The Antarctic Artists and Writers Program furnishes U.S. Antarctic Program operational support, and round-trip economy air tickets between the United States and the Southern Hemisphere, to artists and writers whose work requires them to be in the Antarctic to complete their proposed project. The Program does not provide any funding to participants, including for such items as salaries, materials, completion of the envisioned works, or any other purpose. U.S. Antarctic Program infrastructure consists of three year-round stations and numerous austral-summer research camps in Antarctica, research ships in the Southern Ocean, and surface and air transportation. These assets support the projects undertaken by the artists and writers. The main purpose of the U.S. Antarctic Program is scientific research and education. The Antarctic Artists and Writers Program supports writing and artistic projects specifically designed to increase the public’s understanding and appreciation of the Antarctic and human endeavors on the southernmost continent. Priority will be given to projects that focus on interpreting and representing the scientific activities being conducted in and/or about the unique Antarctic region. Resulting projects must target audiences in the U.S. and be distributed/exhibited in the U.S. The program does not support site installations or performances in Antarctica. The program also does not support short-term projects that are essentially journalistic in nature. See Section IX (Other NSF Programs). Potential proposers are encouraged to contact the Program Officer prior to submitting a proposal. Note: if the Polar Program determines, prior to the panel review, that the logistic needs for a project cannot be met in the upcoming field season, the proposal will be Returned Without Review.