The support scheme is financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is administered by Norwegian Crafts. The support scheme has a financial frame of 1 200 000 NOK annually (with an increase of 200 000 NOK from 2024).

The aim of the support scheme
The aim of the support scheme is to provide more international opportunities and expanded international networks for professionals working with crafts and duodji. The support scheme should contribute to the internationalisation of crafts and duodji from Norway by increasing dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge exchange across borders.

Target group – who can apply?
The support scheme’s recipients should be active craft practitioners, material-based artists or duojárat. Support is primarily granted for artists with a professional arts education. As an exception, students may be granted support based on professional evaluation.

Curators, writers/critics that cover the craft field can also qualify for support when they participate with an active role in international seminars etc.

Curators may apply on behalf of a group artists/duojárat. Artists/duojárat that collaborate in a group (e.g., group exhibition) may apply with one application. One of the contributors must formally be the responsible contact person for the application.

The applicant must be a Norwegian citizen or based in Norway.

Application deadlines
The annual application deadlines are 15 February, 15 May, and 15 October.

Information in Norwegian and Northern Sámi, and application form, at stikk.no

GUDELINES:

• Make sure you have read and understand the guidelines before you submit your application.
• The template for budget and accounting/financial statements can be accessed here.
• All applications must be submitted via the application system at stikk.no.
  

Application criteria

• Grant recipients should be active craft practitioners, material-based artists or duojárat, curators or critics/writers.
• Support is primarily granted for artists with a professional arts education. Students may be granted support as an exception based on a professional evaluation.
• The applicant must be a Norwegian citizen or based in Norway.
• The project must be realised outside of Norway.
• Support may be granted for exhibitions and participation in international fairs, biennales, triennials, or other prominent exhibition arenas for crafts/duodji. The support scheme only grants support for projects that are open to a public audience.
• The application must contain an exhibition contract, confirmation, or invitation; complete project budget; tenders or quotes for large expenses (including material costs in connection to production of artworks).
• The application must contain an exhibition invitation and exhibition contract, clearly stating which costs are covered by the organiser. The application must also include a complete budget (use the template linked in the application form), and tenders for all expenses that are being applied for.
  
• Norwegian or Norway-based curators may apply on behalf of a group artists/duojárat. Artists/duojárat that collaborate in a group (e.g. group exhibition) may apply with one application. One of the contributors must be the responsible contact person for the application.
• Applications for support for publications or larger catalogues (printed or digital) must contain a contract/agreement with a publisher, and a clear plan for international promotion and distribution. Publications may be granted support as an independent project, regardless of whether it is connected to an exhibition or not.
• Support for travel may be granted if the applicant has an active role that suggests that their presence is necessary. The need to travel must be explained in the application (there is a field dedicated to this in the form). Having an “active role” means that the applicant (artist/duojár/curator/critic) disseminate his/her/their own practice or the Norwegian crafts field through an artist presentation, an artist talk, a panel discussion, or lecture. The need to install or deinstall an exhibition counts as an active role, as well as installing site-specific works. Support for travel might not be prioritised by the committee if networking is the only purpose for travelling. Participating as an audience member in conferences/seminars etc. is not defined as having an active role.
• The project cannot have started or be completed by the application deadline.
• The applicant must request for the grant to be disbursed ahead of the project’s start and submit a report after the project’s completion. The request and the report should be submitted through the application portal STIKK.no.
• The applicant must credit the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norwegian Crafts for the support granted.

The support scheme may grant support for:

• Transport, packaging, and insurance of artworks
• Dissemination material (printed and/or digital publications, film, and photography) that has international promotion of crafts/duodji from Norway as its purpose
• Participation fee/rent of exhibition venues for exhibitions and fairs
• Travel, board, and lodging expenses in cases where the applicant has an active role (see the application criteria for more information)
• Material costs for the production of new artworks
• Material costs for the production of exhibition materials and exhibition design

The support scheme does NOT grant support for:

• There will NOT be granted support for projects that are being conducted in Norway or in countries where the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued travel advise against visiting.
• There will NOT be granted support for international trips for study, residencies or educational programmes.
• There will NOT be granted support for research etc.
• There will NOT be granted support for projects that have started or have been completed.
• There will NOT be granted support for projects that have been applied for and that have already been evaluated by the support scheme’s committee.
• There will NOT be granted support for dissemination material that is only in Norwegian language or only intended for a Norwegian market.
• There will NOT be granted support for working hours for production, administration, or project management.

