Application Tips

ELIGIBILITY CHECKLIST

• Ensure you meet all Eligibility requirements:
  • You are at least 25 years or older by the application deadline.
  • You are a current resident of New York State and/or one of the Tribal Nations located therein.
  • You have maintained New York State residency, and/or residency in one of the Tribal Nations located therein for the past two consecutive years: all of 2023 and 2024.
  • You have not received a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in the last five years, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
  • If you are a past NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow, none of the work samples you have submitted have previously been awarded for a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship.
  • You are not currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program of any kind.
  • You are the originator of the artwork submitted.
  • If you are applying as a collaboration (up to 3 artists working together on a regular basis) all names are listed in your application form.
  • If you have applied in more than 1 category (applicants can apply in up to 2 categories each cycle), you have indicated this in your application form.
  • You are not a NYFA employee, a member of the NYFA Board of Trustees or Artists’ Advisory Committee, an immediate family member of any of the above, or an immediate family member of a 2024/2025 panelist.

WORK SAMPLE CHECKLIST

Before providing any Work Samples, keep the following in mind:

• Your name is not present anywhere in your descriptions or file names as the first round of review is an anonymous round.
• Your files are uploaded in the order you want them to be reviewed.
• You’ve added descriptions to your work samples where necessary in your application.

Visual Arts Work Samples
Disciplines: Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design,Craft/Sculpture, Interdisciplinary Work, Painting, Photography, Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts

Before you upload your VISUAL ARTS Work Samples ensure that:

• Image files are .jpg
• Your images are not pixelated, and that they are in focus
• All of your work sample files are less than 4MB
• Any detail images are clearly labeled as “detail” in the title of the image

Literary Work Samples
Disciplines: Fiction, Nonfiction Literature, Playwriting/Screenwriting, Poetry

Before you upload your LITERARY Work Samples, ensure that:

• Your work sample file is a .pdf
• You have included up to 20 pages, 12 point font, double spaced (Poetry submission can be spaced at the artist’s discretion)
• You have included one title page with the title of the work and the date of completion
• You have not included any scanned excerpts from books or periodicals in published form
• Your manuscript is in English
• Ensure that the work you have selected is your strongest, remembering you don’t need to include all 20 pages if your work is represented with fewer
• Do not include a Résumé or CV in your .pdf

Media Work Samples
Disciplines: Choreography, Digital/Electronic Arts, Folk/Traditional Arts, Interdisciplinary Work, Music/Sound, Video/Film

Before you upload your MEDIA Work Samples, ensure that:

• Image files are .jpg, Video files are .mp4, and/or Audio files are .mp3/.m4a/.wav/.aiff
• Video links and passwords (if applicable) should remain accesible until Summer 2025
• Your images are not pixelated, and that they are in focus
• All of your images work sample files are less than 4MB & Videos and/or Audios are less than 2GB
• Any detail images are clearly labeled as “detail” in the title of the image

SUPPORT STATEMENT CHECKLIST

When providing your SUPPORT STATEMENTS (Artist Statement, Synopsis, Character Sheet, etc.), review your application to ensure:

• Your artist statement is concise, referencing only the work in your application
• You use simple clear language, with concrete descriptions 
• You avoid quoting or referencing other artists by name
• You do not use speculative language such as “I am trying to, or I seek to…” but rather, “I am.”
• You describe how your work would be produced in its intended medium
• You explain whether  your work should be viewed or interacted with in a certain way.
• If your work uses specialty equipment, explain why and how it was used
• If need be, you have itemized each work or group of works to better explain your work samples
• You have explained the work samples submitted and contextualized their placement within your larger work
• Your synopsis does not repeat your artist statement
• If you submit a Cultural Statement: This statement should outline how your work is connected to a cultural community. You should only use this statement if you feel it is integral to the interpretation of the work.