The Arts Council is calling on artists around the country to enter a new open call programme for funding.

€800,000 has been set aside by the council to help individuals and groups make exceptional and ambitious work.

The Making Great Art Work: Open Call – will provide up to €350,000 to each successful project.

The award is open to artists and organisations who are resident in the Republic of Ireland, although the council, which is the largest funder of the arts in Ireland, may accept an application from outside the state in exceptional circumstances.

Starting from today, there will be an “open call” for applications, followed by a single assessment process: shortlisting by an International Jury, with shortlisted applications providing fully developed artistic proposals, project plans, and budgets before final decision in June 2016.

The work is expected to take place within 18 months of the date of award.

Speaking after the announcement today, Arts Council Director Orlaith McBride said: “The Arts Council is committed to supporting artists and arts organisations so that they can realise the full scale of their artistic ambitions. The Open Call is open to all artists across art forms and multi-disciplinary arts practice.

“It is deliberately light touch, leaving the canvas blank, so that it might be filled by the creativity of those who respond to this call”.