The Ohio Arts Council approved Individual Excellence Awards for 77 Ohio artists for state fiscal year 2026, distributing $375,000 in grants to support work across literary, performing, and musical disciplines. The council received 469 applications during the funding cycle, selecting recipients across seven categories.

Of the 77 recipients, 73 individual artists will each receive $5,000, while four artists working on collaborative projects will each receive $2,500. Funded disciplines include choreography, literary criticism, fiction, non-fiction, playwriting and screenwriting, poetry, and music composition.

The OAC also administers organizational arts support, arts education initiatives, and the ArtsNEXT professional development program. A full list of fiscal year 2026 recipients is available at oac.ohio.gov.

Source: Ohio Arts Council