The Agility Award supports individual artists and arts workers at any stage in their careers.  The Agility Award grant will support artists across all artforms. It will give individual artists the opportunity to further develop, make and create in their artistic field. 

Maura McGrath, Chair of the Arts Council, said: “This year, we are providing over €3.8m in funding to 805 artists through the Agility Award.  Our unwavering support for the arts and culture sector is reflected in this substantial investment, which will enable artists to bring their creative projects to life, and drive innovation.” 

Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council, said: “We are committed to the power of art to improve our society, and it is a great pleasure to be involved in fostering the growth of these talented artists. I’d like to give a special welcome to the 493 successful artists who are being funded by us for the first time.” 

The Agility Award, since its inception in 2020, has awarded a total of over €24m to 5103 artists.  In alignment with the Arts Council’s objective of supporting artists, scoring this year was weighted in favour of applicants who were not previously funded.  As a result, 493 awardees are being funded for the first time. 

Newly awarded recipients of the Agility Award include Marc Littler, film maker; Rosamund Taylor, writer; Gabriela Mayer, musician; Jekaterina Rusinova, spectacle artist; Louis Plissonneau, street arts performer; Leanne Bickerdike, actor; Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin, traditional artist; and Mariechen Danz,  visual artist.