Betty Bowen Application and Selection Process

Visual artists working in Washington, Oregon or Idaho are invited to apply for the Seattle Art Museum’s annual Betty Bowen Award.

The Betty Bowen award has provided artists with an opportunity to introduce their work to SAM’s curators of modern and contemporary art and the Betty Bowen Committee members, and to have their work critiqued by their peers. Each year, two artists are selected to serve as rotating members of the committee.

How do I apply?

The application becomes available in June at www.callforentry.org. The deadline for submission is August. There is a $10 application fee. Entries must be submitted online. SAM is not able to process applications sent by standard mail.

Who is eligible for the award?

Visual artists working in Washington, Oregon or Idaho. Sorry, no performing arts.

How are the winners chosen?

The jury is in two parts. In part one, approximately five finalists are selected from among the entries (approximately 500). Finalists are contacted and their names are released to the press. They are asked to submit additional materials and are invited to present their work to the committee individually. After this review process, the committee selects one award winner plus any Special Recognition Award winners they wish to honor. View a list of past winners. Selection is based on but not limited to the following perceptions:

• The quality of the work submitted for review
• The creativity and skill of the artist
• The artist's commitment to developing their work
• The impact the award will have on the artist
• How developed the artist is in their career
  
  

For more information about the application process email bettybowen@seattleartmuseum.org.

What is the Betty Bowen Award?

Betty Bowen (1918–1977) was a Washington native and enthusiastic supporter of Northwest artists. Her friends established the annual Betty Bowen Award as a celebration of her life and to honor and continue her efforts to provide financial support to the artists of the region. Since 1977, the Seattle Art Museum has hosted the yearly grant application process by which the Betty Bowen committee chooses one visual artist working in Washington, Oregon or Idaho to receive an unrestricted cash award.

The Betty Bowen committee will announce the amount of this year’s award when the finalists are announced in September. Last year’s Betty Bowen award recipient received an unrestricted $15,000 award. In addition, the committee awarded $2,500 to the recipient of the PONCHO Special Recognition award and $2,500 to the Kayla Skinner Special Recognition award winner.