APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
- 25 years 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 (2018 & 2019)
- Cannot be enrolled in a degree-seeking program of any kind
- Are the originators of the work, i.e. choreographers or playwrights, not interpretive artists such as dancers or actors
- Did not receive a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in any discipline in the past five consecutive years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019
- Cannot submit any work samples that have been previously awarded a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship
- While collaborating artists are eligible to apply, the total number of collaborators cannot exceed three
- Are not a current NYFA employee or have been in the last 12 months, a member of the NYFA Board of Trustees or Artists’ Advisory Committee, immediate family member of any of the aforementioned, or an immediate family member of a 2019-2020 panelist
- Artists that have been awarded five NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowships receive Emeritus status and are no longer eligible for the award
CURRENT AWARD CYCLE
2020 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Categories
The 2019-20 award cycle is open now through January 22, 2020 at 11:59 PM (EST). The following categories will be reviewed:
- Craft/Sculpture
- Digital/Electronic Arts
- Nonfiction Literature
- Poetry
- Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts
APPLY NOW
Interested in attending an upcoming NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship application seminar? Visit our events page.
Applying for a NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship? View our "How to Apply" video here.
FUTURE AWARD CYCLES
2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Categories
Applications for the 2020-21 award cycle will open in Fall 2020. The following categories will be reviewed:
- Fiction
- Folk/Traditional Arts
- Interdisciplinary Work
- Painting
- Video/Film
2022 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship Categories
Applications for the 2021-22 award cycle will open in Fall 2021. The following categories will be reviewed:
- Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design
- Choreography
- Music/Sound
- Photography
- Playwriting/Screenwriting
FUNDING SUPPORT

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.
Additional funding is provided by the Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation, Deutsche Bank, and individual donors.
You can join NYFA's generous benefactors in helping artists. Visit our Support pages to learn more about the impact of your gift.
Image Credit: Angelina Gualdoni (Fellow in Painting '08), Transference in Aurora, Illinois, 2004, Acrylic and oil on canvas.