About This Opportunity

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Fellowship Program is a vital source of funding for the visual arts and art history in Virginia. VMFA is committed to supporting professional artists as well as art and art history students who demonstrate exceptional creative ability in their chosen discipline and, as such, has awarded more than $6 million in Fellowships to Virginians.

**Fellowship Disciplines**

Fellowship applicants may submit work for the following disciplines. Applicants should select the discipline that most closely corresponds to the body of work they are submitting.

Submissions are not judged within these disciplines, but instead within eligibility categories (Professional, Graduate, Undergraduate) across all disciplines.

* Crafts

* Drawing

* Film/Video

* Mixed Media

* New/Emerging Media

* Painting

* Photography

* Printmaking

* Sculpture

* Art History (Graduate Students Only)

Eligibility

Geographic Requirements

Virginia, VA, US

Other Requirements

**Professional Artists** 1. You must be a _citizen or permanent resident of the United States_, as well as a current _legal_ _resident of Virginia_, and have been so for at least _24 consecutive months_ prior to the application deadline. 2. You must continue to be a legal resident of Virginia for the Fellowship period of May 2026 through May 2027\. A legal resident has a valid Virginia driver’s license, and/or pays income taxes in Virginia, and/or is a registered Virginia voter. Applicants must be able to provide verification of residency upon request. 3. You _cannot be_ a degree-seeking student during the Fellowship period of May 2026 through May 2027. Artists who are NOT ELIGIBLE to apply to the Professional category include the following: 1. Recipients of a VMFA Professional Fellowship in the last 5 Fellowship cycles (2025-26, 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22) 2. Recipients of three or more Fellowships 3. Full-time VMFA employees 4. Undergraduate and Graduate students who will be enrolled full-time in a degree-seeking program during the academic year of Aug 2026 through May 2027. **Students (Graduate and Undergraduate)** 1. You must be a _citizen or permanent resident of the United States_, as well as a current _legal resident of Virginia_, and have been so for at least _12 consecutive months_ prior to the application deadline. 2. You must continue to be a legal resident of Virginia for the Fellowship period of May 2026 through May 2027\. A legal resident has a valid Virginia driver’s license, and/or pays income taxes in Virginia, and/or is a registered Virginia voter. 3. Students paying in-state tuition to an accredited Virginia college, university, or school of the arts qualify as legal residents of Virginia. If you do not qualify for in-state tuition in Virginia, you may not apply for a VMFA Fellowship until you establish Virginia residency. If you are a legal Virginia resident but attend school full-time outside of Virginia, you may still apply. Applicants must be able to provide verification of residency upon request. 4. You must be planning to be _enrolled full-time_ and qualify as a Virginia resident as outlined above for the entire academic year Aug 2026 through May 2027 at an accredited college, university, or school of the arts. Artists who are NOT ELIGIBLE to apply to either of the student categories include the following: 1. Recipients of three or more Fellowships 2. Full-time VMFA employees 3. Undergraduate and graduate students who will NOT be enrolled full-time in a degree seeking program during the academic year Aug 2026 through May 2027.

Visual Arts Fellowships 2026-27

About This Opportunity

What You'll Get

Application Requirements

Eligibility

Geographic Requirements

Other Requirements

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

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