Application Tips

APPLICATION COMPONENTS

• Read the Application Guidelines and Discipline Specific Guidelines thoroughly!
• Ensure you meet all Eligibility requirements:
  • You are at least 25 years or older.
  • You are a current New York State resident, and/or a resident of one of the Tribal Nations located therein.
  • You have lived in New York State, and/or one of the Indian Nations located therein for the past two consecutive years: all of 2022 & 2023
  • If you are a past NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow, none of the work samples you have submitted have previously received an award.
  • You are not currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program of any kind.
  • You are the originator of the artwork submitted.
  • You have not received a Fellowship in the last five years, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
  • If you are applying as a collaboration (up to 3 artists working together on a regular basis) all names should be listed in your application form.
  • If you have applied in more than 1 category (applicants can apply in a maximum of 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, immediate family member of any of the above, or an immediate family member of a 2023/2024 panelist.

Before you upload your VISUAL ARTS Work Samples (Disciplines: Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design,Craft/Sculpture, Interdisciplinary Work, Painting, Photography, Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts), check to make sure:

• Image files are .jpg
• Your images are not pixelated, and that they are in focus
• Your name is not present anywhere in your descriptions or file names
• Your files are numbered 01 to 10 in the order you want them to be reviewed
• You’ve added descriptions to your work samples where necessary
• All of your work sample files are less than 4MB
• Any detail images are clearly labeled as “detail” in the title of the image
• No more than 10 artworks are represented in your application

Before you upload your LITERARY Work Samples (Disciplines: Fiction, Nonfiction Literature, Playwriting/Screenwriting, Poetry), check to make sure:

• 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
• Your name is not present anywhere in your descriptions, file names, or title page
• 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

Before you upload your MEDIA Work Samples (Disciplines: Choreography, Digital/Electronic Arts, Folk/Traditional Arts, Interdisciplinary Work, Music/Sound, Video/Film), check to make sure:

• Image files are .jpg, Video files are .mov/.mp4, and/or Audio files are .mp3/.m4a/.wav/.aiff
• Video/audio links and passwords (if applicable) should be valid until Summer 2023
• Your images are not pixelated, and that they are in focus
• Your name is not present anywhere in your descriptions or file names
• Your image files are numbered 01 to 10 and your videos and/or audios 01 & 02
• You’ve added descriptions to your work samples where necessary 
• 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

Before you upload your Artist Statement, check to make sure:

• Your statement is concise, referencing only the work in your application
• Your statement doesn’t use “art speak” 
• 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.”

Upload 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

DOWNLOAD THE APPLICATION CHECKLIST AS A PDF