2025 playa awarded residency

Awarded residencies are funded opportunities available through an application process and awarded to people actively working to promote dialogue and positive environmental change. Wide open vistas and opportunities for field exploration in the high desert’s living laboratory provides rich inspiration. Residents stay in their own cabin, free of charge, and are responsible for their own travel costs and food while they are in residence. PLAYA is open to international and domestic applicants as long as eligibility requirements are met.

Applicants may choose a 12 or 26 day session. All residency sessions begin on a Thursday and end on a Monday. Applicants must choose from the dates available. We cannot accommodate custom residency dates.

2025 Residency Date Choices:

• Jan. 16- Feb. 10, 2025 | 26 days
• Feb. 13- Feb. 24, 2025 | 12 days
• Feb. 27- Mar. 10, 2025 | 12 days
• July 31- Aug. 25, 2025 | 26 days
• Oct. 9- Oct. 20, 2025 | 12 days
• Oct. 23- Nov. 3, 2025 | 12 days
• Nov. 6- N0v. 17, 2025 | 12 days

Admission:

A rotating panel of artists, writers, scientists, and other professionals review proposals and recommend applicants for residencies. Applicants are assessed and admitted based on how closely their work or project aligns with PLAYA’s mission to evoke dialogue and positive environmental change, the quality of the work and how well the applicant, or the project, will benefit from immersion in the PLAYA landscape and surrounding natural assets. Final awards of residencies are at the discretion of PLAYA.

Collaborations:

We welcome collaborations, but please note that we review and accept applications individually. Each member of the collaborative team must apply and be accepted on their own merit. If all members are accepted, we will schedule the group for the same residency dates.

Indicate in the questions section the names of the collaborative partners and your specific needs for lodging and workspace. Answers to the essay questions can reference a collaborative project but must be unique and in each applicant’s own voice. Please do not copy and paste answers. We are interested in each voice of the collaborative team and how each person answers the questions. If all applicants are accepted, PLAYA will schedule collaborative teams together if the collaborative partners choose the same 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of residency dates in the application. It is possible that not all members of the collaborative team will be accepted.

Tips for Applying for Residencies

Provide Quality Work Samples: The single most important factor in being accepted into a residency is the quality of your work samples. Here are some tips:

• Use a professional photographer, audio engineer, videographer, etc., to ensure your work is well documented.
• Select your strongest recent work. Have a friend or colleague you trust to look over the samples you have chosen to give you feedback. If you are moving in a new direction in your work but do not yet have good examples of your new work, choose work samples that demonstrate your strongest work and then discuss the new ideas in the narrative parts of your application.
• Select a coherent set of work samples. Too little variety seems like you are stuck; too much variety seems like you are scattered – try to find a happy medium. The jurors don’t need to know that you are interested in everything; they just want to know what is most compelling and that you have enough depth in your creative practice to explore ideas.

Articulate Your Interest in This Residency: Demonstrate in the questions section that you have done your homework and know why this particular residency is of interest to you. Perhaps you are drawn to its location, its history, its technical equipment and facilities, the surrounding community, the other kinds of artists that attend, the organization’s values, etc. – whatever the reason, find a way to connect with the residency program in a meaningful way.

Show Appropriate Project Plans: Project proposals are used to help the residency staff and jury better understand your thought process, your ability to imagine the possibilities of a residency and your recognition of what is appropriate for this particular residency. For example, an artist applying for a rural, isolated residency whose work normally involves urban landscapes should discuss how a new environment will further their work. Project proposals also allow the organization to plan what facilities or equipment you might need and whether they can accommodate your needs.

Choose Your References Wisely: PLAYA only requires contact information for references, no reference letters required. These are primarily used to determine how well you will be able to function in a self-directed environment and in community with others. Be sure to list references from people who can speak to these things, rather than seeking references who have a cachet but don’t know you well; if you have attended other residencies, consider the residency director as a reference.