Publication Support Scheme for Fine Arts

What is the Publication Support Scheme for Fine Arts?

Publication Support Scheme for Fine Arts is a grant run by the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi, the state fine arts academy that works under the Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department of the Government of Gujarat. The Akademi's job is to promote painting, sculpture, graphics and allied visual arts in the state, and it does so through a small set of programmes; contemporary artist camps, a sand sculpture festival, a fellowship for an eminent artist, art discourses and slide shows, district-level travelling exhibitions, and this publication grant, listed on its site as પ્રકાશન સહાય (prakashan sahay).

The problem the scheme addresses is specific to art publishing. A monograph on an artist, a catalogue raisonné, a history of a regional craft or a critical study of Gujarati painting has a small readership and an unusually high printing cost, because it needs colour plates on good paper. Commercial publishers rarely take these on, so the author or the artist ends up self-financing. The Akademi's grant covers half the printing cost, up to Rs 20,000, to close part of that gap.

The grant is small and the competition is real: the scheme selects only two applicants a year. It should be understood as a mark of recognition attached to a modest subsidy, not as a way of financing a book.

Key features

• Grant of 50 per cent of total printing cost, capped at Rs 20,000.
• Open to individual artists and art institutions working in fine arts.
• Two selections a year.
• The book must not already be printed when approval is given.
• 10 printed copies must be given to the Akademi after publication.
• The book must acknowledge the Akademi's financial support in print.

Who is eligible for publication support?

You can apply if:

• You are an individual artist or an art institution engaged in fine arts work in Gujarat.
• You intend to publish a book or similar content on fine arts. A monograph, a study, a catalogue, an illustrated history or a critical work.
• You can produce a dummy of the proposed publication together with the manuscript and reproductions of the artwork.
• You can obtain a printing estimate so the Akademi can compute 50 per cent of the cost.
• You accept the conditions: 10 free copies to the Akademi and a printed acknowledgement of its support.

You cannot apply if:

• Your book has already been printed before the Akademi's approval. This is the scheme's hardest exclusion, and it catches a large share of applicants every year.
• Your subject is not fine arts. Literature is served by the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi and music and drama by the Gujarat State Sangeet Natak Akademi; each has its own schemes.
• You cannot supply a manuscript and dummy. A proposal alone is not enough for the Akademi to assess printing cost or merit.
• You apply outside the advertised window.
• You are unwilling to give the 10 copies or to carry the acknowledgement.

Being eligible does not mean being selected. With two grants a year, the Akademi is making an editorial judgment about the value of the proposed book and the standing of the applicant in fine arts, so the career details you attach carry real weight.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Publication Support Scheme

1. Watch for the annual advertisement. The Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi invites applications once a year and publishes the notice with the closing date. Check lalitkalaacademy.gujarat.gov.in and the Akademi's notice board, or call the office to ask when the window opens.
2. Download or collect the prescribed application form from the Akademi. Applications on plain paper are not accepted.
3. Prepare a dummy of the book; actual size, paper stock, page count, and a representative set of pages laid out — so that the Akademi can judge both the design and the printing estimate.
4. Get a written printing quotation from your press. The grant is calculated as half the printing cost, so this figure determines your award.
5. Complete the form with your career details, list of exhibitions, previous publications and awards, and attach self-attested copies of supporting material along with drawings, sketches and photographs of the work.
6. Submit the file in person or by post to the Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi, Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan, Law Garden, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad 380006, and obtain a receipt or acknowledgement from the office.
7. Wait for written approval before printing. Printing early makes the book ineligible.
8. Print the book, ensuring the printed acknowledgement of the Akademi's financial support appears in it.
9. Claim the grant by submitting the original printing bills together with the 10 printed copies to the Akademi office.

How much is paid, and when?

The Akademi pays 50 per cent of the total printing cost or Rs 20,000, whichever is lower. Two worked examples:

• Printing bill of Rs 24,000 → grant of Rs 12,000 (50 per cent).
• Printing bill of Rs 80,000 → grant of Rs 20,000 (the ceiling).

The grant is settled after publication, against original bills and the delivery of the 10 copies. An applicant therefore needs to fund the printing first and be reimbursed, which is worth planning for. Keep the original bills; photocopies are not accepted for a reimbursement claim.

Why applications are turned down

• The book was already printed before approval, the most common disqualification.
• No dummy or no manuscript, so the Akademi cannot assess the book.
• No printing estimate, making the 50 per cent calculation impossible.
• Subject outside fine arts.
• Application filed after the advertised closing date, or on a plain sheet rather than the prescribed form.
• Not selected on merit, with only two grants a year, most complete and eligible applications are still unsuccessful.
• Original bills not produced at the claim stage, or the 10 copies not delivered.

An unsuccessful applicant can apply again in a later year with the same book, provided it has still not been printed.

Help and contact

• Gujarat State Lalit Kala Akademi, Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan, Law Garden, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad 380006.
• Phone 079-26425562 or 079-26562558.
• Email igslka@gmail.com.
• Website https://lalitkalaacademy.gujarat.gov.in/.
• Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities Department, Block No. 2, 8th Floor, Sardar Bhavan, Sector 10, Gandhinagar 382010, phone 079-23251374 and 079-23252995, email secsyc@gujarat.gov.in, for escalation.

There is no application fee, and no agent is authorised to obtain the grant on an artist's behalf. Because the Akademi announces the window once a year and the scheme selects only two applicants, the practical advice is to call the office early, confirm the current form and closing date, and submit a complete file the first time.