The JGS Fellowship for Photography
Image Credit: Eric Sugar
The JGS Fellowship for Photography is a $8,000 cash grant open to New York State photography artists living and working outside of New York City.
The Fellowship is awarded to five artists working in traditional and experimental photography or any form in which photographic techniques are pivotal. The support for this funding is provided by The Joy of Giving Something (JGS).
Timeline
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 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
1. 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.
What to Submit:
- 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.
2. 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).
Submit your application
We only accept applications via Submittable. First-time users will need to register with the free Submittable platform to access the application portal.
Applications are closed for the 2024 program cycle. Check back on this page or sign up for our newsletter for updates about future cycles.
ELIGIBILITY
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.
PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION
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.
REVIEW & SELECTION PROCESS
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.
HOW TO APPLY
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 Submittableto 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.
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.
NYFA is committed to supporting individuals from all backgrounds and disciplines and will continue to work towards values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility across all programs.
Any questions?