2026 Fall Creative Award for Houston Women Artists
The Wendy Wagner Foundation

Applications open September 1, 2026.

The Wendy Wagner Foundation Creative Award provides grants for women visual artists who live and work in Houston or Harris County.


Three unrestricted grants will be awarded:

First Award: $5,000
Second Award: $2,500
Third Award: $1,000

Application Deadline: October 1, 2026

Award Overview

The Wendy Wagner Foundation Creative Award program was established in 2018 to preserve the spirit, vision, and legacy of artist Wendy Wagner.

The program recognizes exceptional talent among women working in contemporary visual art and provides unrestricted financial support to selected artists.

Important Dates

September 1, 2026: Call for Artists begins
October 1, 2026: Deadline for entries
October 15, 2026: Finalists notified
November 1, 2026: Grant recipients notified

Who Can Apply

The 2026 Fall Creative Award is open to women contemporary visual artists age 21 or older who live and work in Houston or Harris County.

Individual artists and collaboratives working in visual media are encouraged to apply at any stage of their careers.

Applicants must:

  • Live and work in Houston or Harris County, Texas.
  • Have resided in Houston or Harris County for at least one year before the application deadline.
  • Not be currently enrolled in an art related degree program or planning to attend one in the coming year.
  • Not be related to a Wendy Wagner Foundation director.

Eligible Visual Media

Visual artists working in a wide range of media may apply. Eligible work includes painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, installation, video or film stills, and other new or alternative visual media.

Collaboratives may apply through a single application. One member of the collaborative should serve as the primary contact.

The Creative Award does not accept submissions for music, theatre, or dance.

How to Apply

Email the following materials to grants@wendywagnerfoundation.org:

  • A link to your website, if available.
  • Three to five digital files of your work.
  • A CV, resume, or brief bio that includes your name and contact information, including a mobile number and Harris County home or studio address.
  • An artist statement of no more than 250 words that provides insight into your submitted work, creative vision, and process. You may also include relevant information about special processes or techniques used to create the work.

Please label each submitted file with your full name and its contents.

For example: sally.smith.resume.pdf or sally.smith.image1.jpg

Please note that we are unable to email confirmation of received submissions. All applicants will be notified of the results after the review process is complete.

Selection Process

A select panel of Houston artists, collectors, and Wendy Wagner Foundation directors will review the submissions.

WWF requires jurors to disclose potential conflicts of interest. If a relationship with an applicant could compromise a juror’s ability to act as a neutral evaluator, that juror must abstain from voting on the applicant.

All applicants will be notified when the review process is complete. The names and work of the grant recipients, along with links to their websites when available, will be published on the Wendy Wagner Foundation website.

Questions?

If you have questions about the Fall 2026 Creative Award or application process, please contact us through our website contact form or email grants@wendywagnerfoundation.org.

About the Wendy Wagner Foundation

The Wendy Wagner Foundation for Funding Creativity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing ongoing support to creative women who impact our lives through their art.

The 2026 Fall Creative Award will provide three unrestricted grants to women visual artists in the greater Houston area who demonstrate original expression in contemporary art.

Right to Reproduce

The Wendy Wagner Foundation for Funding Creativity reserves the right to photograph exhibited work and to use those photographs or an artist’s submitted images in printed and electronic materials for publicity and promotion.