Irene Yamamoto Arts Writers Fellowship—Criteria

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Reside in or be a citizen of the US
• Be at least 18 years of age 
• Identify as a member of a community with ancestry in one of the original peoples of Africa, Asia, the Americas, Oceania, or Pacific Islands
• Have less than two years of publication experience, which may include a blog or self-publishing
• Have demonstrated a commitment to writing about visual art

Applicants cannot be an immediate relative of a JANM or Democracy Center employee, or of a funder.  

Previous recipients of an Irene Yamamoto Arts Writers Fellowship are not eligible.
 

Application Process

Applicants are required to submit through our online portal. Applicants should be prepared to submit the following: 

• Name, contact information, website, pronouns, race/ethnicity
• Cover letter (Word or PDF) introducing themselves, their work, why they are applying for the fellowship, and how they would spend the money (1000 words or less)
• Resume or CV (Word/PDF) 
• Biography summarizing your background and writing interests (500 words or less)
• Anything else you would like the panel to know
• Writing samples (Word or PDF)
• Applicants must submit published nonfiction arts writing samples that demonstrate critical engagement with the arts and are intended for a general readership. Samples should reflect the applicant’s voice as a critic, journalist, or cultural commentator. 
• Samples not meeting the above criteria, such as works of fiction, stage plays or screenplays, poetry, and other works of creative writing will not be considered and may disqualify an application. Works whose final, published form is an interview are also ineligible.
• All samples must have been previously published, meaning that they were/are available to the public in a form such as a newspaper, magazine, zine, website, blog, newsletter, or public social media post.
• Each sample should include information about where and when the piece was published. 
• Samples should be works whose final form is text; scripts or transcripts of podcasts, videos, or other spoken or performed works are not eligible.
• Links to websites where the sample was published are not a substitute for the actual written sample. 
• You may upload between one (1) and three (3) writing samples. Altogether, writing samples should not exceed 3,000 words.
• Samples should reflect an interest and investment in visual art.
   

Review Process

All eligible applications for this competitive award will be reviewed by a panel of professional writers and editors who cover visual art and who will determine the final two recipients.

Application Timeline

Questions

Please email democracycenter@janm.org with any questions you may have about submitting your application.