The Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy Award and the Edwin Anthony and Adalaine Boudreaux Cadogan Scholarships help fuel the forward-thinking visual arts movement that makes the Bay Area unique. These awards were established in 1986 and are designed to further the development of Bay Area master of fine arts students and to foster the exploration of their artistic potential. The winners of the Murphy Award and the Cadogan Scholarships receive financial awards (award amounts to be determined when applications reopen). Each winner also has their work displayed in a professionally curated group exhibition at SOMArts Cultural Center.

This exhibition and program is done in partnership with San Francisco Foundation. The San Francisco Foundation is committed to a Bay Area where everyone can get a good job, live in a safe and affordable home, and exercise their political voice. The foundation advances its work through grantmaking, partnerships with donors, policy advocacy, and impact investing.

• The Murphy Award and Cadogan Scholarships are available to Bay Area MFA (not MA) students to underwrite tuition for their continued academic study. These awards assist students enrolled in an MFA program to develop and explore their artistic potential in painting, sculpture, hybrid practice, installation art, mixed media, drawing, and photography. See this guide to check if you are eligible to apply.
• Students must have completed at least one semester of graduate study as of January 1, 2024, be continuously enrolled in the same program, and be in good standing through Fall 2024. Award recipients may be required to provide proof of continuing school enrollment through Fall 2024.
• Previous winners of the Murphy or Cadogan awards are not eligible to apply.
• Participating schools for the Murphy & Cadogan Awards are: Stanford University, California College of the Arts, University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and San Jose State University.
• There is no application fee.

• Recent Work: We will only accept artwork samples that were completed in 2022, 2023, or 2024. Work must be created solely by the applicant; collaborations are not accepted. All work samples must be uploaded with your application to be considered for the award.
• Submission Formats: Applicants will be allowed to submit work samples in two formats:
  • Image Work Sample: Applicants will upload (1) Work Sample PDF that includes up to 10 image based work samples with the artwork details (title, year, media, dimensions) for each work and optional 50 word maximum description for each work. Work Sample .pdf must not exceed file size limit of 10mb. Name the file with the following format ‘LastNameFirstName_Work Sample.’ – Upload the .pdf onto the SlideRoom application.
  • Time-Based Media Work Samples: Applicant submitting time-based media (i.e. video or audio) will be prompted to provide URL link(s) to an online video streaming platform and artwork information directly on SlideRoom. If links are password protected, be sure to provide the password.
  • For a combination of still images with time-based media (i.e. audio or video), 1 minute of time-based media is equal to 1 image (e.g. you can submit 2 minutes of time-based media and 8 images, 3 minutes of time-based media and 7 images, etc.). If you plan to submit all time-based media as you work samples, you may not to exceed a total of 10 minutes.
  • Maximum of 10 work samples will be accepted per submission. Additional samples exceeding the maximum will not be reviewed.
  • Work samples can include performance aspects of movement and/or interaction if artists’ practice encompasses this. Applicants can clarify this relationship within the one sentence (50 words or fewer) description accompanying the particular work sample.

Questions? Please email [email protected]

Applications open: Monday, March 18, 2024.  ///    Deadline: Friday, April 19, 2024, 11:59 PM PST