The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has opened applications for the Rosy James Memorial Trust Award, offering three Emerging Maker Awards of up to £5,000 for early-career craft practitioners and one Major Award of up to £20,000 for an established designer-maker. Applications close at 12 noon on Monday, November 9, 2026. The Emerging Maker Awards are aimed at craft practitioners or designer-makers in the early stages of their professional careers — typically with fewer than five years of professional practice — who are developing their artistic voice and beginning to build recognition among critics, galleries, and other audiences. The Major Award targets established craftspeople or designer-makers with national or international recognition who are seeking to develop or create ambitious new work with a significant creative outcome. The bursaries are designed to fund a new body of work that would otherwise be unattainable. The award was established in 2014 and is administered by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, founded through the generosity of Rosemary "Rosy" James, a Belfast-born patron of the arts who died in 2010 and bequeathed more than £500,000 to help artists and craft makers pursue their careers. Previous recipients include glass artist Scott Benefield, silversmiths Stuart Cairns and Cara Murphy, stone sculptor Sheena Devitt, and ceramicists Alison Lowry, Eleanor Wheeler, and Derek Wilson. "Rosy's incredible passion for the arts demonstrates the power of philanthropic giving to create lasting impact," said Dr Suzanne Lyle, the Arts Council's head of visual arts. She noted that the awards give artists the chance to devote a year to developing their creative practice and producing work of high quality and international interest.