
Joyce J. and Gerald A. Bartell Award in the Arts
The Joyce J. and Gerald A. Bartell Award in the Arts recognizes and honors the achievements of UW–Madison faculty and staff across a broad range of activities and services in the creative arts.
- Applicants may nominate themselves or be nominated by a colleague or department.
- A nominee’s achievements should constitute meritorious contributions beyond the expected duties of one’s position in areas of outreach, public service, and/or other enterprises involving the larger community.
- Applicants will be asked to provide a letter from the nominating department or program chair and a letter of support from a project partner describing the impact of the nominee’s contributions in the community.
- The award may be used for teaching, research, and/or public service activities.
- Any department or program unit may nominate one applicant each year. The award will not be granted within the same discipline more than two years in a row.
- Past recipients are ineligible to reapply.
The award provides support in the amount of $10,000.
Edna Wiechers Arts in Wisconsin Award
The Edna Wiechers Arts in Wisconsin Awardseeks to enrich cultural offerings and inspire future artists in Wisconsin communities underserved by the arts. The award supports faculty or staff in the creation of new art works in areas both emerging and traditional and/or the presentation of new or existing works of art across the state.
The award provides support in the amount of $5,000.