FAQ
Re: the Application
I want to redo my video. Can I edit and re-submit my application?
NO. Google forms will NOT allow you to edit your video or responses. ONCE THE APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED, NO EDITS CAN BE MADE TO IT. However, if you exit out of your browser before you hit Submit, Google does NOT save your responses, so you can edit them at any time BEFORE you hit Submit. Don't hit Submit until your answers are final. Please look over your work carefully.
Does unpublished include my poem/song/story on my website? Can I still submit?
Yes. We will accept your piece if the material has ONLY been up on your personal website or social media accounts, PROVIDED that you take it down BEFORE you submit your Application, and keep it down until the winners are announced (see the "Apply" tab on this website). Unpublished or un-produced work means that it's not under any kind of agreement with another entity, commercial or otherwise, and not on any other website or social media account.
I have a poem/song/story I'm submitting to more than one competition, is that ok?
No, unfortunately we do not accept simultaneous submissions. Your work must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another entity.
I'm writing a novel/play/musical, can I submit an excerpt of it?
No, it wouldn't make any sense because all submissions must be complete works that have a natural beginning and end, i.e. not in the middle of a sentence or a lyric or a scene. In our effort to curate broadcasts we want to offer audiences complete, cohesive pieces in the form of 5 minute performances.
Can I perform more than one piece as long as my whole video is under 5 minutes?
No. Perform only one piece within one Creative Category in under 5 minutes.
I'm part of a band and also do solo work. Can I be part of more than one Application?
No. We want to be able to support as many emerging, local, DC Metro area artists as we can, and therefore require that individuals only be part of one submission, whether as the lead Applicant, or as a member of a group. Only one submission, in one Creative Category, is permitted per Applicant.
If I don’t win a microgrant, can I still get my video broadcast?
Yes! Creatives’ video submissions will be reviewed for both $500 microgrants and broadcast opportunity. Microgrant winners will be offered the opportunity to share their work via a virtual event, and we hope to hold multiple virtual events in order to showcase the work of other great submissions. The timing and details of any broadcasts are still being worked out. Applicants who are invited to share their work in a virtual event may have the opportunity to have their videos re-shot more professionally. For the initial video submissions with your Application please send us what you think is your best work and best effort at recording both Audio and Video.
General
Why a video submission and not just microgrant funding?
Emergent Seed is committed to becoming a self-sustaining social enterprise that supports artists in multiple ways and not just through microgrants. Emergent Seed intends to hold broadcasts and other events that not only build an audience for applicants but also provides them with an opportunity to receive royalties. We believe increasing visibility for creatives and their work is even more valuable in the long term than a cash microgrant. As a community, we need to provide financial support, experiment with new mediums, and develop opportunities for artists to showcase their work, now, and for the foreseeable future.
Why "emerging" young artists?
Initially, our focus is to serve younger artists (18-35) who may be excluded from other funding opportunities given their lack of professional experience, difficulty in proving lost income, or their student status. In order to work quickly and efficiently, we thought we'd begin with the community and age group we know best. We recognize that the word "emerging" itself is not defined by age alone. Please refer to the "Resources" tab on this website for other funding opportunities and information.
Why aren’t you considering other creative categories – for example Dance or Painting?
We at Emergent Seed only have expertise in certain genres, and in order to move quickly, we felt we had to limit ourselves to the Categories we felt comfortable reviewing immediately. The 4 Creative Categories currently open to submissions offer a wide range of creative opportunities. For example, those in the visual arts might still be able to apply if they can be a Storyteller about their visual art.
Why are you limiting your review to 60 submissions in each Creative Category for this first round?
The simple math of the aggregate hours required to view the video submissions leaves us with no choice but for at least this initial round of applications to limit how many submissions we can realistically commit to reviewing in a reasonably quick time frame, give out grants, and then hold a second round this summer. We are committing to review up to 240 Videos this first round, and intend to open not just a second round shortly after the winners of the first round are announced, but to raise money to hold more rounds thereafter.
What happens if you receive more than 60 submissions in a Category this round?
If significantly more than 60 videos in any one the 4 Creative Categories are submitted, and we determine we can’t handle the overflow, we will use a randomizer to blindly select 60 videos to review this round. We intend to have subsequent rounds of funding. We hope we can raise additional funding to support more artists. See "after the application period closes" on the Apply page.
How many grants are you giving out this first round?
Because we have no way to know either how many video submissions we will get or what the quality will be of the submissions, we can’t predict how many grants we will give out each round. Our intent is to award at least one winner in each of the 4 Creative Categories each round, and hopefully much more per round, depending on the quality of the submissions we receive. We are also planning a second round in the summer, and intend to raise money to be able to have as many more rounds as the fundraising allows.
Where does your funding come from?
The initial funding for the first two planned rounds was privately raised from people in the greater DC Metro area who want to support the local creatives who have no physical venues to have their original work performed during this period when people can’t gather in person. Emergent Seed plans to pursue multiple ways to raise additional funds to become an ongoing social enterprise to be able to keep giving out grants, putting on virtual events and broadcasts, and supporting both winners and others through creating and expanding audiences for them.
This is a great idea! How can I support Emergent Seed?
We appreciate you! Right now, the best thing you can do is to get the word out: encourage creatives to apply, follow us on social media, and tune in for our broadcast events. Once we see the submissions, we hope to announce opportunities for you to support emerging creatives, including through donations.
Can I donate to Emergent Seed?
Yes and we are working on how best to accept donations. At this time, financial contributions to Emergent Seed would be Gifts to Emergent Seed, but not tax deductible for the giver, i.e., like how crowdsourced funding works. We want to move fast, and a new charity needs many months to get government approval. So we are going ahead now and will be exploring multiple ways for people to give.