Scheme for Giving Awards to Traditional Artists

What is the Scheme for Giving Awards to Traditional Artists?

Scheme for Giving Awards to Traditional Artists is an award programme of the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, administered by the Tamil Nadu Oviya Nunkalaikkuzhu, the state's fine arts council for painting and sculpture. Under it, awards are conferred on artists whose works are judged outstanding among the entries at the State Level Art Exhibition conducted by the Kuzhu, and the awarded works are put on display for public view.

The department conducts the State Level Exhibition in traditional art and contemporary art categories. Excellent paintings and sculptures are collected from talented artists across Tamil Nadu, and works are chosen by a selection committee constituted by the Government. The best among the exhibited works are then awarded:

Each awardee also receives a certificate of appreciation.

The scheme has been extended beyond artists themselves. From the financial year 2022-23, the department also gives Rs 10,000 each to 10 of the best art teachers of painting and sculpture, and Rs 10,000 each to 10 of the best authors of books on painting and sculpture. That extension recognises that a tradition survives through teaching and documentation as much as through practice.

The awards sit within a wider set of Oviya Nunkalaikkuzhu programmes. Above them is the Kalaichemmal Award, conferred on 6 eminent artists a year with a citation plaque and a cash award of Rs 1,00,000. The department records that 36 eminent artists from traditional art forms and 67 from contemporary art forms have received the title to date. Alongside them runs the exhibition support scheme, under which Rs 25,000 is given to each of 10 artists for one-man shows and Rs 50,000 to each of 5 groups for group shows, against an annual allocation of Rs 5 lakh.

Who is eligible for the traditional artists award?

You are eligible if:

• You are a painter or sculptor working in a traditional art form, and you are an artist of Tamil Nadu, the exhibition collects works from artists of the state.
• You submit an original work when entries are called for the State Level Art Exhibition.
• Your work is selected by the government-constituted selection committee for exhibition, and judged among the best of the works exhibited.
• You are above 30 years of age for the Rs 15,000 senior category, or below 30 years for the Rs 10,000 junior category. Age determines the category and the amount, not eligibility as such.
• You hold a bank account in your own name for the cash prize.

You cannot apply, or are not eligible, if:

• You are not an artist of Tamil Nadu. The exhibition is a state-level exhibition drawing on the state's artists, and an artist from outside the state is not eligible.
• You do not submit work when entries are called. There is no route to the award other than through the exhibition; an application for the prize alone will not be entertained.
• Your work is not selected by the committee for exhibition. Selection precedes the award, and only the best among the exhibited works are prized.
• The work is not original, or is a copy, reproduction or a work previously awarded under the same scheme.
• The award places for the year are exhausted — 30 senior and 20 junior awards are fixed each year.

How to apply for the traditional artists award

1. Watch for the call for entries to the State Level Art Exhibition. The Department of Art and Culture publishes its Oviya Nunkalaikkuzhu schemes and notices at artandculture.tn.gov.in, and the announcement is also circulated through art colleges and district cultural offices.
2. Choose the work you will enter. The selection committee is judging the work, not your record, so enter the strongest completed piece in the traditional form you work in; Tanjore painting, mural work, traditional sculpture, temple art or a comparable discipline.
3. Prepare photographs of the work at good resolution. The first stage of screening is frequently done on photographs before physical works are called in.
4. Write your artist profile. One page: training, teachers, exhibitions, earlier awards, and a list of principal works with dates and media.
5. Fill the entry form issued by the Tamil Nadu Oviya Nunkalaikkuzhu and attach age proof, residence proof, Aadhaar, bank passbook copy and the photographs.
6. Submit the entry to the Tamil Nadu Oviya Nunkalaikkuzhu at the Directorate of Art and Culture, Chennai, within the date given in the call for entries, and take an acknowledgement.
7. Deliver the physical work if it is called in for the exhibition, packed for transport and clearly labelled with your name and contact details.
8. Attend the exhibition. Selected works are put on public display, and the awards are announced from among the exhibited works.
9. Collect the certificate and check the bank account for the cash prize credit.

What documents are required?

How do I check the status of an entry?

There is no online tracker for this scheme.

• The Tamil Nadu Oviya Nunkalaikkuzhu at the Directorate of Art and Culture, Chennai, holds the entries and the committee's decisions.
• The Department of Art and Culture at artandculture.tn.gov.in publishes the Kuzhu's schemes, state awards and contact details.
• Notification of selection normally comes to the address and phone number given in the entry form, so keep them current.
• The bank passbook shows the prize credit after the award is announced.

Why entries do not result in an award

• Entry submitted after the closing date in the call for entries. There is one window a year.
• Work not selected by the committee. Only a small proportion of entries reach the exhibition, and only the best among those are awarded. A rejection is a judgement on a single work in a single year, not on the artist.
• Photographs of poor quality at the screening stage, so a strong work is judged on a bad image. Photograph the work properly, in even light, square to the surface.
• Age proof not attached, so the entry cannot be placed in the correct category.
• Work damaged in transit because it was inadequately packed.
• Profile incomplete, which weakens the context in which the committee reads the work.
• Previously awarded work resubmitted.

What are the key figures?

• Senior category: 30 awards of Rs 15,000 each, artists above 30 years.
• Junior category: 20 awards of Rs 10,000 each, artists below 30 years.
• Certificates of appreciation to every awardee.
• Art teachers: 10 prizes of Rs 10,000 each, from 2022-23.
• Authors on painting and sculpture: 10 prizes of Rs 10,000 each, from 2022-23.
• Kalaichemmal Award: Rs 1,00,000 with a citation plaque, to 6 eminent artists a year.
• One-man show assistance: Rs 25,000 to each of 10 artists.
• Group show assistance: Rs 50,000 to each of 5 groups, from a Rs 5 lakh allocation.

Where do I raise a grievance?

• The Member Secretary, Tamil Nadu Oviya Nunkalaikkuzhu, Directorate of Art and Culture, Chennai.
• The Department of Art and Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu, through artandculture.tn.gov.in/contact-us.
• The district cultural office, for questions about the call for entries and the delivery of works.

No fee is payable to enter the State Level Art Exhibition, and the awards are decided by a government-constituted selection committee on the merit of the work. No intermediary can secure a selection or an award.