The Kentucky Arts Council will accept applications until March 15, 2010, from professional writers, choreographers and composers for the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship Awards and the Emerging Artist Awards.

The highly competitive Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowships of $7,500 each are awarded to Kentucky artists who have achieved a high level of excellence and creativity in their work. The Emerging Artist Awards of $1,000 each are also awarded to artists who have achieved a high level of excellence and creativity, but are in the early stages of their career.

An independent panel of jurors from outside Kentucky, all arts professionals in the relevant arts disciplines, selects the winners using a blind-jury process. The reviewers do not know the identity of the applicants as they judge their work.

The Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship supports the advancement of Kentucky artists’ careers and publicly acclaims artists creating work of high merit. The fellowship awards are named after retired Kentucky journalist and past Kentucky Arts Council board chairman, Al Smith.

For more information, contact Tamara Coffey at tamara.coffey@ky.gov or 502-564-3757, ext. 479. To access guidelines and an application, go to http://artscouncil.ky.gov/guide/prog3/asf_gdl.htm.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.