SOLA Awards
Forecasted
SOLA Awards support older women visual artists in Washington State with unrestricted funding to honor their lifetime contributions and continuing practice, particularly those whose work is underrecognized.
Funder: Artist Trust
Due Dates (Anticipated): March 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $5,000 unrestricted awards; ten awards in the 2026 cycle
Summary: Unrestricted support honoring the lifetime contributions of older women visual artists in Washington State, particularly underrecognized artists.
Key Information: Applicants must be female-identified visual artists, age 60 or older, with at least 25 years of art-making.
Description
Artist Trust administers the SOLA (Support Old Lady Artists) Awards to honor, encourage, and celebrate women’s lifetime contributions to the visual arts. Founded in 2016 by Seattle artist Ginny Ruffner and sustained by contributions from Ruffner and her friends, the annual awards support Washington State artists whose work has not been sufficiently or widely recognized. Funding is unrestricted rather than tied to a prescribed project.
The program recognizes artistic excellence, professional accomplishment, and continuing dedication to artistic practice. One of the ten awards specifically honors a BIPOC artist, supporting SOLA and Artist Trust’s efforts to reverse historic inequities in arts funding. Reviewers apply a racial equity lens and consider geographic diversity, including how structural, institutional, and historical barriers affect artists’ work and careers.
