Apply for a Fellowship

Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the Academy has continued to host almost all of our fellows at the Hans Arnhold Center, while a few opted for a remote fellowship. We have developed and implemented a variety of safety measures for both fellows and staff. We also moved our fellows’ events to online formats, and continued to observe social distancing and masking measures in the Hans Arnhold Center. For the upcoming 2023/24 academic year, we plan to move forward in ways both safe and appropriate, as determined by Berlin public health authorities. We are hopeful that in-person programming will again be possible and safe.

The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonprofit institute for advanced study located in Berlin, Germany. Its fellowship program promotes advanced research in a variety of disciplines.

Each year the Academy welcomes about twenty fellows to the Hans Arnhold Center, on Lake Wannsee. The Academy also invites a small number of Distinguished Visitors for shorter stays of one to four weeks. The Academy’s diverse public program includes lectures, readings, and presentations by resident fellows, Distinguished Visitors, and guest speakers. You can find the complete roster of past fellows and Distinguished Visitors in the alumni section of our website.

In addition to placing a high priority on the independent work of fellows, the Academy is in a unique position to aid them in establishing professional networks 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.

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, and to offer two public events about their work. The Academy supports the projects of Berlin Prize Fellows in a variety of ways, including active community building, professional networking, media outreach, and full library services.

Fellows may receive their stipend directly or through their home institution. The Academy does not withhold taxes, but stipends are taxable income. Please note that overhead/indirect costs are not built into the stipend amounts awarded to the fellows. The Berlin Prize fellowship does not allow for institutional overhead.

Academy fellows are established and emerging scholars, writers, and professionals who wish to engage in independent study. Emerging scholars should have a strong record of peer-reviewed work beyond the dissertation. Projects that have not significantly advanced beyond the dissertation project will not be considered. Independent scholars are welcome to apply if they meet the general eligibility requirements.

Applicants working in most other fields—such as journalism, filmmaking, or public policy—must have a significant record of publication or production. Writers of fiction and nonfiction must have published at least one book with a reputable press at the time of application.

Berlin Prizes have been awarded to historians, economists, filmmakers, art historians, journalists, legal scholars, musicologists, public-policy experts, former government officials, NGO leaders, and writers, among others.

Candidates should explain how their projects will benefit from a residency in Berlin, but they need not be working on German topics.

Fellowships are restricted to candidates based permanently in the United States. Limited periods spent outside the US, such as sabbaticals or foreign assignments, must be explained on the application. US citizenship is not required. American expatriates are not eligible.

The Academy also accepts applications based on collaborative projects. Candidates must submit separate applications. External reviews will consider the merits of the project as well as the individual candidates.

Candidates from previous years are eligible to reapply but are strongly encouraged to revise their project proposals substantially and update their application materials. A number of Academy fellows have applied one or more times before their selection.

While the American Academy does host composers, artists, and poets, candidates in these areas are chosen by nomination only.

Private furnished apartments, equipped with small kitchens, are provided at or near the Hans Arnhold Center, a historic villa on the shores of Lake Wannsee. The Wannsee commuter rail station is less than a ten-minute walk away. Trains reach downtown Berlin in ten to twenty minutes.