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2008-09 Individual Photographer's Fellowship
Grant Information and Application Guidelines

Application Period: October 20 to December 20, 2008
Application Deadline:
December 20, 2008 at 11:59 pm EST

General Information and Eligibility Requirements

The Aaron Siskind Foundation is offering a limited number of fellowship grants of up to $7,000 each, for individual artists working in still photography and photo-based art. Grant recipients and award amounts will be determined by a review panel based on artistic excellence, accomplishment to date, and the promise of future achievement in the medium in its widest sense.

Applicants must apply online using the CueRate application system. Mailed applications and work samples are not accepted.

Who May Apply: U.S. citizens whose primary residence is in the United States, or Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S. (“green card holders”) who currently reside in the United States. Fellowship recipients must provide proof of citizenship or permanent residency, and a verifiable social security number. Past years’ IPF Fellows may reapply five or more years after their previous award.

Who May Not Apply: Matriculated students enrolled in any college degree program at any time during the 2009 calendar year.

Eligible Work: There are no restrictions on subject matter, genres or processes of past or projected work. Works submitted may be traditional photography projects or experimental works. Still photography or photographic techniques must be pivotal to the works submitted.

Examples of Non-Eligible Work: Film, Video; Internet projects, interactive multimedia

Fellowship recipients will be notified prior to April 15, 2009. Names of recipients and panelists will be posted on this website by April 15, 2009. Other applicants will not be notified. ASF retains recipients’ image files and supporting application materials for our records. Other applicants’ files will be purged from our database in 2009.

The decisions of the Aaron Siskind Foundation and its designated judging panel as to who receives fellowship support and in what amounts will be final, private, and without appeal. As required by law, award funds must be used to further the artist's creative endeavors. At the end of 2009, recipients will be required to provide a summary of the specific uses to which award funds were put. Funds are taxable to recipients in 2009.

Online Application Information

Internet access and a working email address are needed to apply using the CueRate online application system. You can apply at any time between October 20, 2008 and the deadline on December 20, 2008 at 11:59 pm EST. Once you have registered online, you can work on your application in multiple sessions, saving as you go, until you are ready to submit a completed application. We recommend applying well in advance of the deadline in order to avoid technical problems.

A completed application consists of the following information & files:

Applicant Profile: Name and contact information

Work Samples: A portfolio of eight (8) image files showing representative, recent work. If your work is best communicated visually by showing its physical or installed nature, or aspects of detail, you may use one or more of the eight images for that purpose.

Text descriptors for each image: Title, Year Completed, Medium, Dimensions

Career summary, artist’s resume or short bio (1000 words maximum)

Work Statement: (350 words maximum) The purpose of the statement is to give the review panel a better understanding of your work, while they are viewing it. Your statement should be clear, concise and relate to the work samples you submit.

About your Work Samples

Exactly eight (8) digital image files must be uploaded, no more and no less. Images will be projected for the review panel via high-definition digital projectors and viewed at roughly 30”x40” per image. With regard to the order of your images, please consider that they will be projected in two groups of four images, in the order that you upload them (Images # 1-4 will be projected first, followed by Images # 5-8).

Images must be JPG files with the .jpg extension. The recommended color profile is sRGB. Maximum file size for uploading is 2 MB. Image size can be no larger than 1240 x 1240 pixels (a smaller image will be shown against a 1240 x1240 black background). Images should be 72 DPI, any higher will unnecessarily increase your file size. File names may only include keyboard characters: a-z, 0-9 and _ and cannot include any blank spaces. More information about preparing and uploading your images is available in the Instructions and Help sections of the online application.

Problems and Questions

The CueRate online application provides a Help/FAQ page where you can read common questions and answers. There is a link to email CueRate tech support if you have a technical question or problem. For questions about the grant program or application requirements, there is a link to email a grant administrator. Important: Remember to click the “Save Your Work” button on the page you are working on, before going to another page!

Link to online application: http://asf.cuerate.org

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