Application Components: Creative & Performing Arts

The Personal and Contact Information pages asks for all of your basic personal information such as your name, contact information, birth date, etc. They also ask for the details of your academic background, occupational experience, extracurricular activities, publications, and previous foreign experience. 

• Complete all required fields: You should take care to accurately complete all of the required fields in this section.
• Use proper capitalization and punctuation: This is a formal grant application and you are advised to follow the English language rules on capitalization and punctuation.

On the Program Information page, you must include a Project Title and an Abstract/Summary of Proposal. These sections are a quick reference for screening committees and other reviewers. They should be able to determine the basic who, what, when, where, why and how of your project by reading this abstract. The project title should be informative, as well.

• Field of Study: Select from the drop-down the most closely-related field for the proposed project.
• Project Title (90-character limit): Asuccinct title that clearly introduces the proposed project. This title will be listed in the Grantee Directory, should the applicant be awarded a grant. 
• Abstract/Summary of the Proposal (1750-character limit): A concise description of the what, where, and why of the proposed project. If you are proposing the pursuit of a graduate degree program, summarize the program and relevance to your career/education plans․
• Host Country Engagement (1750-character limit): At its core, the Fulbright program aims to promote mutual understanding and seeks individuals who can be cultural ambassadors while living abroad. This section should offer a description of the ways in which applicants will engage with the host country outside of their grant activities to fulfill this mission. How will applicants plan to share their culture and values in their host community? Specific ideas should be included.
• Plans Upon Return to the U.S. (850-character limit): A brief description of career and/or educational plans following completion of the Fulbright grant.
• Arts Experience Summary (850-character limit): A summary of the applicant’s practical study, training, and experience specific to the proposed project.
• Arts Portfolio Description (850-character limit): A brief description of the supplementary materials uploaded to the portfolio page of the online application. Concisely details how piece(s) were selected, relevance to the project, time spent completing, location and date of completion, developmental trajectory vs. single series, and any information that will tell reviewers what they are looking at/listening to and why. For collaborative works, the applicant’s contribution should be clearly specified.

This 2-page document outlines the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of what you are proposing for your Fulbright year. Developing a strong, feasible and compelling project is the most important aspect of a successful Fulbright application.

The first step is to familiarize yourself with the award summary for your host country and selected award in order to verify the type of grant you can propose. Depending on the country and award, applicants may also propose to enroll in a graduate degree program. Some countries have specific arrangements or named awards for graduate study and applicants may propose to complete a graduate degree program. In this case, applicants should focus on demonstrating the reasons for pursuing the proposed program at a particular institution in the host country.

Whether you are applying for a research project or a degree program, the proposal should indicate a clear commitment to the host country community and a description of how you will engage with it.

Develop an intellectually-compelling and feasible project or justification for pursuing a graduate degree program: This is the most important factor in presenting a successful application. The first step is to familiarize yourself with the award summary for the country and program to which you are applying. Program design varies from country to country and while some countries encourage applicants to incorporate coursework into a project, others prefer independent research. You should ensure that your project design fits the program guidelines for the host country.

Design a feasible project: You must demonstrate that your project is viable, including its content and timeframe. Address the following points:

• How will the culture and politics of the host country impact the work?
• Will the resources of the host country support the project?
• Have you developed a connection with a potential adviser in the host country?
• Do you have the requisite background to undertake the proposed project?
• Do you have sufficient language skills for the project being proposed? If not, how will you accomplish your work?
• What are your plans for improving your language skills, if they are not adequate at the time of application? Remember, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of Community Engagement, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.
• Are there any possible feasibility concerns that the project could evoke?

For applicants proposing independent study/research projects, address the following points:

• With whom do you propose to work?
• What do you propose to do?
• What is innovative about the project?
• What are the specific goals?
• What is important or significant about the project?
• What contribution will the project make toward the Fulbright goal of promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding?
• When will you carry out the project? Include a rough timeline.
• Where do you propose to conduct your study? Why was this location(s) chosen?
• Why do you want to undertake this project?
• Why does the project have to be conducted in the country of application?
• How will your project help further your professional development?
• How you will engage with the host country community? Give specific ideas for civic engagement.
• What are your qualifications for carrying out this project?

For applicants who are proposing to complete a graduate degree program, the Statement of Grant Purpose should address the following points:

• Why do you want to pursue the proposed program in the country to which you are applying?
• What are your reasons for selecting a particular institution?
• Do you have the requisite academic/field-specific background to undertake the proposed program?
• Why do you want to gain a better understanding of the peoples and cultures of your host country? Please demonstrate a commitment to the community through volunteer and extra-curricular activity.
• Do you have sufficient language skills to successfully complete the program?
• Do you have the flexibility and dynamism necessary for active involvement in the host country?

