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 including light-based work, alternative processes, or any form in which photography or photographic techniques are pivotal, if not exclusive. The support for this funding is provided by The Joy of Giving Something (JGS).
Timeline
*Please note that the application form on Submittable will automatically close and stop accepting applications at this time.
Applicants must:
- Work in photography. Traditional and experimental photography including light-based work, alternative processes, or any form in which photography or photographic techniques are pivotal, if not exclusive, is eligible.
- Be current full-time residents of New York State outside of the five boroughs of NYC.
- Have maintained New York State residency for a minimum of 12 months at the time application closes in one of the following NYS regions: Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Capital District, Hudson Valley and Long Island.
- Residents of New York City are not eligible to apply for this award.
- Eligible counties include: 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.
- Be 25 years of age or older by the application deadline.
- Not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program of any kind.
- Not be a past recipient of the JGS Fellowship for Photography.
- Past recipients of other NYFA grant programs are eligible to apply.
- Not 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. 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, or is a completed piece of an ongoing/continuing body of work.
TIP: Work samples produced in the past five years are highly recommended. If you submit older work samples, consider providing an explanation as to why you chose the older work samples in the metadata section.
What to Submit:
Applicants can submit up to 10 digital images total (submitting no less than 5 images is recommended).
- Formats accepted
- JPG or JPEG
- Recommended resolution
- 2000 pixels on the longest side at 72 dpi
- Images of diptychs, installations, and multi-part works are accepted.
- It is strongly recommended that applicants not submit a single 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, briefly describe the context, concept, and execution of your work sample(s). If your submitted work samples include multiple works, you can talk about them collectively or itemize each one and talk about them individually.
If relevant, you may also include:
- The intended circumstances in which the viewer/audience should experience the work such as instructions for navigating the work, if it’s interactive.
- How your work samples (or a portion of your work samples) represent a larger body of work.
- Whether the images document an installation, experience, performance, or time-based piece.
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.
What to submit:
(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).
NYFA regularly revisits its grant guidelines and eligibility requirements to improve clarity and accessibility and reduce unintentional bias. We invite feedback and suggestions that we can consider within the parameters of the program funder’s goals and NYFA’s required processes.
Applications are reviewed over the course of 3 elimination rounds.
- Rounds 1 & 2: The panel will carefully review and score assigned applications independently. The highest scoring applications will move forward into the next round of review.
- Round 3: The panel will meet as a group and collectively discuss the applications that have made it into this round, and conclude by selecting the Fellows.
Peer review panelists will assess eligible applications according to the following evaluation criteria:
- Artistic Merit: A competitive application demonstrates excellence in photography through strong Work Samples that highlight the applicant’s creativity, technical proficiency, and cohesive artistic vision.
- Clarity and Cohesiveness: A competitive application presents clear, concise, and compelling Support Statements that provide valuable insights into their practice and motivations. The Support Statements should work together with the submitted Work Samples to provide a comprehensive understanding of the applicant’s vision and goals.
- Originality and Innovation: A competitive application showcases innovative methods, ideas, and/or concepts that makes their work stand out within the photography field. Panelists will assess the uniqueness and originality of an applicant’s approach, including the quality of execution, innovation in materials or techniques, and the overall impact of your work. Applicants may also demonstrate innovation through place-based work that is informed by or responsive to a specific location, community, or environment.
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 submitted after the deadline will not be accepted, and no exceptions will be made. We strongly recommend that applicants complete their applications in advance of the deadline to avoid potential technical problems.
Applicants will receive an automatic response from Submittable once their application has been successfully received.
The NYFA Grants team will host a virtual information session over Zoom designed to help applicants build a strong application. The one-hour session will include an overview of the program, a summary of eligibility requirements, tips for filling out the application, and a live Q&A.
Registration is required for the live info session. Please sign up below.
- 2026 JGS Fellowship For Photography: Wednesday, April 8, 2:00 PM ET; Register here.
Recorded info sessions will be available for viewing below, approximately one week after the live session.
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 work that is completed, or is a completed piece of an ongoing/continuing body of work. Applicants should not submit project proposals or works they are in the process of completing.
PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION
The JGS Fellowship for Photography applications have an upload limit of 2GB. 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.
Choose work that represents your vision as an artist, and that was created in the last five years. Panelists are looking to support an artist’s voice or vision, so applicants should submit work samples that show a strong stylistic presence, voice, or theme. This can be achieved by showing the panel the depth rather than breadth of your work and by showing a sample of something that you do well. When making your work sample selection, we recommend narrowing it down to focus on one or two bodies of work that relate in some comprehensive way.
REVIEW & SELECTION PROCESS
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 Summer 2026. 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 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.
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 submittersupport@submittable.com 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 submittersupport@submittable.com 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.
Any questions?