Dreaming of bringing artwork to Black Rock City? With Spellbound igniting imaginations everywhere, it’s time to start planning! The Honoraria Program awards $1.3 million annually to fund interactive, impactful, and visually compelling sculptural artworks on the open playa. The first step is to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) via the grant portal in Burner Profiles by October 29, 2026 at 5pm Pacific. Honoraria grants are fueled by generous donations from members of the Burning Man community.
Join a virtual Q&A session with Art Department staff to ask us anything about the grant program.
- Thursday, October 22, 2026, 10:00 – 11:30am PT
And if you’re thinking to yourself, could this be for little ol me? Here are two examples of some incredible Kiwi teams who got these grants and have made their dreams come true!
2016 – Giant Weta
Auckland Burners as a collective collaborated to select, design and build an interactive art piece to take to Burning Man, Nevada, in 2016. The group were keen to build a uniquely New Zealand structure to take to Burning Man. The Giant Weta is native to NZ (their genus name, Deinacrida, is Greek for “fierce grasshopper”). Also endangered, they are examples of island gigantism. The uniqueness of the insect along with the interactivity incorporated into the Artwork will enable participants to connect with a part of New Zealand whilst on the Burning Man playa.
For more information on the Giant Weta, click here!
Photo of The Giant Weta at Burning Man 2016 by Cliff Baise
2026 – Headwaters
Back in January, Maja brought a brick walking labyrinth to Kiwiburn. It was a humble setup, but it created something really special — a quiet space where people could pause, reflect, and set an intention. Seeing how people connected with that stuck with me, and it’s what I’m building on now.
Headwaters is about creating those kinds of moments — spaces that invite you to slow down, tune in, and reconnect with yourself, even in the middle of something big and chaotic like a burn.
For more information on Headwaters click here!
Headwaters, rendered with spotlights in place of the LEDs for proof of concept. Credit; Maja and the Headwaters Team
