Rome Prize

AAR invites applications for the annual Rome Prize competition!

Overview

For one hundred thirty years, the American Academy in Rome has awarded the Rome Prize to support innovative and cross-disciplinary work in the arts and humanities. Each year, the Rome Prize is given to about thirty artists and scholars who represent the highest standard of excellence.

Fellowships are chosen from the following:

The deadline for the nationwide Rome Prize competition is November 1, 2024. Applications will also be accepted between November 2 and 15 for an additional fee. No applications will be accepted after November 15.

Each Rome Prize winner is provided with a stipend, a bedroom with private bath, and a private workspace. Additionally, winners are invited to participate in the Rome Sustainable Food Project, which provides lunch and dinner, Monday through Friday, at no cost to Rome Prize Fellows. Winners of half- and full-term fellowships receive stipends of $16,000 and $30,000, respectively.

If you are considering bringing a family, please thoroughly read the Residential Life section of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Full-term fellowships generally run from early September through the following June. Winners of half-term fellowships may indicate a preference to begin in September or February.

Rome Prize winners are the core of the Academy’s residential community, which also includes Residents, Affiliated Artists and Scholars, and Visiting Artists and Scholars. Life at the Academy is most fully realized through the participation of all community members, in conversation with each other and deeply engaged with Rome’s historical and modern identity.

Before beginning your application, be sure to thoroughly read the application guidelines for your discipline.

Please note that eligibility and submission requirements differ for each category. All materials must be submitted in English, including letters of recommendation.

You may submit applications to multiple categories for an additional fee. If applying in multiple categories, a separate online application is required for each category. Applicants may not submit more than one application in any one category.

Information Sessions

This fall, the American Academy in Rome will host two in-person information sessions about the Rome Prize. The first takes place at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on Tuesday, September 24. The second will be presented at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence on Tuesday, October 8.

AAR will also present two general online information sessions on Zoom on September 23 and October 15. A third virtual meeting, focused only on landscape architecture, will happen on October 16.

These information sessions give prospective applicants a general overview of the Rome Prize application process, tips on what makes a successful application, and a look into the experience of living in the American Academy’s unique residential community in Rome.

Eligibility

Applicants for all Rome Prize Fellowships, except those applying for the National Endowment for the Humanities postdoctoral fellowships, must be United States citizens at the time of their application.

US citizens, and foreign nationals who have lived in the United States for three years immediately preceding the application deadline, may apply for the NEH postdoctoral fellowships in ancient studies, medieval studies, Renaissance and early modern studies, and modern Italian studies.

Graduate students in the humanities may apply for predoctoral fellowships only if they are “all but dissertation” (ABD).

Previous winners of the Rome Prize are not eligible to reapply.

Undergraduate students are not eligible for Rome Prize Fellowships.

Winners of the Rome Prize may hold other fellowships concurrently, as long as the requirements do not conflict with the winner’s full participation in the Academy community. Applicants are required to disclose all fellowships and awards they expect to hold during their proposed residency in Rome, including sabbatical pay.

Rome Prize winners may not hold a full-time job during the fellowship term. Winners may undertake part-time work commitments—including scholarly or artistic work that is not related to their Rome Prize project—provided that this work does not interfere with the winner’s full participation in the Academy community.

Rome Prize FAQ

Collaborations

Collaborations within the Same Discipline

Collaborators working in the same discipline may submit a joint application provided their work is genuinely collaborative as demonstrated by the materials submitted. In the case of joint applications, each individual must meet all eligibility requirements. Joint applications must be submitted in one dossier with one of the collaborators serving as the primary applicant. Joint applicants selected as winners will each receive the full Rome Prize offering (i.e., individual room, a full stipend, a private workspace, and an invitation to join the Rome Sustainable Food Project for meals).

Environmental Arts & Humanities Rome Prize

This year the American Academy in Rome introduces a pilot Rome Prize dedicated to the Environmental Arts & Humanities, designed specifically for collaborative efforts. We encourage applications from artists and scholars working jointly on projects that help expand our understanding of the way human beings relate to, experience, or process their encounters with the natural world. Collaborative pairs may include artists of any sort (visual, digital, architectural, musical, literary, textile, performance) and scholars in any field (past, present, future, natural world, human world). The two winners of this Rome Prize will each receive a full stipend, their own individual living space, and will be invited to join the Rome Sustainable Food Project for meals. The winners will share a workspace. Applicants must demonstrate a preexisting working partnership to be considered for this fellowship and, as with all Rome Prize Fellowships, applicants have to make clear why this work needs to be done in Rome.

Deadlines & Fees

The deadline for applications is November 1. Applications will also be accepted between November 2 and 15 for an additional fee (see below for details).

November 1

$50 if submitting one application
$60 if submitting two or more applications

November 15

$80 if submitting one application
$90 if submitting two or more applications

There is no application fee for those applying solely for NEH postdoctoral fellowships.

The deadline for letters of recommendation is November 30.

Applicants in literature, musical composition, and visual arts are not required to provide letters of recommendation, but those applicants must provide the names and contact information for three references.

Selection Process

Twelve juries, representing a broad cross-section of leaders in the various Rome Prize disciplines, are appointed annually to judge the candidate pool. The juries convene in January and February to select finalists for each category. Those applicants selected as finalists will be invited to interview with jurors in February or March. The winners are approved by the Academy Board of Trustees and announced in April.

The jurors’ primary criterion is excellence. They will consider the quality of an applicant’s submission and select candidates who are not only outstanding in their respective fields, but also at a point in their careers where the Rome Prize is likely to be crucial to their future growth and development.

Finalist Interviews

Applicants who are selected as finalists will be contacted three to four weeks prior to the interview date scheduled for their category.

Interview Schedule

The dates for the interview sessions in February and March 2025 have not been set. Please check back later in fall 2024 for the schedule.