The committee and application evaluation

Applications are evaluated by a committee appointed by Norwegian Crafts for a period of three years. Norwegian Crafts’ director is the head of the committee.

The committee consists of four members and an observer. The four members are experienced academics and/or practitioners within contemporary crafts. Norwegian Crafts brings in persons with additional professional knowledge when needed. This applies to applications regarding duodji if the necessary knowledge and insight is not represented in the committee. A representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs participates in the committee as an observer with the right to comment.

What is emphasised in the evaluation of the application (mainly):

• Projects that respond to the aim of the support scheme
• Projects of high artistic quality and relevance
• Projects taking place at important international arenas
• Applicants that make clear a long-term strategy for their international activity
• Statement of the project’s financial needs

The decision to grant support is reached through voting. In this regard, the head of the committee holds a double vote.

Right to complain
Applicants have the right to inspect the documents regarding their own applications according to the Norwegian public administration act (forvaltningsloven) §§18-19. Applicants may appeal individual decisions in accordance with the Norwegian public administration act §§28. The appeal body is the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A complaint from an applicant or grant recipient must be sent in writing to Norwegian Crafts within three weeks from the time of notification of the decision, according to the Norwegian public administration act §29. The formal complaint should be justified based on the information the committee has used in connection with the concrete decision. If the conditions for processing the complaint is met, Norwegian Crafts can either reverse the decision or forward the complaint to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assessment according to the Norwegian public administration act §33.

Applying between deadlines
The support scheme's application deadlines are 15 February, 15 May, and 15 October.

It is not possible to apply for support for projects that are already taking place or that have started before the application deadline. An applicant can apply in between deadlines if the invitation to participate in the project has been received after the last deadline and the project will take place before the next deadline. This must be documented. Get in contact with Norwegian Crafts’ project and grants manager Stine Arnet Høyem (sh@norwegiancrafts.no) for further information. Requests for assessment between deadlines must be sent by email, as well as specified in the application form. Applications sent in between deadlines that do not meet the criteria will not be assessed but dismissed on administrative terms.

Application form etc.
All communication regarding the application should take place electronically. You can find the application form at STIKK.no. Forms for grant distribution and report form can be found by looking up your application number using the reference number in the search box on the right on the top of this page. Remember to always include your reference number in all inquiries to Norwegian Crafts.

Application results are normally sent out within four weeks after the application deadline has passed. The committee’s assessment for the decision is not made public.

Publishing of results
Granted support is published on stikk.no and on Norwegian Crafts’ website.

We ask that the grant recipient, as far as possible, informs that the project has received support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norwegian Crafts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ and Norwegian Crafts’ logos should be used for crediting in written materials made for the project. The logos can be downloaded electronically from Norwegian Crafts’ website norwegiancrafts.no/news, under the tab “Logos”.

The grant recipient or the local organiser/partner/venue is encouraged to get in contact with the Norwegian foreign mission (embassy or general consulate) with information and images regarding the project, so that the event can be announced on the mission’s websites/Norgesportalen and will contribute to increased attention for the project. The contact information for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ foreign missions can be found at the Norwegian Government’s webpages.

Rejection of submitted applications
An application can be rejected on administrative grounds if the necessary attachments, such as budget or invitation/contract for an exhibition/project, is missing, or a report from previous granted support has not been submitted within the deadline. The application may also be rejected if it does not meet the requirements of the support scheme, or if it is severely incomplete according to the guidelines.

Disbursement and project report

The grant is earmarked for the specific project that has been granted support and cannot be transferred to other projects.

Applicants must submit a request form via the Stikk portal to receive the grant. If the grant is not requested by the applicant within four weeks after the end of the project according to the application, the granted support is transferred back to the support scheme and the grant expires. If the grant is disbursed and the exhibition/project does not take place after all, the applicant is obligated to notify Norwegian Crafts immediately and return the grant in full.

Disbursement of grants to individuals is reportable in accordance with the Norwegian equalisation act. According to the rules for financial management in the government, it is reserved for the national audit office (Riksrevisjonen) to check that the grant is used according to the application.

