Art Awards

Literary Awards

The distinguished Joseph Henry Jackson, James Duval Phelan, and Mary Tanenbaum Literary Awards, sponsored by The San Francisco Foundation and administered by Intersection for the Arts since 1991, are offered annually in the amount of $2,000 or $3,000 each to encourage young writers (20 to 35 years old), who are either California-born or currently residing in Northern California or Nevada, for an unpublished manuscript-in-progress. 2006 marks the sixth annual Tanenbaum Award in Nonfiction, the 49th annual Jackson Award, and the 69th annual Phelan Award. In addition to the cash award, winners will be invited to participate in a public reading at Intersection for the Arts, and the winning manuscripts will be permanently housed at UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library.

Joseph Henry Jackson Literary Award

Applicants must be residents of northern California or the state of Nevada for three consecutive years immediately prior to the contest deadline. The unpublished work in progress may be fiction (novel or short stories), nonfiction prose, or poetry. An award of $3,000 is presented to the winner.

James Duval Phelan Literary Award

Applicants must have been born in the state of California, but need not be current residents. The unpublished work-in-progress submitted may be fiction, nonfiction prose, poetry, or drama. An award of $2,000 is presented to the winner.

Tanenbaum Award in Nonfiction

Applicants for the Tanenbaum Award in Nonfiction Prose must be residents of northern California or the state of Nevada for three consecutive years immediately prior to the contest deadline. An award of $2,000 is presented to the winner.

These are highly competitive awards, with manuscript submissions coming from every region of the United States, including Massachusetts, New York, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Iowa, Washington, Maryland, Texas, Washington DC, and all parts of California. The award-winning manuscripts by Karan Mahajan, Akemi Johnson, and Jasmin Darznik were chosen from over 150 manuscripts of fiction (novels and short stories), poetry, nonfictional prose, and drama. This year's competition was judged by Paul S. Flores, Susan Griffin, and Andrew Leland.

About these Awards

Joseph Henry Jackson moved to California after WWI and became editor of Sunset Magazine from 1926-28. From 1924-1943 he hosted the radio program "Bookman's Guide," and in 1930 he became literary editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, continuing in that role for the rest of his life and gaining national prominence. He was also the author or editor of some dozen books, often concerning California history. He served on many literary boards, including the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Harper Prize Novel, and the Pulitzer Prize. In his book columns and by personal contact, Jackson was always interested in discovering and encouraging new writers. Appropriately, his friends established the Jackson Award after his death in 1955.

James Duval Phelan was born, raised, and educated in San Francisco before entering the family banking business. In 1897 he ran for mayor of San Francisco, was elected and re-elected twice, gaining a great reputation for drafting a new city charter and beautifying the city through new parks and playgrounds. Later elected to the U.S. Senate, he served as a Democrat from 1915 to 1921. During his lifetime he encouraged and financially aided writers, artists, and musicians, for whom he provided very generously through his will after his death in 1930.

Mary Tanenbaum began her career as a journalist after graduating from Stanford in 1936. Her first work was book reviewing with Joseph Henry Jackson for the San Francisco Chronicle, and her articles on books, travel, fashion, and personalities have appeared in the Chronicle, The New York Times, and The Christian Science Monitor. The Mary Tanenbaum Award was made permanent in 2000 by her husband Charles in memory of Ms. Tanenbaum's legacy as an author.

Recent Award Winners

2007 Winners

Joseph Henry Jackson Literary Award
Nathanael Malae - In recognition of his outstanding fiction manuscript, What We Are.

James Duval Phelan Award
Tung-Hui Hu - In recognition of his outstanding poetry manuscript Greenhouses, Lighthouses.

Tanenbaum Award in Nonfiction
Roxanna Font - In recognition of her outstanding non-fiction manuscript The Fig Tree.

2006 Winners

Joseph Henry Jackson Literary Award
Karan Mahajan - In recognition of his outstanding fiction manuscript, What's a Flyover to a Family?.

James Duval Phelan Award
Akemi Johnson - In recognition of her outstanding poetry manuscript Assigned to Okinawa.

Tanenbaum Award in Nonfiction
Jasmin Darznik - In  recognition of her outstanding nonfiction manuscript, Pomegranates in the Bath.

2005 Winners

Joseph Henry Jackson Literary Award
Tom Kealey - In recognition of his outstanding short story manuscripts, The Boots and Coyotes.

James Duval Phelan Award
Diana Marie Delgado - In recognition of her outstanding play manuscript, The Doll Age.

Tanenbaum Award in Nonfiction
Abeer Hoque - In recognition of her outstanding nonfiction manuscript, Olive Witch: An American Dream. 

