Fine Arts Awards

Fine Arts Awards

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

Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust / RSA Houston Blackadder Bequest Award

Ready to shake up your practice in one of the world’s most inspiring cities? This six-week residency in Rome offers Scotland-based artists the time, space, and creative stimulus to develop bold new work in an extraordinary setting shaped by centuries of art and ideas.
Offered by the BSR in partnership with the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust and the Royal Scottish Academy, the award places you at the heart of a vibrant international community of artists and researchers. You’ll live and work at the BSR, immersed in Rome’s layered history while engaging with a forward-looking, critically engaged artistic environment.
Residents receive curatorial support, facilitated access to archives, museums, and historic sites, weekly Italian classes, and 24/7 use of the BSR library. A lively programme of visits, workshops, and events encourages exchange and experimentation, with opportunities to connect with local practitioners and share work during the BSR Open Studios.


Eligibility: Applicants must be of British or Commonwealth nationality and resident in Scotland.


Application Deadline: 1 May 2026


Click here to learn more and apply.

Latest Events

Latest Events

ITALY
Exhibition | 125 years of archaeology at the British School at Rome
As part of the celebrations of the 125th anniversary of the British School at Rome, a small photographic exhibition will be held celebrating its archaeological
15 October 2026
18:00 - 21:00
ITALY
Rushforth Lecture | Converging Romeward: British Visitors to Mediaeval Rome
British visitors to Rome in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries provide unique insights of the mediaeval cityscape and its inhabitants. They scrutinize ancient ruins and
28 October 2026
18:00 - 19:30
ITALY
Exhibition | Cent’anni a Roma: The Abbey Awards, 1926–2026
Founded by Gertrude Abbey in 1926, the Incorporated Edwin Austin Abbey Memorial Scholarships (now the Abbey Awards) have supported generations of British and American painters
4 November 2026
18:00 - 21:00

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