Creative Allianceaward
Baker Artist Awards
artgoat.comAward
- Who Can Apply: Individual artists and collectives age 21+ who are legal residents of the Baltimore region (Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Harford County, Howard County) for at least one year before the current portfolio season opened; staff/board of Creative Alliance, the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund and the Baltimore Community Foundation, and their immediate family, cannot receive an award.
- The Focus: Annual awards recognizing mastery of craft, depth of artistic exploration, and unique vision across six disciplines: Visual Arts 2D, Visual Arts 3D, Film & Photography, Interdisciplinary Art, Literary Arts, and Performing Arts.
- The Funding: Six Mary Sawyers Baker Prizes of $10,000 each (one per discipline); one of the six also receives an additional $30,000 Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize, for a total of $40,000.
- Key Requirements: Create or update a free Baker Artist Portfolios profile with work samples before the deadline; there is no submit button, as active portfolios are automatically copied for judging at the deadline. Round 1 jurors review a minimum of 4 work samples per portfolio.
DeadlineFriday, January 29, 2027
AwardSix Mary Sawyers Baker Prizes of $10,000 each (one per discipline); one of these six artists also receives an additional $30,000 Mary Sawyers Imboden Prize, for a total of $40,000.
Application fee$0
LocationBaltimore, MD
ParticipationRemote
Career stagesAll Stages
DisciplinesVisual Arts - 2D, Visual Arts - 3D, Film & Photography, Interdisciplinary Art, Literary Arts, Performing Arts
Age range21–
Application notesThere is no separate submit button: all artists with an active Baker Artist Portfolio at the deadline (Jan 29, 2027, 5:00 PM) are reviewed; creating a portfolio is free. Portfolios may be kept private and still be judged; individual projects may also be marked private. Round 1 jurors (2-3 local experts per discipline) review at least 4 work samples per portfolio; Round 2 uses one national expert per discipline reviewing 36 finalists. Previous awardees who received $20,000 or less remain eligible after one additional awards cycle. Residency cutoff date is inconsistent on the official site (awards page: resident since September 20, 2024; help/create-portfolio page: since September 20, 2025) - confirm with baker@creativealliance.org.
Post-selection obligations: Awardees must provide additional proof of age and residency.
Contactbaker@creativealliance.org
Creative Alliance
Organization based in Baltimore