Report
The grant recipient is asked to submit a short and informative report via stikk.no within two months after the project has reached its completion. The report should include financial statements, a list of international collaborators and visitor numbers for the exhibition, as well as a short description of the project’s implementation. It is not possible to submit new applications to the support scheme if a final report from a previous project is missing past its deadline.

The collaboration between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norwegian Crafts

The Ministry of Foreign Affair’s work to promote Norwegian culture abroad has a long-term perspective. One of its main objectives is to facilitate for the internationalisation of Norwegian culture and contribute to the possibilities for craft artists living in Norway to actively participate internationally. It is part of the MFA’s strategy to collaborate closely with the professional community. Norwegian Crafts’ role within information and profiling of Norwegian crafts in Norway and abroad makes the organisation a natural collaborator for the MFA. The administration of the MFA’s support scheme for crafts is a part of this collaboration.

For questions regarding the support scheme administered by Norwegian Crafts, contact grants manager Stine Arnet Høyem: sh@norwegiancrafts.no.

Recipients of funding 2025

List of all rounds at stikk.no

ROUND A (APPLICATION DEADLINE 15 FEBRUARY)

Marianne Broch, participation in Wales Contemporary/Cymru Gyfoes, the Garrison Chapel, London, followed by a touring show at the Waterfront Gallery, Wales, February–May 2025. 5 000 NOK.

Teresa Puig, Floresta – Forest (solo exhibition), Galeria Diferença, Lisbon, Portugal, 20 March–16 April 2025. 10 000 NOK.

Felieke van der Leest, participation in the group exhibition Extranalities no.15: Ai! Ai! Ai! - Intelligence to wear, Galerie Marzee, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, 30 March–4 June 2025. 4 000 NOK.

Ellen Grieg, participation in the group exhibition KIRJO at Oulu Art Museum, Oulu, Finland, 30 April–17 August 2025. 15 000 NOK.

Mingshu Li, participation in Ceramic Art Andenne 2025, Andenne, Belgium, 17 May–15 June 2025. 10 000 NOK.

Helen Hausland, participation in the group exhibition Talisman at Ceramic Art Andenne 2025, Centre culturel d' Andenne, Andenne, Belgium, 17 May–15 june 2025. 15 000 NOK.

Aurora Passero, Hand Tunes (working title, solo exhibition), SARP Gallery, Linguaglossa, Sicily, Italy, 10 July–1 September 2025. 65 000 NOK.

Nanna Melland, participation in the group exhibition NO, Mänttä Art Festival, Mänttä, Finland, 15 June–31 August 2025. 17 000 NOK.

Philipp Spillmann, Im Focus (solo exhibition), Friends of Carlotta, Zürich, Switzerland, 28 June–26 July 2025. 28 000 NOK.

Mingshu Li, participation in the 63rd Premio Faenza, Italy, 28 June–30 November, 2025. 30 000 NOK.

Kristina Austi, participating in Forssa Textile Week at Forssa Museum, Forssa, Finland, 21–24 August 2025. 12 000 NOK.

Freja Burgess, participation in a group exhibition, ValstaKonst, Sigtuna, Sweden, September 2025–January 2026. 25 000 NOK.

Nanna Amstrup, participation in the group exhibition Folk & Lore, Rønnebæksholm kunsthall, Næstved, Denmark, 13 September–14 December 2025. 12 000 NOK.

Veronika Öberg, participation in the exhibitions Collaborative exhibition of Project Network 2025 and Guldagergaard Claytopia Summer Exhibition 2026, Guldagergaard, Skælskør, Denmark, 2025–2026. 30 000 NOK.

Wisam Al-Samad, participation in the 17th International Biennale of Artistic Ceramics of Aveiro, Aveiro Museum, Portugal, 18 October 2025–18 January 2026. 11 500 NOK.

Lydia SooJin Park, participation in the 17th International Biennale of Artistic Ceramics, Aveiro Museum, Aveiro, Portugal, 18 Octber 2025–18 January 2026. 25 000 NOK.

Toril Redalen, participation in the group exhibition Små möten, stora världar, Konstfrämjandet Värmland, Karlstad, Sweden, 2 April–9 May 2026. 13 000 NOK.