The Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art together with Kaamos Group are happy to announce the second Kaamos Scholarship, worth 25,000€. In 2026, the Kaamos Scholarship is open to artists aged 60+. It is currently the largest scholarship in the Estonian art field.
The Kaamos Scholarship is a private art scholarship, established by Kaamos Group in partnership with the Estonian Centre for Contemporary Art. Its goal is to boost the careers of Estonian women artists and foster new opportunities in the local art field. While in 2025, the focus was on women artists, each of the following years a new and different category of artists is welcomed to apply. In 2026, the Kaamos Scholarship is awarded to a creatively active artist aged 60+ to contribute additional momentum to their work. The scholarship aims to provide an opportunity for the artists to remain dedicated to art.
The scholarship is valued at 25,000 €. One scholarship is awarded annually. The recipient selected by a jury of experts from the field. Last year, the first Kaamos Scholarship was awarded to Anna Mari Liivrand.
“I received the Kaamos Scholarship very unexpectedly but it came at the best possible moment. It has allowed me to dedicate my time to smaller and larger exhibitions projects and I’ve been able to create deeper and more extensive works. I love that the support by Kaamos Group has extended further than just the scholarship and I am grateful that my work has also now become part of Kiasma’s collection. I appreciate Kaamos’ dedication to Estonian art and artists and I encourage everyone to apply for the scholarship!”
For Kaamos, it is important to support Estonian art in a way that gives artists freedom and an opportunity to continue their work”, state Jürgen Mikk Jõeleht and Kaido Jõeleht, the owners of Kaamos. “We are deliberately changing the focus of the scholarship every year. This way we can highlight various groups working in the Estonian art field and keep the scholarship multifaceted and dynamic. The creative development of an artist is not dependent on age and often, the strongest and most mature works are born out of experience. That is why we have decided to focus on artists aged 60+ who have a lot of ideas and ambition but who might not have equal opportunity in the art field.
The CCA is the oldest centre of art expertise in Estonia, creating possibilities for Estonian artists and within the Estonian art field since 1992. The CCA is also the commissioner of the Estonian pavilion at the Venice Biennale. In the 2000s, the CCA gave out the Hansapank Art Award, also privately funded, which was among the most notable art awards at the time.
Submissions
Candidates can be nominated by institutions or professionals working in the Estonian art field. To apply, a CV, artistic portfolio of the last 10 years, and a one-page motivational letter that includes creative plans for upcoming years must be submitted.
Candidates can be nominated until 28 September 2026. Materials can be sent digitally to post@cca.ee or, alternatively, physical copies can be brought to The Estonian Centre of Contemporary Art (Saarinen building, Suur-Karja 23, entrance C, 3rd floor; contact: Kaarin Kivirähk, +37253947169) or Tartu Art House (Vanemuise 26, Tartu; contact: Peeter Talvistu, +37256507782).
The recipient is chosen by a jury of experts who have wide-ranging knowledge of Estonian art and artists. The jury includes Eha Komissarov, curator at Kumu; Peeter Talvistu, director of the Tartu Art House and chair of the Tartu Artists’ Union; artist and artist salary recipient Marge Monko; one representative from the CCA; two representatives from Kaamos Group. The jury rotates partially every two years.
The artist receiving the scholarship agrees to cooperate with the media team and to engage in publicity related to the scholarship. The artist may choose to exhibit their artworks in Kaamos Group-owned spaces.
Founded in 2002, the Kaamos Group is an Estonian-owned investment firm that brings together all Kaamos companies. Its biggest investments have been in property development, construction and the energy sector.