What is the American Academy in Berlin?
The American Academy in Berlin is a private, non-profit center for German-American cultural exchange. Its fellowship program promotes advanced research in a variety of academic, cultural, and political affairs.
Each year the Academy welcomes about two dozen fellows to the Hans Arnhold Center, on Lake Wannsee. The Academy also hosts a small number of invited distinguished visitors for shorter stays of one to four weeks and organizes a diverse program that includes lectures and presentations by resident fellows, distinguished visitors, and guest speakers.
In addition to placing a very high priority on the independent work of its fellows, the Academy is in a unique position to aid fellows in establishing professional networks, as well as links to the media, both in Berlin and beyond. The Academy’s public atmosphere, which actively encourages fellows to introduce their work to wider audiences, serves its mission of fostering transatlantic ties through cultural exchange.
What is a Berlin Prize?
Academy fellows are comprised of established and emerging scholars, writers, and professionals who wish to engage in independent study. Berlin Prizes have been awarded to historians, economists, filmmakers, art historians, journalists, legal scholars, linguists, musicologists, public policy experts, and writers, among others. (See our Alumni here.) They are appointed by an independent Selection Committee.
Fellowship benefits include round-trip airfare, housing at the Hans Arnhold Center, partial board, and a stipend of $5,000 per month. Fellows are expected to be in residence at the Academy during the entire term of the award, generally one academic semester.
Where is the American Academy in Berlin and what are the accommodations?
Private furnished apartments, equipped with small kitchens, are provided in the Hans Arnhold Center, a villa on the shores of Lake Wannsee. Basic fitness equipment is also available to fellows. The estate, which lies in the Zehlendorf district, was once the home of the banker Hans Arnhold. The Wannsee train station (a stop for S-Bahn and regional trains) is less than a ten-minute walk away. Trains reach downtown in ten to twenty minutes.
Are families welcome?
Limited accommodations are available for families with children at the Hans Arnhold Center's two detached gatehouses. If the Selection Committee awards you a fellowship, and appropriate family housing is not available during your preferred semester, the Academy will try to accommodate you during a future semester. Pets are not permitted at the Hans Arnhold Center.
How long is a Berlin Prize residency?
Berlin Prize winners are in residence for a full academic semester or longer. The fall semester typically begins in early September and ends in mid December; the spring semester is from mid January through May. Fellowships are occasionally but seldom awarded for a full academic year.
Winners of the Bosch Berlin Prize in Public Policy may come for shorter stays of six to eight weeks.
The fellow in music composition is in residence for a full academic year.
Who is eligible for a fellowship?
Fellowships are restricted to candidates based permanently in the US. Limited periods spent outside the US, such as sabbatical, foreign assignment for American publications, etc., must be explained on the application. US citizenship is not required, and American expatriates are not eligible.
Candidates in academic disciplines are expected to have completed a doctorate at the time of application. Applicants working in most other fields – such as journalism, filmmaking, or public policy – must have equivalent professional degrees. Although it is helpful to explain how a Berlin residency would contribute to further professional development, candidates need not be working on German topics.
At this time, the Academy does not accept project proposals in mathematics or the hard sciences.
May visual artists apply for fellowships?
The Academy does not accept applications from visual artists. The competition for the Guna S. Mundheim Fellowship in the Visual Arts is based solely on nomination. Each year a small number of candidates (ca. 12-15) are contacted individually by members of the Visual Arts Jury, whose names are disclosed only following the competition. While there are no foreseeable plans to hold an open competition, you are welcome to consult our website during future application cycles for any changes in this policy.
May composers apply for a fellowship?
The Academy awards one Berlin Prize in Music Composition per selection cycle. Composers and professional musicians should use the Application for Music Composition, not the general application for fellowships. The prize in composition will be awarded to one composer for an entire academic year (i.e. September 2010 – May 2011).
The independent music jury will convene in November 2009 and applicants will be notified of its decision in February 2010.
When are applications due?
General applications for the 2010–2011 academic year are due in the Berlin office on Thursday, October 1, 2009.
Applications in music composition are due in the Academy's New York office on October 1, 2009.
Applications may be sent by regular post or via an express service, such as DHL, UPS, or FedEx. They may not be sent by fax or e-mail. When submitting, please budget adequate time for your package to arrive, as the Academy will not consider late applications.
How may I obtain an application?
General fellowship applications for future academic years may be downloaded from this website (General Fellowship Application, Fellowship Application in Music Composition).
When will I be notified if I am awarded a fellowship?
Finalist dossiers will be reviewed by the members of the independent general Selection Committee following a rigorous screening process. The 2010–2011 Berlin Prizes will be awarded in February 2010 and publicly announced in the spring of 2010.
When does the next cycle begin?
Applications for the 2011-2012 academic year will be posted on this website in June 2010 and will be due in Berlin in October 2010.
Whom should I contact with further questions?
You may write or send an e-mail to us at the addresses below:
The American Academy in Berlin
Attn: Fellowship Applications
Am Sandwerder 17–19
14109 Berlin
Germany
Fax: +49 (30) 804 83-111
applications(at)americanacademy.de
www.americanacademy.de
