Programs

About the Art Awards Program

The San Francisco Foundation is proud to bestow a variety of awards in literature, visual arts, film/video, and playwriting each year that help foster innovation and individual artistic growth within our community.

Community Leadership Award: In the spirit of Helen Crocker Russell

The Helen Crocker Russell Community Leadership Award acknowledges under-recognized artists for their significant contributions to the Bay Area. The 2012 award was given to Brenda Way, Founder and Artistic Director of ODC.

John Gutmann Photography Fellowship

The John Gutmann Photography Fellowship was established in 1998 by the internationally recognized photographer, John Gutmann. Once a year, $5,000 to $10,000 is awarded to an emerging artist in the field of creative photography. The recipient is selected based on outstanding professional accomplishment and serious artistic commitment, as well as financial need.

Literary Awards

The distinguished Joseph Henry Jackson, James D. Phelan, and Mary Tanenbaum Literary Awards offer $2,000 to each qualifying literary artists for their outstanding work based on the submission of an un-published manuscript in-progress. Submissions may be in any one of the following literary forms: fiction (novel or short stories), nonfictional prose, poetry, and spoken word.

Rella Lossy Playwright Award

The Rella Lossy Playwright Award honors the memory of the late Rella Lossy, a lifelong lover and champion of the American theatre and playwriting. The award is given annually to one emerging playwright and their world premier play. One half of the $5,000 award covers production costs of the play and the second half is given to the playwright.

Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards

The Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy Fellowships, and Edwin Anthony and Adelaide Boudreaux Cadogan Scholarships help fuel the continued forward-thinking, visual arts movement that makes the Bay Area unique. Established in 1986, these awards are designed to further the development of Bay Area MFA students’ and to foster the exploration of their artistic potential in digital art, film/video, hybrid practice, installation, mixed media, painting, photography, and sculpture. Winners receive $4,000 in tuition assistance and have their work displayed in a professionally-curated exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center.