Application Guidelines
GRANT TIMELINE
Applications Opened: Tuesday, March 26
Applications Closed: Tuesday, May 21
Applicants Notified: Fall 2024
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
The JGS Fellowship for Photography is open to New York State photography artists, living and working anywhere in the following New York State regions: Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Capital District, Hudson Valley, and Long Island.
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Applicants must work in photography. Traditional and experimental photography or any form in which photography or photographic techniques are pivotal, if not exclusive, is eligible.
- Applicants must be current full-time residents of New York State and have lived full-time in one of the regions listed above for a minimum of 12 months at the time applications close (residents of New York City are not eligible to apply for this award).
- Applicants must live in one of the following counties: Albany, Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Dutchess, Erie, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Montgomery, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Putnam, Rensselaer, Rockland, St. Lawrence, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westchester, Wyoming, and Yates.
- Applicants must be at least 25 years of age at the time the application closes.
- Applicants cannot be enrolled in a degree-seeking program of any kind.
- Applicants can be past recipients of any NYFA grant or fellowship programs, except past recipients of the JGS Fellowship for Photography.
- Applicants cannot be a NYFA employee, a member of the NYFA Board of Trustees or Artists’ Advisory Committee, and/or an immediate family member of any of the above.
APPLICATION CONTENTS
Applicants may submit the following items:
WORK SAMPLES
Contents
Images
- 10 digital images
- We recommend submitting no less than 5 images
Artwork Information
- 250-words, Required
Formats Accepted
Images
- JPG or JPEG
- Recommended: no larger than 4MB
- Do no label your work sample with your name.
Artwork Information
- Directly to the application form in the corresponding textbox
WRITTEN STATEMENTS
- Artist Statement (250-Words), Required
- Cultural Statement (250-Words), Optional
- Written statements are to be submitted directly to the application form in the corresponding text boxes.
Questions? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page or email [email protected].
WORK SAMPLES
Work samples are a representation of your artistic work created within the last five years (recommended). This is the most important part of your application, as it will be the primary point of review. Keep in mind the panel reviews a large volume of material in quick succession; therefore, it is very important that you present your work clearly. This is not a project grant; therefore you should be submitting work that is completed.
Tip: Panelists generally view more recent work (work created within the last five years) more favorably. However, you are also encouraged to submit work that falls outside the recommended five-year timeline if you feel it represents your strongest work.
IMAGES
- Images of diptychs, installations, and multi-part works are accepted.
- It is strongly recommended that applicants not submit a composite image file of multiple works in an effort to increase the amount of work samples submitted (for example: including 4 image files of 4 separate pieces together in a grid format).
Example of single image file not accepted:
Before you upload your files to your application, you will need to rename your files to remove any personal identifying information. Do not label any work samples with your name.
Recommendation: Label each uploaded work sample starting with a number 01 through 10, followed by the title of the work. Number your files in the order you would like them to be reviewed.
Metadata Section in Application: A metadata section will appear on your application form after each work sample has been uploaded. In this section, you will be able to provide the following information:
- Title
- Date of Completion
- Materials
- Dimensions
- Additional information: If applicable, please note whether your work samples represent documentation of an installation, experience, etc (no more than 1 sentence).
Formatting Tips for Images: When formatting your images, RGB is the recommended color profile for screen viewing. You can use image editing software such as Photoshop, Canva or Preview to edit, resize and format your images.
(Required, 250-Words Max.): In addition to your submitted images, further explain the context, concept, and execution of your work sample(s).
- Be sure to note whether your work samples represent documentation of an installation, experience, etc.
- You can also describe the circumstances in which the viewer/audience should experience the work.
- If your work samples (or a portion of your work samples) represent a larger body of work, you can use this section to further describe the connection between the images.
SUPPORT STATEMENTS
Written statements are to be submitted directly to the application form in the corresponding textboxes. We recommend writing your statements in Microsoft Word or Google Docs and pasting them to Submittable. Document uploads for written statements will not be accepted.
Required, 250-Words Max.: A concise statement giving an overview of your artistic practice.
- This statement should give a brief introduction to ideas, themes, and methods in your practice (i.e. how you make what you make, and/or why you make what you make).
- This statement should also specifically reflect the ideas and inspiration relevant to your submitted work samples.
- Use this statement to highlight your role in creating/executing the work, as well as describing the key technical aspects of the work.
- This is not an Artist Bio.
Optional, 250-Words Max.: A supplemental statement that describes how your work is related to and/or rooted in a specific cultural practice, tradition, or community. This statement can also offer an opportunity to describe how your artistic work relates to or stems from your culturally-specific lived experience(s).
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be submitted via the online application platform Submittable at https://apply.nyfa.org/. NYFA does not accept any physical copies of applications.
- Applicants must have a Submittable account in order to access the application form and upload supporting materials.
- To create an account, click on the 2024 JGS Fellowship for Photography application, enter your details, and click Create Account and Continue.
- A verification email will be sent to your email address. Check your inbox and click on the link provided in the email to verify your account.
- If you already have an account, sign in and begin the application.
Tip: We recommend creating an account directly on Submittable instead of signing in via your Google or Facebook account. If you do not receive an email from Submittable in your inbox, be sure to check your Spam inbox!
SAVING YOUR SUBMITTABLE APPLICATION
To save your working application as a draft, scroll to the bottom of the form and select SAVE DRAFT. Applications are not considered complete until you hit SUBMIT. Sign in here to access your draft application.
LOCATING YOUR SUBMITTABLE APPLICATION
Click here to review your Submitted application.
NOTIFICATIONS
Applicants will be notified of their application results via Submittable. We recommend using an email address that is regularly active to ensure that you are receiving updates.
APPLICATION ASSISTANCE
To request an accommodation or if you need assistance in applying online, please email [email protected]. We ask that requests for accommodation be made as soon as possible, and no later than May 8 to allow adequate time for staff to support the applicant before the deadline.
Image Credit: Penelope Umbrico (NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Photography ’10); 6, 063, 750 Suns from Flickr (Partial) 8/26/09, 2007-09, C-Print
