arts + human rights research award 2026

This award was established to support and illuminate the work of artists who are engaged in meaningful artistic and/or literary research into the critical issues of our times, to create a forum where a unique form of creative journalism can thrive, and to provide th_Eroses readers with artistic / literary insights into key issues. The theme of this year's installment is The Individual and the Collective.

This year’s area of investigation is The Individual and the Collective. Successful submissions may include but are not limited to works investigating the dynamic interrelation and compromises between the rights of the individual and the rights of the collective, humankind’s nature as a group of individuals or as a collective entity, the formation of civilizations and societies and their associated ethical codes, the role of the individual in shaping collective values, the role of the collective in shaping individual values, etc.

From the UN: 

"What Are Human Rights? Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination."

Successful submissions may include but are not limited to works which engage in scholarly research, artistic investigations into archival or literary material, intuitive artistic and/or poetic exploration or expression, designing experimental systems to test an artistic or literary thesis and the subsequent presentation of these outcomes, documentation of one’s objective or subjective reality, etc.