Printed Matter Publisher Work Grant 2026

About this call

Now in its third year, the Publisher Work Grant is an annual cycle of unrestricted grants from Printed Matter for artists' book publishers, made possible with support from Wagner Foundation. It funds independent presses with a history of artists' book publishing, recognising what they have already made and giving them capacity building money for future books and for the sustainability of the imprint itself. In 2026 three grants of 10,000 US dollars go to three publishers, who are also offered a featured exhibitor presence at a forthcoming Printed Matter Art Book Fair in New York or Los Angeles. Printed Matter and a guest jury of artists, publishers and educators review applications together, weighing the past work and contribution of the imprint, the strength of the projects it has coming, and the likely impact of the award. The jury is looking for presses that treat the book as a site for experimental artwork, that think about design, printing and production as part of the content, that engage social and political themes with nuance, and that invest in community, collaboration and equity. The grant is open to publishers based anywhere in the world.

Who can apply

• International applicants
• Medium: Printmaking / Writing
• Entry fee: See official site
• The grant is for small independent presses publishing with what Printed Matter calls an independent spirit, generally without major ongoing distribution support. Imprints should have a publishing history of one or more years, a record of releasing one or more titles a year, and must currently be active with future titles in the works. Publishers based anywhere in the world may apply and international applicants are encouraged. Commercially run entities that publish only client work are not eligible, though studios that also publish artists under their own imprint may apply. Imprints attached to established institutions with other significant means of support are generally not eligible, and more established publishers with full time staff, ready access to funding or high visibility may be deprioritised. Individual artists seeking to fund a book of their own work are not eligible, but artists who publish the work of others are. Past winners of the Publisher Work Grant cannot win twice; past winners of other Printed Matter awards may apply. Current employees and interns, and those who left within the past year, are not eligible. The grant does not generally suit imprints working mainly in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, catalogues, monographs, limited edition or hand crafted book objects.