The Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte (SNCA; National System of Art Creators) is program developed by the former Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, and founded per presidential decree on September 3, 1993.[1] Its goal is the advancement and acceptance of creative activities as an essential part of national identity. It is Mexico's most prestigious arts' grant and a majority of Mexico's most notable architects, fiction writers, poets, essayists, painters, photographers, visual artists, screenwriters, filmmakers, and others who have rendered outstanding services through their work to the creative identity of Mexico, have belonged or currently belong to the program. Every year a new set of 200 creators are selected based on the work produced and contribution to the culture of Mexico.[2] This group of creators receives a special “Artistic Creator” title[3] along with an up to 3-year stimulus (amount is based on the average minimum wage at the time) that can be used to fund their art endeavors.[4] Creators may reapply once more 3 years after their grant has ended to be awarded again. The 2022 selection included 115 new artists and 85 '2nd time' artists to make up the total of 200 Creadores Artísticos, and all come from 28 different states in Mexico.
The grant program of the SNCA includes bourses paid by the Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (FONCA).[5]
Due to a high volume of Mexican artists that do not yet meet the 35 year old age requirement to apply, another sub system was created in the early 2010s called Jóvenes Creadores (Young Creators).