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UC Berkeley South Asia Art Initiative Awards

Type: Awards, Grants, Fellowships [View all]
Posted by: University of California, Berkeley
Deadline: Sun, January 10th, 2027

The South Asia Art Initiative (SAAI) at UC Berkeley invites submissions for two annual prizes: 

The UC Berkeley South Asia Art & Architecture Dissertation Prize 

The UC Berkeley South Asia Art & Architecture Dissertation Prize recognizes an outstanding doctoral dissertation on the art, architecture, or visual cultures of South Asia and its diaspora, covering any period from prehistory to the present. Applicants may come from any discipline in the arts, humanities, or social sciences and must have formally submitted or successfully defended their dissertations at an accredited university in North America or Europe between September 2, 2025, and September 1, 2026. The 2027 Prize Committee: Atreyee Gupta (chair, UC Berkeley), Rebecca M. Brown, (Johns Hopkins University), Sylvia W. Houghteling (Bryn Mawr College), and Yuthika Sharma (Northwestern University).

The UC Berkeley South Asia Artist Prize

The UC Berkeley South Asia Artist Prize recognizes an outstanding body of work by an emerging artist who is part of the South Asian diaspora or whose work engages with the politics, histories, and cultures of South Asia and its diaspora. Applicants must have completed all requirements for a master’s degree in art practice or a related creative discipline at an accredited institution in North America or Europe between September 2, 2025, and September 1, 2026. The 2027 Prize Committee: Padma Dorje Maitland (chair, UC Berkeley), Chitra Ganesh (artist), Nour Aslam (Tate Modern), and Rajiv Menon (Rajiv Menon Contemporary).

Each prize carries a $1,500 award. The submission deadline for both prizes is January 10, 2027.

Email application materials to Puneeta Kala at pkala@berkeley.edu. Nomination letters submitted separately must arrive by the same deadline. Late submissions will not be accepted.

SAAI will announce the recipient on its website by March 14, 2027, and invite the awardee to present their work at a joint Zoom award ceremony with the UC Berkeley South Asia Art & Architecture Dissertation Prize recipient on Wednesday, April 14, 2027, at 9 a.m. Pacific Time. 

For eligibility requirements, submission guidelines, and previous awardees, visit https://southasia.berkeley.edu/art-awards

The South Asia Art Initiative

Institute for South Asia Studies

University of California, Berkeley

https://southasia.berkeley.edu/initiatives/south-asia-art-initiative

 

 

Posted on Fri, November 13th, 2026
Expires on Sun, January 10th, 2027

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