James D. Phelan Art Awards

The James D. Phelan Art Awards were established by the trust of James D. Phelan (1861-1930), former San Francisco Mayor, United States Senator, and arts supporter, to recognize the achievements of California-born artists in a variety of disciplines.

The San Francisco Foundation sponsors the annual competitions to recognize the achievements of California-born artists in four different disciplines: film, photography, printmaking, and video. Awards are made in film and video in even-numbered years and in photography and printmaking in odd-numbered years.

Winning applicants will be asked to provide copies of their birth certificates. There are no age restrictions for these awards. Up to six awards ($2,500 to $7,500) are made each year. The competitions are administered in partnership with four community-based arts organizations and are only open to California-born artists.

Phelan Award in Photography 2009 

The Phelan Award in Photography is administered by SF Camerawork. Three awards of $2,500 each are given in odd years, and winners are showcased at SF Camerawork in a group exhibition.

NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE: May, 2009.

2007 Winners
Geoffrey Ellis, San Francisco
Apollonia Morrill, Berkeley
Walt Odets, Berkeley

Honorable Mentions:
Rebecca Goldfarb, San Francisco
Kirk Thomson, Berkeley
Sergio De La Torre, Oakland

2005 Winners
Sean McFarland
Arne Svenson
Amir Zaki

Phelan Award in Printmaking 2009

The Phelan Award in Printmaking is administered by The Kala Art Institute. The awards are made to two artists in 2007; each will receive $4,000 and be invited to participate in a group exhibition in the Kala Art Institute's gallery.

NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE: The Phelan Award in Printmaking is awarded on odd-numbered years.  The next award will be given out in 2009.  Applications will be due at Kala in May, 2009.  Check our website after January 15, 2009 to download the application.

2007 Winners
Diane Rosenblum Althoff
Randy Hussong

The juror for the 2007 awards was Berin Golonu, a curator at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

2005 Winners
Jesse Gottesman
Cynthia Ona Innis
Matthew Hopson-Walker

The juror for the 2005 awards was Janet Bishop, of the San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art.

Phelan Award in Film, Video, and Digital Media 2008

The San Francisco Foundation is honored to announce the 13^th biennial James D. Phelan Art Award in Video, Film, and Digital Media.  In partnership with the Bay Area Video Coalition and the Film Arts Foundation, we will award one $10,000 prize and two $5,000 prizes.  The Phelan Awards are given to California-born media artists whose body of work merits recognition for its creativity, innovation, and contribution to the fields of film, video, and digital media. Eligible platforms include film, analog and digital time-based video, installation work, web, interactive and mobile media, and hybrid projects.

Award winners for the 2008 Phelan Award in Film, Video and Digital Media will be notified by May 30, 2008.

2006 Winners
Diana Thater
Alfonso Alvarez
Melinda Stone

Murphy and Cadogan Fellowships in the Fine Arts 2008

In support of emerging student artists, the Murphy and Cadogan Fellowships in the Fine Arts offer multiple awards of $3,500 to Bay Area fine arts graduate students for continued academic study. These fellowships assist local artists in developing and exploring their artistic potential. In addition to the monetary award, the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery sponsors an annual exhibit featuring the work of the Murphy and Cadogan Fellowship winners. The number of awards vary per year.

NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE: Deadline is 5:00 pm on Monday, May 5, 2008. Applications must be submitted electronically this year via our online application form. Click here to learn more and to access the online form.

How to apply: Click here for complete information and to access the online application form.

Applicant must be a graduate fine arts student at one of the following eight Bay Area colleges and universities:

• Academy of Art College
• California College of the Arts
• John F. Kennedy University
• Mills College
• San Francisco Art Institute
• San Francisco State University
• Stanford University
• University of California at Berkeley

The 2007 Recipients of the Murphy and Cadogan Fellowships in the Fine Arts:
Adrianne Watson, California College of the Arts
Ann Kim, Mills University
Brent Vest, San Francisco Art Institute
Cameron Hockenson, San Francisco Art Institute
Danny Keith, California College of the Arts
Ethan Worden, Mills University
Greg Gandy, Academy of Art University
Ian Everard, San Francisco State University
Jason Jakaitis, San Francisco State University
Jenna North, San Francisco Art Institute
Jennifer Brommer, San Francisco Art Institute
Jessica Rosen, California College of the Arts
Jody Medich, San Francisco Art Institute
Lizabeth Rossof, San Francisco State University
Marci Washington, California College of the Arts
Marque Cornblatt, San Francisco State University
Matthew Bonner, San Francisco Art Institute
Matthew Jones, Stanford University
Michelle Blade, California College of the Arts
Sara Thacher, California College of the Arts
Steven Allen, San Francisco State University
Taha Belal, California College of the Arts
Trisha Grover, Mills University
Zachary Starer, San Francisco Art Institute

For more information about any of the Foundation's awards or scholarships, please email us.

