Antarctic Artists and Writers Program | 19 568

Opportunity Information: Apply for 19 568

The Antarctic Artists and Writers Program is a National Science Foundation (NSF) opportunity tied to the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP), the federal effort that runs and supports U.S. scientific research and education in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Instead of funding science experiments directly, this program is designed to bring artists and writers into the Antarctic environment so they can create work that helps the public better understand Antarctica and what people are doing there, especially the scientific work. The central goal is public interpretation: translating the experience of the continent and the research conducted there into writing, visual art, and other creative outputs that can deepen understanding and appreciation among U.S. audiences.

NSF gives clear priority to projects that interpret and represent ongoing scientific activities in Antarctica, rather than projects focused mainly on personal travel narratives or general-interest reporting. The program is not intended to support short, news-style coverage that is essentially journalistic in nature, and it also does not support site installations or performances that would take place in Antarctica itself. A key requirement is that the final work must be aimed at audiences in the United States and must be distributed or exhibited in the United States, meaning applicants need to show how their work will reach the public back home through publications, exhibits, screenings, or other U.S.-based venues.

Because of the realities of operating in Antarctica, the program is built around logistical access rather than cash support. Successful applicants do not receive direct funding from the program for expenses such as artist fees, production costs, or post-processing. Instead, NSF/USAP provides the logistical support necessary to carry out the field component of the project, along with round-trip economy airfare between the United States and the Southern Hemisphere. The logistical platform available can include access to USAPs three year-round Antarctic stations, seasonal summer research camps, two research vessels, and the surface and air transportation systems that connect them. In practice, the program is offering a way to embed alongside or near Antarctic operations, but within the constraints and priorities of a working research program.

Project scale is also tightly defined. Field teams are generally expected to be small, typically no more than one or two people. Proposals involving larger crews, such as television or documentary film teams, are not automatically excluded, but they are treated differently and applicants are directed to consult the cognizant Artists and Writers (AAW) Program Officer before moving forward. That same pre-submission contact is strongly encouraged for all applicants, since Antarctic logistics have unique constraints, and proposals can fail for reasons unrelated to artistic merit if their support needs cannot be met.

A notable feature of this opportunity is that feasibility screening can happen before peer review. If NSF Polar Programs determines that a projects logistical requirements cannot be supported in the upcoming field season, the proposal may be returned without review, which makes early coordination and realistic planning especially important. The solicitation lists this as a discretionary grant opportunity under NSF (CFDA 47.050), with an expected number of awards around four for the referenced cycle. The award ceiling is listed as zero to reflect that the benefit is logistical support rather than a direct cash award. The original posting information for the cited cycle shows a creation date of March 20, 2019, with an original closing date of July 1, 2019, though applicants would need to verify current deadlines and conditions for any present-day submission.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Antarctic Artists and Writers Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.050.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 20, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 01, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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