Individual Artist Merit and Creativity Overview- Music and Music Composition
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Individual Artist Merit and Creativity Overview- Music and Music Composition
The purpose of the Individual Artist Merit and Creativity (IAM Creativity) award program is to recognize the role of individual artists in Howard County’s creative eco-system and strengthen the diversity and vitality of the Howard County arts community.
The IAM Creativity program provides unrestricted funds to support the creative work of Howard County artists and to recognize excellence in dance, film, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, music, theatre, and visual arts disciplines.
The goals for the IAM Creativity award program are to:
- Recognize and support the creative work of individual artists;
- Foster excellence, diversity, and vitality in the arts;
- Expand public understanding of the impact that individual artists have on our local communities and economy; and
- Acknowledge the many hours and personal resources artists dedicate to the pursuit of excellence and creativity in their artforms.
Over a four-year period, the IAM Creativity program will provide awards in seven different artistic disciplines, accepting applications for two disciplines each year. A maximum of four (4) awards, including one (1) $5,000 and three (3) $1,000 awards, will be awarded in each discipline. The awards provide recipients with unrestricted funds to support their artistic practice, develop innovative ideas, and/or complete projects already underway. At the end of the award period, recipients must submit a statement describing the impact of the award.
The IAM Creativity program is generously supported through a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
The Howard County Arts Council is accepting applications for the2025 Individual Artist Merit and Creativity(IAM Creativity) Award for the following discipline:
Music, Music Composition: This discipline includes, but is not limited to, music composition and music performance, either improvised or composed. Includes composers, instrumentalists, and vocalists and music disciplines such as band, chamber, choral, electronic, jazz, musical theatre, opera, popular, symphonic, sound compositions, among others. Also includes interdisciplinary or experimental work with music as the central expressive component.
Review Criteria
IAM Creativity awards are competitive. Artists are encouraged to apply when they have a cohesive body of work that they are prepared to present in a professional manner. The applicant must be the primary artistic force behind the work.
Applications are evaluated by an independent panel of artists and/or arts professionals with expertise and perspectives in the discipline being considered. The role of each panelist is to review and score each eligible application based on the materials submitted and the established criteria cited below:
Concept
The application and work samples demonstrate the applicant’s creative and original theories, ideas, interpretations and/or perceptions. (Up to 30 points)
Cohesion
The application and work samples demonstrate a clear and cohesive body of work. (Up to 20 points).
Demonstrated Command of Form
The application and work samples demonstrate the applicant’s exemplary technical capabilities within the chosen discipline. (Up to 20 points)
Impact 1
The application and works samples demonstrate applicant’s creative practice has both sustained resonance, impact, or value. (Up to 15 points)
Impact 2
The application shows the potential to strengthen the diversity and vitality of Howard County’s arts ecosystem. (Up to 15 points)
Review Process
Only complete applications successfully submitted online through Submittable will be accepted and reviewed. Once the application deadline passes, no alterations or additions may be made to the application, unless clarification is requested in writing by HCAC staff. Applicants must meet all revision deadlines, as specified in writing, or the application will be withdrawn.
The IAM Creativity award program has a 3-step review process:
Step 1: HCAC Staff Review
- Initial review of applications for compliance with eligibility and submission requirements is made by HCAC staff. If staff detects issues, they may call upon applicants to clarify information, to furnish proof of eligibility, etc. Should an applicant be asked to clarify and/or revise their application, the applicant must meet all revision deadlines, as specified by staff, or the application will be withdrawn.
Step 2: Artistic Review Panel
- Each panelist reviews the applications and work samples on their own via Submittable through an anonymous review process in advance of the full panel meeting.
- The full panel meets together via video conference or in a hybrid in-person-video conference configuration to discuss, score, and finalize award recipients.
Panels are strongly encouraged to score each application and recommend awards but reserve the right to decline to score and/or decline to make an award recommendation if they feel that an application, or the entire pool of applicants, does not warrant an award.
To ensure that HCAC review panels are free from conflicts of interest and the appearance of such conflicts, panelists are required to disclose any current or prospective affiliations they or their immediate family members have with an actual or potential applicant. In addition, panelists are required to disclose any past or current adversarial relationships with applicants. Panelists are not permitted to participate in discussions or scoring of any applicant with whom they have an affiliation or conflict.
Members of HCAC’s Committee on Grants and staff will be present during the full panel review to observe the process and/or answer any questions from the panel about the award process; however, they do not participate in the panel discussions.
Step 3: HCAC Board Approval
- The final panel scores are reviewed by the HCAC Committee on Grants and presented to the HCAC Board of Directors; approval of awards rests with the HCAC Board of Directors. All award decisions of the HCAC Board of Directors are final.
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