Yaddo Residency Open Call

We offer residencies to professional creative artists from all nations and backgrounds working in one or more of the following disciplines: choreography, film, literature, musical composition, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video. You may apply individually or as members of collaborative teams of up to three artists. Peer review is the keystone of our selection process, with different panelists each season. Residencies last from two weeks to two months and include room, board and a studio. There is no fee to come to Yaddo, and we have access grants to help offset the costs of attending a residency.

All artists are encouraged to apply! Generally, those who qualify for Yaddo residencies are either working at the professional level in their fields or are emerging artists whose work shows great professional promise. An abiding principle at Yaddo is that applications for residency are judged solely on the quality of the work. There are no publication, exhibition or performance requirements if granted a residency.

Not only is Yaddo an equal opportunity employer—we will not discriminate against any individual, employee, or application for residency on the basis of race, color, marital status, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, handicap, or any other legally protected status recognized by federal, state, or local law—we strongly encourage applicants from backgrounds underrepresented in arts and culture to apply.

Application Guidelines and Instructions

Application Deadlines

The January 10 deadline is for residencies starting May of the same year, through March of the following year. Applicants receive results by email in mid-March.

The August 1 deadline is for residencies starting November of the same year through June of the following year. Applicants receive results by email in early October.

Late applications are not accepted. All applications must be submitted electronically through the SlideRoom portal, yaddo.slideroom.com. The application portal opens in June for the August 1 deadline and early November for the January 10 deadline.

Eligibility

Artists who are enrolled in graduate or undergraduate programs, or who are engaged in completing work toward an academic degree at the time of application, are not eligible.

Artists may apply once every other calendar year. For example, if you applied to a 2022 deadline, you will be eligible to apply again to a 2024 deadline.

Yaddo supports individual artists engaged in the genesis of new, original work. Auxiliary artists such as sound and lighting technicians, musicians, dancers and designers are ineligible to apply.

Reapplication

The criterion for repeat visits is the same as for first visits – the quality of the artist’s work. All artists must submit a complete application, including recent work samples.

Fees

The nonrefundable application fee is $30. Depending on the discipline, an added fee of $5 to $10 for media uploads may apply. Application fees must be paid by credit card. If the fees represent a barrier to application, please contact our Program Department. Artists are responsible for their travel to and from Yaddo. We have modest access grants available to offset the costs of accepting an invitation. Applications for Access Grants are sent with your invitation.

Length of Stay

Residencies vary in length, from two weeks to two months.

Disciplines

Applications are considered by independent Admissions Committees. Membership changes with each application round, and is composed of artists whose work is recognized and esteemed by their peers. Collaborative applications are considered by cross-disciplinary panelists.

Panels consider applications to Yaddo in the following disciplines:

Literature: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, librettos, and graphic novels.
Visual Art: painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, mixed media, and installation art.
Music Composition: instrumental forms, vocal forms, electronic music, music for film, and sound art.
Performance: choreography, performance art, multi-media and/or collaborative works incorporating live performance.
Film & Video: narrative, documentary and experimental films, animation, and screenplays.

Apply to the Admissions Panel that best represents the project you’d like to work on at Yaddo. Apply to only one admissions panel, and in one genre, at a time. Contact the Program Director with any questions.

Collaborations

Small groups (2 to 3 individuals) of artists wishing to work collaboratively are encouraged to apply. Each member of the group will need to submit an individual application under “Collaborative Teams.” Work samples must give a clear representation of the nature of the collaboration, preferably via previous work the applicants have undertaken together. Support personnel or interpretative artists, such as computer programmers, instrumentalists, set and lighting designers, and dancers, may not be included in a residency as part of a collaborative team.

Artists who do not have a collaborative history but who wish to be in residence at the same time should apply to the Admissions Panel in their individual artistic discipline, rather than Collaborative Teams. Concurrent dates of residence may be requested.

References

All references must come through SlideRoom. Please ensure you have a current reference on file before submitting your application. You may inquire here: admissions@yaddo.org.

Application Instructions

All application materials, including contact information, work sample, and reference must be submitted through yaddo.slideroom.com. Complete instructions by discipline, including details about the process and requirements, are offered in the SlideRoom portal.

Submit a work sample(s) that reflects the project you will pursue during your residency, and that represents recent, finished work. Work samples may be visual images, video, PDF files or MP3 files, depending on the requirements for your discipline.

Address admissions questions to admissions@yaddo.org. Include your name and discipline in all correspondence. For technical assistance during the application process, contact support@slideroom.com.

Please note: Follow the instructions in Slideroom for your specific discipline, outlined below.

Instructions by Discipline

The initial stages of our application review are anonymous. Therefore, we ask that you omit your name from all work sample uploads in the file title and anywhere embedded in the file. Identities are revealed in the later stages of review. More detailed instructions on upload requirements are available in SlideRoom when the portal is open (early November – early January and again early June – early August).

Literature

Two writing samples (PDF) in manuscript format are required. One 2-page double-spaced excerpt and a second longer work sample of the same or a different sample. Literature genres include fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry, graphic novel, and libretto.

Visual Art

Submit seven digital images (JPG) of visual artwork. Note: The Admissions Committee views images on personal computer screens and a large screen via projection.

Optional: Documentary or elemental video of an installation.

Music Composition

Two separate musical scores (PDF). Recordings of one or both scores (MP3). Audio samples should not exceed 10 minutes. A brief statement (PDF) should be included for works created without a score.

Performance

Submit video documentation of up to three excerpts totaling 10 minutes in length. Work samples should be continuous excerpts, as opposed to a trailer. Video links or direct uploads may be included.

Optional: Brief description (PDF) of the performance(s), 250 words or less, including date, location, and major collaborators.

Film & Video

Filmmakers

Video or film segment, no longer than 10 minutes.

Optional: Brief description (PDF) of the sample, 250 words or less.

Screenwriters

Two writing samples (PDF) of your screenplay are required. One longer sample of no more than 10,000 words or 30 pages and a second two-page excerpt of the same work.