Next Level Awards

The 2024 recipients of Next Level Awards will be announced this fall. Save the date for the 3Arts Awards Celebration on October 21, 2024.

The 3Arts Next Level Awards offer our past award recipients the opportunity to receive second awards at a higher level, reflecting our organization's belief that one-time investments are not always enough for artists to build lasting momentum, and that they thrive with continued support at critical junctures as their practices and careers evolve.

In 2024, the Next Level program will provide six $50,000 awards to artists working in the following categories:

• Next Level Teaching Arts Awards: With support from Good Chaos adn the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 3Arts honors three teaching artists. In 2024, these awards were open to artists in the Chicago metropolitan region who had received a past 3Arts Award in Teaching Arts or a 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency and whose practice is in teaching arts.
• Next Level Visual Arts Awards: With support from an Anonymous Donor at the Chicago Community Foundation, 3Arts honors three women visual artists. In 2024, these awards were open to women visual artists in the Chicago metropolitan region who had received a past 3Arts Award, a Make a Wave Award in 2017-2020, or a 3Arts/Bodies of Work Residency.

Profiles of Next Level Award recipients are accessible further below on this page, or download an awardee list in PDF here.

Selection Process

3Arts artists who meet the category and eligibility requirements above are invited to submit an online application. A panel of distinguished jurors for each award category convene to review the applications and select the recipients. Recipients are artists who are actively making distinctive and compelling work; have plans to advance their next creative leap and/or project; and are at a critical juncture when an award of this size and nature could have a significant impact. 

Meet the jury panel for the 2024 3Arts Next Level Teaching Arts Awards. 
Meet the jury panel for the 2024 3Arts Next Level Visual Arts Awards.