The JGS Fellowship for Photography

• 10 digital images. (We recommend submitting no less than 5 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:

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.

(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).

Yes. With the exception of past JGS recipients, all previous applicants and recipients of NYFA awards, including the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Photography, are eligible to apply for this award.

No. Only artists working in still photography where traditional or experimental photography techniques are used are eligible for the JGS Fellowship for Photography.

No. This grant is not eligible for any New York City counties (Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, and Richmond).

The JGS Fellowship for Photography is open to artists living and working in counties outside of New York City. These counties are: 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.

Yes. The JGS Fellowship for Photography is not a project grant which means that if awarded, funds do not need to be used on a specific project. Applicants should be applying with completed works.

The JGS Fellowship for Photography applications have an upload limit of 2GB. If you are submitting images, each image can be no larger than 4MB. You can resize images using image editing software such as Photoshop, Preview, etc. We highly recommend completing your application well in advance of the deadline to allow time for work samples to upload and to avoid potential technical problems.

The support for this funding is provided by The Joy of Giving Something (JGS).

Applications are reviewed by panelists through elimination rounds, producing a smaller pool for each round. An artist’s advancement is a product of the collective vote of the panel. A single panelist cannot ensure an applicant’s success or failure.

Panelists are individual artists and arts workers with an expertise in photography. NYFA makes every effort to assemble diverse panels, considering gender, ethnicity, cultural background, and geographic location. Panelists’ names are kept confidential until the awards are announced.

All applicants will receive notification on the outcome of their application in Fall 2024. Please do not email us regarding the status of your application.

Each recipient of the JGS Fellowship for Photography receives a $8,000 unrestricted cash grant.

All applications must be submitted through the Submittable platform. All open applications can be found on Submittable.

If you haven’t already, you will need to create a free Submittable account to be able to access the application. Visit Submittable to start a free account.

Step-by-step guidance for using the Submittable platform and setting up a free account is available here.

Yes. To save your application as a draft, scroll to the bottom of your working application and select “Save Draft.” Sign in to your submittable account to view your draft applications. You can also sign in via the direct link to saved drafts here.

No. All applications must be submitted online through Submittable to be considered for review.

For assistance in applying, please reach out through our Contact Page. We ask that requests for assistance be made as soon as possible, and at least two weeks prior to the deadline to allow adequate time for staff to support you in submitting an application on time.

Instructions for scanning documents on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch are available here.

Instructions for scanning documents on an Android device using Google Drive are available here.

This free online tool can help you convert to a wide variety of file types. Accepted file types are listed directly on the application.

You have the option of including notes and comments about your work samples in the metadata field. Once you have selected and uploaded your file on Submittable, an additional metadata field will appear in the application form. Please include additional information about the work samples there.

We highly suggest using a laptop or desktop computer to complete your application on the platform, rather than a mobile device or tablet. Free access to these types of computers are available at most public library branches throughout New York City. For a smoother performance, we recommend using either Firefox or Chrome as your browser. If you’re already using Chrome, please clear the browser cache and cookies. Additionally, please make sure you are using the most up to date version of your browser.

If you are still running into technical issues, you can reach out to Submittable’s Support team directly via the contact form, Submitter Support, or via the support email address [email protected] so that they can troubleshoot directly.

NYFA staff do not have access to your Submittable account.

To preview your submitted application, please sign in to your Submittable account. If you continue having issues viewing your submission, please reach out to [email protected] for further assistance.

Note: Submitted applications should only be previewed using the link above. You may not be able to preview your submitted application by signing in through the same portal link you used to apply.

No. All applications must be submitted by the deadline. Please note that the application form will automatically close and stop accepting applications at the deadline time of 5:00 PM ET, regardless of whether you still have a draft application open on your browser. We strongly encourage you to submit your application at least 24-48 hours before the deadline date to allow time to address any technical issues. NYFA cannot extend the deadline regardless of the cause of the problem you may have encountered.

By completing this information you are helping NYFA secure future funding, collect general information about our audience, and properly assess our effectiveness in serving the creative community. Your responses will remain anonymous and any personally identifying data will be removed prior to sharing the demographic data with third parties.