John Gutmann Photography Fellowship Award 2008

Established by the internationally recognized photographer, John Gutmann (1905-1998), the John Gutmann Photography Fellowship awards $5,000 to $10,000 annually to an emerging artist who exhibits professional accomplishment, serious artistic commitment, and need in the field of creative photography.

The Gutmann award is determined by nomination only, and nominees are selected by jurors who were appointed by John Gutmann. For more information on John Gutmann, the award, and the jurors, visit: www.johngutmann.org/jurors.

The 2007 John Gutmann Photography Fellowship winner is Allison Marie Sexton.

"I was seventeen when our house was raided for cocaine, and that home was literally swept from beneath me.  When my mother became a fugitive I found myself young, confused and literally adrift.  I turned to photography because of its innate ability to preserve all that will eventually be lost.  Before the State seized that house, I photographed it furiously in order to reclaim it as my own and make it pocketable: the rotting front door I loved; myself in each room; and the spot in the yard where our dog had been buried."

NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE:  There are no applications for this award.  Only applicant names submitted by a nominating jury will be considered.

Recent Winners of the John Gutmann Photography Fellowship

2006 Winner
Doug Dubois

2005 Winner
Greg Halpern

Join us for the 2008 Art Awards Celebration!

Each year, The San Francisco Foundation is proud to sponsor the Art Awards Program, fostering individual growth and excellence in the Bay Area artists.  Last year, we granted  over $255,000 to 54 individual artists in different stages of their careers and development, from students to mid-career artists to veteran artists. 

In the spirit of honoring arts awardees, partners, and jurors who reflect the strength and diversity of our arts community, we invite you to join us in celebrating the 2008 Arts Award recipients.

This year, the Arts Award Celebration will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 15.  Our guests of honor are this year's artist award winners and honorees – poets, writers, sculptors, painters, filmmakers, media artists, photographers, printmakers, and performing artists. You and your friends and family are invited to meet one another, learn more about each other's work, and celebrate the creative spirit.

Overview of Arts Awards from The San Francisco Foundation

Deadline:	Award Title:	For whom:
3/3/2008	Helen Crocker Russell Community Leadership Award	For a mature, under-recognized artist for significant contributions to bay area arts.  Public nominations accepted early in 2008.  To nominate, go to the Community Leadership Awards page.
3/21/2008	Fund for Artists Matching Commission Grants	For San Francisco and San Mateo county arts organizations wishing to commission new work by Bay Area artists. Go tothe Fund for Artists page.
3/26/2008	The Shenson Performing Arts Fellowships.	For outstanding pre-professional students of the performing arts.  By invited nomination only.
3/31/2008	James D. Phelan Art Award in Literature	For one California-born writer under age 35.  Applications available at Intersection for the Arts after Feb 15, 2008.
3/31/2008	Joseph Henry Jackson Literary Award.	For authors of prose or poetry.  Must be Northern California or Nevada resident under age 35.    Applications available at Intersection for the Arts after Feb 15, 2008.
3/31/2008	Tanenbaum Award in Nonfiction	For one California-born prose writer under age 35.    Applications available at Intersection for the Arts after Feb 15, 2008.
3/31/2008	James D. Phelan Art Award in Film & Video	For film, video, and digital media artists.  Application available on The San Francisco Foundation Website after March 1, 2008.
5/2/2008	Murphy & Cadogan Fine Arts Fellowships	For Fine Arts MFA students at Bay Area Universities.  Applications announcements will be placed in the school mailboxes of MFA students by March 1, 2008.
9/1/2008	John Gutmann Photography Fellowship Award	For outstanding photographers.  By juror nomination only.  No applications available.
10/1/2008	Fund For Artists Award for Playwrights and Ensembles	Administered by Theatre Bay Area.  For info, go to www.theatrebayarea.org/programs/newworks.jsp.
10/15/2008	Fund for Artists Award for Composers	Given through American Composers Forum.  For info, go to www.composersforum.org/chapters_about.cfm?oid=1407.
1/10/2009	Fund for Artists Arts Teachers Fellowships	For middle and senior high school art teachers in San Francisco county.  Go to the Fund for Artists page.
1/14/2009	Fund For Artists Awards for Choreographers	Given through World Arts West for choreographers auditioning for the SF Ethnic Dance Festival.
5/1/2009	James D. Phelan Art Award in Photography	For photographers.  Applications available in January, 2009.
5/1/2009	James D. Phelan Art Award in Printmaking	For printmakers.  Applications available in January, 2009.
7/31/2009	Fund For Artists Award for Visual Artists	For multidisciplinary visual artists.  Given through Artadia. Go to www.artadia.org/forartists.html.