Fine Arts Awards

Fine Arts Awards

Amba Sayal-Bennett, Lor, 2022.
Lara Smithson, Unnamed saint, 2022.
Barbara Walker, Marking the Moment 6, 2020-2022.

Abbey Awards

The Abbey Awards support artists whose primary practice is painting—UK and US citizens or residents—who are ready to deepen, challenge, and evolve their work. These prestigious residencies offer a rare opportunity to live and create at the BSR, surrounded by a vibrant community of artists and scholars.

Each year, we offer:

  • Three Abbey Fellowships (3 months each) for mid-career artists

  • One Abbey Scholarship (9 months) for an early-career artist

Award-holders receive a spacious, live-in studio in our historic building, shared communal meals, and a monthly stipend to support focused, uninterrupted creative work.

At the BSR, artists are given the freedom to reflect, experiment, and grow—immersed in the visual richness and layered history of Rome. Whether developing new ideas or refining your practice, the Abbey Awards provide the time and space to thrive.

Eligibility: Open to UK and US citizens and long-term residents (resident for a consecutive 5 of the last 10 years). There is no age limit.

Applications open each October. Click here to learn more and apply.

Latest Events

Latest Events

ITALY
City of Rome | Resurrecting a ‘Ghost Inscription’ from the Colosseum
This paper offers a detailed reconsideration of inscribed blocks found in the ‘Colosseum’, which were reused in late antiquity, leaving behind only dowel holes from
6 May 2026
18:00 - 19:30
ITALY
Material Environments | New Evidence for Roman History and Archaeology from the Science of the Human Past
This is the  final in a series of five lectures on Material Environments, hosted jointly by the American Academy in Rome and the British School at Rome over the
13 May 2026
18:00 - 19:30 at the American Academy in Rome
ITALY
City of Rome Workshop | From Itineraria to Instagram: Approaches to Visiting Rome from Antiquity to the Present Day
Guidebooks, prints, maps, photographs, and social media have all been used to convey the history and physical heritage of Rome to travellers, actual and prospective.
20 May 2026
15:30 - 18:30

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