Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program 2027: Thrive

The 2027 Kennedy Center Access/VSA Emerging Young Artists Program is a juried career-development program and exhibition for young visual artists with disabilities. Fifteen selected artists each receive a $3,000 stipend, participate in virtual and in-person workshops, and have one submitted work exhibited in Washington, D.C. The theme invites artists to consider how their lives and art are flourishing, evolving, and growing.

How disabled artists' lives and art are flourishing, including how their work is evolving and how they are developing and growing.

Applicants must be visual artists with disabilities, ages 16–25, who live in the United States. Previous program winners may not reapply; group projects and artwork created with generative AI are ineligible. Eligible work must have been completed within the last three years and after the onset of disability. Two-dimensional work may not exceed 60 inches in height or width; packed three-dimensional work may not exceed 48 inches in any direction; perishable work is not accepted. Applicants must submit images or video of at least three different works as a portfolio, rather than multiple views of one work, plus four answers of up to 300 words addressing themselves, their process, the perspective they would bring, and future plans. Selected applicants must document disability, age, and US work authorization before the final round and must agree to publicly disclose their disability in program materials and appearances. Winners must attend virtual workshops on April 3, May 1, and June 5, 2027, and all-expenses-paid career-development workshops in Washington, D.C., June 14–18, 2027. Accommodations and alternate application formats may be requested through October 30, 2026. The submission portal opens August 24, 2026.