The American Academy in Berlin invites applications for its residential fellowships on a yearly basis. We have passed the October 7, 2011 deadline and are no longer accepting applications. Information for the academic year 2012 - 2013 will be posted in June 2012.

The Academy welcomes emerging as well as established scholars, writers, and professionals who wish to engage in independent study in Berlin. Around two dozen Berlin Prizes are conferred annually. Past Berlin Prize recipients have included historians, economists, poets, art historians, journalists, legal scholars, anthropologists, musicologists, public policy experts, and writers, among others. The Academy does not accept project proposals in mathematics and the hard sciences.

In addition to placing a high priority on the independent work of its fellows, the Academy is in a unique position to aid fellows in establishing professional and general networks both in Berlin and beyond. The Academy’s public outreach, which facilitates the introduction of a fellow's work to a wider audience, serves its mission of fostering transatlantic ties through cultural exchange.

Fellowships are typically awarded for an academic semester or, in some cases, for an entire academic year. Only the Bosch Fellowships in Public Policy may be for shorter stays of six to eight weeks. Fellowship benefits include round-trip airfare, housing at the Academy, partial board, and a stipend of $5,000 per month. The Academy’s furnished apartments at the Hans Arnhold Center are suitable for individuals and couples; limited accommodations are available for families with children. All fellows are expected to reside at the Hans Arnhold Center during the entire term of the award.

Fellowships are restricted to candidates who are based permanently in the US (US citizenship is not required and American expatriates are not eligible). Candidates in academic disciplines must have completed a doctorate at the time of application. The Academy gives priority to the scholarly merit and significance of the proposal rather than the project’s specific relevance to Germany.  Although it is helpful to explain how a Berlin residency might contribute to the project’s further development, candidates need not be working on German topics.

The selection process for the Guna S. Mundheim Berlin Prize in the Visual Arts is based on nomination rather than application. A small number of invited candidates will be considered by an independent international arts jury. Please see below for information regarding the Berlin Prize in Music Composition.