ABOUT THE EDGE AWARD
Maria Korol, Edge Award 2020 Winner. Perdiendo la realidad. 2020. Soft and oil pastels on panel. 12” x 16.”
In 1999, as a response to dwindling public support for individual artists in the metro Atlanta area, the Forward Arts Foundation instituted the Emerging Artist Award (EAA). In 2019, the Emerging Artist Award was renamed the Edge Award in honor of Betty and Bob Edge, who helped found the award twenty years prior.
Artists are nominated by a rotating panel of independent arts professionals from the Atlanta arts community. The winner and four finalists are chosen by the panel after two rounds of jurying. The award is overseen by non-voting Forward Arts Foundation Edge Award Committee members who serve as administrators.
Criteria for the award: artists must be early-career or under-recognized; have no major solo exhibitions; no current or exclusive gallery representation; must reside in the metro Atlanta area for at least two years prior to being nominated; and must be out of an educational institution for one year prior to nomination.
Each Edge Award winner receives $10,000 to pursue new work, a 2-week residency at the Hambidge Center, mentorship opportunities, and a solo exhibition at the Swan Coach House Gallery. The remaining four finalists receive $2000 each and exhibit one piece in the Swan Coach House Gallery front space during the Edge Award Exhibition.