Seed Awards Frequently Asked Questions

• UNTIL WHEN CAN I SUBMIT MY APPLICATION FOR THE QUEEN MATHILDE CULTURAL SEED AWARDS?

You can submit your application online until March 1, 2022 at 23:59h Amsterdam Time. After this time, our online system will automatically close and you will no longer be able to submit your application.

• THE COUNTRY WHERE I AM FROM/LIVE IS NOT LISTED ON THE ELIGIBILITY COUNTRY LIST. CAN I STILL APPLY?

No. To be eligible, an individual must come from, be living and working in one of our working countries. Please note that if you are a national of one of our eligible countries but are currently living in a country not listed in our eligible country list you are not eligible to apply.

We understand that there is a dire need for support in many places in the world. The Queen Mathilde Cultural Seed Awards are financed by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the framework of contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals, for which the focus is on OECD’s DAC listed countries. The OECD’s DAC stands for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Development Assistance Committee. Due to the provenance of our funding, Queen Mathilde Cultural is limited to grant Seed Awards only in OECD’s DAC listed countries.

• WHAT DISCIPLINES DOES THE QUEEN MATHILDE CULTURAL FUND SUPPORT?

We hold a very broad view of arts and culture, and support anything from theatre and contemporary arts to literature, journalism and interdisciplinary practices. We do not, however, support academic research, work that is purely developmental or art practices that are not socially engaged.

• CAN I SEE WHAT THE APPLICATION FORM LOOKS LIKE BEFORE SUBMITTING ONE?

Yes. You can create an account/log-in into our Queen Mathilde Cultural Awards Platform and see all of the steps of the application form before filling it out and submitting your application. Once you begin filling out the form, you can save it at any point and return to complete it later.

• WHAT IS A GOOD PITCH? WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY PITCH?

A pitch is a presentation where you introduce yourself, your work and most importantly, answers to the question ‘what drives you as an artist/author/cultural practitioner?’. We ask you to present your pitch in the format of a video or audio media of circa 3 minutes long. Be creative!

• WHAT IS A REFERENCE LETTER AND WHAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN ONE?

A reference letter is a short letter which is written by a person or on behalf of an organisation that knows your work and/or has worked with you in the past, and can recommend your work. The letter should explain how the referee knows your work and why they recommend you for the Queen Mathilde Cultural Seed Award. The reference letter should be signed and contain the contact details of the person referring you.

• WHAT ARE SUPPORTING MATERIALS?

Supporting materials refer to any information about you and/or your work that have not been shared within the application form but are still important to be considered during the assessment phase. These could include, but are not limited to: samples of your previous or current work (images, videos, texts, etc.), a portfolio, reviews, interviews, extra references, or any links to social media or youtube that you would like to share.

• WILL I RECEIVE AN EMAIL CONFIRMATION AFTER SUBMITTING MY APPLICATION?

Yes. You will receive an email confirmation within 10 minutes after you submit your application. If you have not received one, please make sure that the application is completed and that it was submitted. On the Queen Mathilde Cultural Awards Platform, you can check the status of your application under ‘my submissions’. A completed application should read ‘submitted’ rather than 'in progress'.

• WHEN WILL I HEAR ABOUT THE FINAL DECISION ON MY APPLICATION?

You will receive an email with the final decision on your application in August 2022.

• AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY AGAIN IF MY APPLICATION WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL THE LAST TIME?

Yes. Provided that you are eligible, you are always welcome to apply again this year if your application has not been successful the previous time.

• AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY AGAIN IF I HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A QUEEN MATHILDE CULTURAL SEED AWARD?

No. The Queen Mathilde Cultural Seed Awards is awarded on a one-time basis; successful award recipients are not eligible to apply again to the Queen Mathilde Cultural Awards. You are, however, encouraged to apply for the Queen Mathilde Cultural Fund Mentorship Awards.

• CAN I RECEIVE INDIVIDUAL FEEDBACK ON MY APPLICATION?

Due to the number of applications received we are not able to provide personalized feedback to all applicants. The Queen Mathilde Cultural Fund will provide all non-successful applicants with a general report on the common mistakes we received in overall applications and will share the major points for improving applications in the future.

Is your question not answered here? Please e-mail us at [email protected]