Apply Now | 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship

New York State-based artists are encouraged to apply for this $7,000 unrestricted cash award.

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is excited to announce that the 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship application cycle is now open. NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships are $7,000 unrestricted cash awards made to individual originating artists living and working in the state of New York. These fellowships are not project grants and are intended to fund an artist’s vision or voice, regardless of the level of his or her artistic development. In 2018, NYFA awarded a total of $623,000 to 89 artists throughout New York State.

Applications close Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at 11:59 PM (EST).

2019 Award Categories

Fellowships are awarded in 15 different disciplines over a three-year period. The 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Categories are:

• Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design
• Choreography
• Music/Sound
• Photography
• Playwriting/Screenwriting

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, applicants must meet all of the following requirements by the application deadline:

• 25 years old or older
• Current residents of New York State and/or one of the Indian Nations located in New York State. Must have maintained New York State residency, and/or residency in one of the Indian Nations located therein, for at least the last two consecutive years (2017 & 2018)
• Not enrolled in a degree-seeking program of any kind
• Are originators, not interpreters of the work, i.e. choreographers or playwrights and not dancers or actors
• Did not receive a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in any discipline in the past five consecutive years (2014-2018)
• Cannot submit any work samples that have previously been awarded a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship
• Are not a NYFA employee, a member of NYFA’s Board of Trustees or Artists’ Advisory Committee, immediate family member of any of the above, or an immediate family member of a 2018-2019 panelist
• Artists that have been awarded five NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships receive Emeritus status and are no longer eligible for the award

Apply Now

Visit NYFA’s Submittable page to start your application. 

For more information about the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, visit our website, view our Fellowships FAQ, and download the application guidelines.

Applications close Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at 11:59 PM (EST).

Upcoming Application Seminars:

January 9 – Brooklyn
Location: The New York Foundation for the Arts, 20 Jay Street, Suite 740, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Date and Time: Wednesday, January 9, 2019, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Registration: RSVP here via Eventbrite

January 16 – Online
Location: NYFA’s Facebook Page
Date and Time: Wednesday, January 16, 2019, 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM
Registration: No registration necessary, though those interested in tuning in will need to sign into their Facebook accounts to view and participate.

Past Fellows

Several recent distinguished NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellows who have been recognized in this cycle’s award categories include: 

Ersela Kripa, Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design ‘10
Sarah Oppenheimer, Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design ’06, ’10, ’16
Jean Shin, Sculpture ’03 and Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design ’08

Raja Feather Kelly, Choreography ’16
Sarah Michelson, Choreography ’10
Annie-B Parson, Choreography ’00, ’06, ’13

Anthony G. Coleman, Music/Sound ’16
Bora Yoon, Music/Sound ’10
Du Yun, Music/Sound ’16

Justine Kurland, Photography ’13
Lorie Novak, Photography ’88, ’16
Shen Wei, Photography ’16

Young Jean Lee, Playwriting/Screenwriting ’10
JT Rogers, Playwriting/Screenwriting ’16
Jen Silverman, Playwriting/Screenwriting ’13

Visit our website for a full list of Past Fellows.

NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships are administered with leadership support from New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Images from top: Sarah Oppenheimer (Fellow in Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design ’06, ’10, ’16), VP-41, 2009, plywood, 2 foil mirrors, surrounding architecture, and Shen Wei (Fellow in Photography ‘16), Peach Tree, 2014, C-Print.