Lunar Arts Award
The Lunar Arts Award celebrates the moon’s enduring influence on artistic expression, inviting University of New Mexico students to explore its rich symbolism across all mediums.
Open to both graduate and undergraduate students, this award provides three selected artists with a $750 stipend and $250 in material support to bring their lunar-themed projects to life. Co-sponsored by ARTSLab and the Sustainable Space Research Grand Challenge, submissions will be judged on originality, feasibility, cross-disciplinary appeal, and the strength of the artist’s statement.
Special consideration will be given to projects that bridge art and science, sparking dialogue between the two fields. This award aims to showcase diverse interpretations of the moon and inspire collaboration within the UNM artistic and scientific communities.
The 2027 Lunar Arts Award
The Lunar Arts Award is back. University of New Mexico students are invited to submit bold, original proposals for artworks inspired by the moon. All mediums and disciplines are welcome, and collaborative or team-based projects are strongly encouraged. Five selected projects will each receive a $900 artist stipend and will be exhibited at the UNM Art Museum in April 2027. What will the moon inspire you to make?
Details
- Five winning proposals will be selected to receive funding.
- Each selected project will be awarded a $900 artist stipend.
- Winning projects will be exhibited at the University of New Mexico Art Museum in Spring 2027.
Eligibility
This award opportunity is exclusively open to current University of New Mexico students enrolled in the Fall 2026 semester. This includes both graduate and undergraduate students. All artistic mediums and disciplines are welcome, including but not limited to: music, painting, sculpture, photography, film/video, poetry, dance, performance, digital art, and mixed media.
Selection Process
- Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of judges consisting of faculty members from CASA Moon, UNM Art Museum, and ARTSLab Faculty Advisory Committee.
- Projects will be evaluated based on artistic merit, originality, feasibility, and their capacity to spark audience discourse about the moon.
- Special consideration will be given to projects that seek to bridge traditional science communication and creative expression.
Important Dates
- Call opens: Monday September 14, 2026
- Deadline for submission: Friday October 16, 2026
- Winners announced: Friday October 30, 2026
- Public exhibition at UNM Art Museum: April 2, 2027
Sponsored by the Center for Advanced Sample Analysis of Astromaterials from the Moon and Beyond (CASA Moon), UNM Art Museum, and ARTSLab.
Fall 2024 Lunar Arts Awards
We received an overwhelming response, with 53 applications – far more than we anticipated. The selection process was incredibly competitive, showcasing the remarkable creativity and talent of the University of New Mexico’s student artists.
Thanks to the generous support of the Sustainable Space Research Grand Challenge team, who provided an additional $2,000 in funding, we were able to select 5 winning proposals instead of the originally planned 3. We are excited to see these innovative lunar-themed projects come to life and look forward to their group exhibition at the end of the semester:
• “Dust to Dust” by Lila Steffan & Quinton Vitelli-Hawkins
• “Phasing” by Elan Retzlaff
• “Lunacy Enabled Synodic Realignment (LESR)” by Austin Tecks & Amanda Stormyr
• “madre luna” by Isabella Romero
• “Grounding Moonlight” by Madison Hailey Emond
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of the applicants for their incredible submissions. While we could only select 5 projects, we were truly inspired by the passion shown by everyone who applied. We look forward to the Lunar Arts Award returning next year and encourage all students to apply again!
