The application process for the 2025 Templeis now CLOSED.
The Temple is an ephemeral structure created annually at the Burning Man event in Black Rock City. It serves as a sacred, communal space for contemplation, reflection, celebration and remembrance, before its ceremonial burning at the culmination of the event. We invite you to learn more about the Temple History and Meaning to understand the significance of this community tradition.
Each year, the Burning Man Art Department selects a Temple design to be built in Black Rock City, and provides a grant to the artist via the Temple Grant Program to partially fund its construction and installation.
Temple Design Considerations
While we like for each Temple to have its own unique characteristics, there are a few things that we look for in a successful proposal:
Visual appeal
Adequate niches or smaller spaces for participants to place small offerings and adequate wall space for written offerings
Protection from the elements at ground level so the wind doesn’t blow away offerings
A central gathering place, possibly with smaller alcoves for more private reflection
Multiple entrances/exits
A design that incorporates ways for unskilled volunteers to contribute creatively in meaningful ways
While not required, we do suggest including some kind of fence, enclosure, or markings to keep bikes out, mutant vehicles at a distance, and to cue participants that they are entering a more reflective, quiet space than is found elsewhere in Black Rock City.
A design that is not based on a particular religion, belief, or theme, as the Temple is meant to be inclusive for all Black Rock City citizens
In the spirit of sustainability, we are especially interested in moderately scaled designs; bigger isn’t better.
Eligibility and Requirements
The artist(s) of the Temple must have been to Black Rock City at least once and they must have participated in building something while there, preferably a relatively large or complex art project. The environment and culture in BRC is unlike anywhere else, and having build experience on playa will ensure greater success for the Temple artist and crew. Ideally the lead artist will also have significant experience leading a team and fundraising.
A. For the 2025 Temple grant cycle, the online application form to submit a proposal openeds on September 24, 2024. The submission deadline is November 14, 2024 at 5:00pm Pacific Time. Proposals are submitted via Burner Profiles.
A. The 2025 Temple application questions are available in this preview document. We recommend that you make a copy of this preview doc, compose your responses first in that separate document, and then copy and paste them into our form before submitting.
A. The selection is made by an art grant committee that has a long history of being involved with Burning Man Arts’ annual grant cycles and award processes. This committee has extensive personal experience in creating and managing art on playa, particularly the Temple.
We make our selection from the proposals that are submitted; most years we receive about a dozen applications. The committee reads and discusses every submission. We look for designs with strong visual appeal that meet the criteria and can feasibly be built in a short time frame. We appreciate proposals that include well-crafted images that give us a good idea of the proposed concept. And in the spirit of sustainability, we are especially interested in moderately scaled designs; bigger isn’t better.
Because we partner so closely with the lead artist, and because this project is as much about community as about construction, we’re especially interested in selecting someone with integrity whose values are aligned with our culture, who possesses a balance of leadership skills and humility, and who is motivated by offering a gift to the community. We check references and conduct interviews with a short list of finalists before making our decision.
A. Burning Man Project awards $150,000 for the Temple Grant. We understand that this is generally only a portion of the total project cost. It is important to think through your expenses; the application process includes an optional budget template that can serve as a guide. Note that Temple artists are responsible for fundraising for all expenses beyond the grant funds.
A. When considering the expenses for which you would like to request funding, please refer to the BRC Temple Grant Budget Template (available as a Google spreadsheet). While we only award funds for particular expense categories, all of your expenses can and should be considered a part of your total cost when calculating your budget and making your Temple plans and proposal.
Eligible for Grant Funding
Materials and supplies, including tools, consumables, hardware, fuel, and Leave No Trace supplies
Transportation of your materials and supplies to and from the playa
Specialty services such as welding, laser cutting, etc.
Build space rental
Ineligible for Grant Funding
Burning Man tickets (these are provided)
Artist and crew flights/transportation
Crew food
Camp supplies
Artist fees
Ground anchors (we can provide these, but you are required to provide hardware and cabling to secure your piece to the ground anchors for stability)
Post-event expenses
Legal expenses such as LLC formation or insurance
“Galaxia” Temple by Arthur Mamou-Mani, 2018 (Photo by George P. Post)
In addition to funding $150,000 of the project costs, Burning Man Project provides the Temple team with up to $15,000 of on-playa resources such as decomposed granite, fire wood, and potable water. We also provide the use of a 500-gallon potable water tank and a 250-gallon grey water tank plus pumping services for that tank. In addition, Burning Man Project may offer the use of a large solar shade structure capable of powering a moderate light design for the Temple. However, this is subject to additional requirements such as abstaining from using fuel-powered generators for the build on playa.
These resources are unique to the Temple as a municipal structure and not transferable or typically available for regular Honoraria art projects. The Temple crew will also get placement for their art support camp after they submit the art support camp registration form through the Placement team.
A. Given the scale of the Temple project, our Art Support Services (ASS) and Heavy Equipment and Transport (HEaT) teams are available to assist with heavy equipment, if needed. Typically this includes crane support, as well as equipment such as VRs, scissor lifts, and boom lifts. Don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what equipment you might need; we work closely with artists to identify what equipment works best and what’s available. In recent years, the Temple crew has typically brought their own rented equipment such as one or two telehandlers (VRs) and a skid steer to augment the heavy equipment support they receive from HEaT.
A. Burning Man Project does not require insurance. However, some artists have sought to obtain insurance to cover their work on playa. If your proposal is selected, we can connect you with previous Temple artists to learn how they managed this.
A. The Temple crew is allowed to build on-site for up to 15 days before the event begins. Please see Significant Dates on the What to Expect page for details.
A. Building the Temple is a communal effort. Please anticipate that your Temple crew will not only be comprised of professional artists and builders, but also citizens of Black Rock City who have very limited previous building experience. One of Burning Man’s 10 Principles is radical inclusion; we welcome and respect newcomers. It is important to honor this principle when assembling your crew. It is also important to integrate elements into the design such that unskilled workers can make meaningful creative contributions to the build.
While engineered and glue-laminated wood have excellent strength and may be useful in larger structures like the Temple, they are designed to be fire-resistant. Through experience, we have found that these types of beams can end up mostly unburned, remaining upright long after the rest of the materials have burned. As a result, the perimeter needs to be held for as long as it takes for the unburned sections to be made safe. It may be possible to use these types of wood in limited horizontal runs but this must be discussed with the Fire Art Safety Team (FAST) early in your design work and before those designs are finalized.
A. Over the years we have found a short list of materials that create excessive embers and floating burning materials when burned. These loose sources of unintended ignition can cause issues for participants and mutant vehicles at the burn perimeter as well as nearby art projects.
A. No, Burning Man’s in-house pyro team will make sure it burns quickly and evenly. This team will meet with you early in your planning to make sure the Temple is built in a way that can be burned and collapsed in a predictable and safe manner. Your help will be needed early Sunday to strike the non-burnables and to help place the additional firewood.
A. Leaving No Trace is one of the 10 Principles of Burning Man. Our community respects the environment and we are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave places in a better state than when we found them. Because Leaving No Trace is an integral value in our community, you and your crew will be responsible for fully cleaning the Temple site of all debris and ashes after the burn. You will need to identify an LNT Lead and submit an LNT plan with your proposal. Please read this page for general information on LNT for Black Rock City artists before writing your LNT plan.
