PARA Fellowship Programme

Opportunity type: Fellowship

For: Art writers, cultural practitioners (including writers, artists, curators, journalists, and academics 

Deadline: 20/07/2025

Rewards: UP to 3,000 AED, Fully funded one-week residency in Sharjah, Mentorship + more

Location Eligibility:Africa

About this opportunity

Sharjah Art Foundation, in collaboration with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, Asia Art Archive, and Contemporary And (C&), invites applications for PARA, a fellowship program supporting critical writing on contemporary art. PARA is designed to explore alternative approaches to art criticism and cultivate a vibrant transnational community of writers.

Selected fellows will:

• Publish two critical texts

• Join biweekly online seminars (Jan–June 2026)

• Receive tailored mentorship

• Attend a fully funded residency in Sharjah (March 2026)

The program emphasizes writing that is close to its subject while opening up broader cultural and artistic conversations, and encourages innovative, situated, and multilingual approaches to criticism. You must be available for the full program: online seminars (Jan–June 2026), residency (March 2026), editorial process (June–August 2026)

Rewards

• AED 2,000 writer’s fee for publication in the PARA compilation

• AED 3,000 writer’s fee for publication in the themed anthology

• Mentorship with seasoned art critics

• One-week fully funded residency in Sharjah

• Opportunities for publication, collaboration, and professional growth

Eligibility

Free to apply

How to Apply 

Apply using the link: PARA Fellowship Programme

All questions regarding this award should be sent to para@sharjahart.org