China's National Art Foundation, a program that seeks to fund artists, has started the process of reviewing applications for this year, the Ministry of Culture said.

A total of 4,402 projects, including individual and team works, were received online between March 1 and May 1. The projects will compete for funds worth 5.12 billion yuan ($826 million) from the program.

This year's jury has been tasked with completing the selection process by August.

According to Han Ziyong, director for the Foundation's management center, when the program was lunched in association with the Ministry of Finance last year, some 393 projects received funding to the tune of around 400 million yuan.

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