Candidates applying through U.S. institutions are urged to consult professors in their major fields or faculty members with experience in the host country, as well as their Fulbright Program Advisers, about the feasibility of their proposed projects. At-Large applicants should consult qualified persons in their fields.

• Be clear and concise. The individuals reading the proposal want applicants to get to the point about the 'who, what, when, where, why and how' of the project. Avoid discipline-specific jargon.
• Organize the statement carefully.
• Don't make reviewers search for information. We urge you to have several people read and critique the Statement of Grant Purpose, including a faculty adviser, a faculty member outside your discipline, a fellow student, and/or a colleague.

All candidates must adhere to the proper format:

• Length is limited to a maximum of two single-spaced pages. The application system will not allow documents longer than two pages to be uploaded.
• Do not include any bibliographies, publications, citations, etc., except those that will fit in the two-page limit.
• Use 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12-point font.
• At the top of the first page include:
• On line 1: Statement of Grant Purpose
• On line 2: Your Name, Country of Application, and Field of Study
• On line 3: Your Project Title as it appears in the Program Information page of the application
• On the second page of the Statement, enter the same information or just Last Name, Grant Purpose, Page 2.

 

Many Fulbrighters undertaking projects in the arts will affiliate with universities, although in some countries it is possible to affiliate with other types of organizations such as a theater troupe or an arts academy. 

For Study/Research Applicants, affiliation with an educational institution or other sponsoring entity in the host country is required, even if the grant project is primarily or solely research or artistic activity or does not require enrollment in regular classes.

The affiliation letter should come from the institution/individual in the host country with whom you are proposing to work. It should be written in or translated to English, printed on official letterhead and should be signed by the author.  

Understand the affiliation requirements for the country to which you are applying: Affiliation arrangements vary by country and may not be required at the time of application. Carefully review the affiliation information provided in the award summary for your host country.  All academic grantees must have an affiliation in the host country.

Countries differ in the kinds of host affiliations that are acceptable. Examples of affiliations include universities, laboratories, libraries, non-governmental organizations, and so on. Pay special attention to the requirement in some countries to attend classes and/or affiliate with academic institutions.

Identify an appropriate affiliation for your project: The affiliation is your proposed host in the country to which you are applying. Fulbrighters have used a number of methods to contact potential hosts and solicit support for their projects. One primary method is to use the contacts and advisers that you already have. Ask current or former professors to put you into contact with appropriate people in the host country. If the proposal contains a strong research component, you must have host country contacts that can support the research, provide access to required resources, and/or advise you during the grant period. It is your responsibility to identify, contact, and secure an affiliation from a potential adviser.

Potential avenues to identify an appropriate affiliation/host country adviser include:

• Faculty at your home campus.
• International students.
• Visiting Fulbright Professors in the U.S. or U.S. Fulbright Scholars who had grants to your host country. Directories are available here.
• Internet searches of faculty at potential host institutions with your interests, or organizations in the host country that work with issues related to your topic.
• Other U.S. academics with expertise in the location/subject matter of the proposed project.
• Contacts from previous experience abroad.
• Educational Advising sections of Embassies or Consulates of your potential host country.

Start early: Obtaining an affiliation letter from overseas can be a time-consuming process and sufficient lead time must be given to receive signed affiliation letters before the application deadline.

Request the Affiliation Letter: After identifying the appropriate host institution and the individual at that institution best suited to serve as an adviser for the proposed project, contact the potential adviser to determine if they are willing to write an affiliation letter. Before requesting the letter, you should provide the author with a copy of the Statement of Grant Purpose. The affiliation letter should indicate the author’s willingness to work with you on the intended project and it should speak to the feasibility and validity of what is being proposed. The letter should also indicate any additional resources or contacts that the adviser can provide to support the work.

• Scanned versions of the original hard-copy letters with hand-written signatures should be uploaded into the application. Letter writers can either send the original hard-copy letters or electronic copies to the applicants.
• Since affiliation letters are not confidential, you will upload the letter yourself into the online application system. Affiliation letters written in a foreign language must be translated into English and both the original letters and the English-language translations must be uploaded into the application. An 'official' translation of the letter is not required.
• Instructions on uploading letters of affiliation are available in the Fulbright online application system.  IIE will not accept any affiliation letters via email or fax.

Adhere to the proper format:

• The affiliation letter must be printed on institutional letterhead and must be signed by the author.
• Copies of email correspondence will not be accepted.

The statement should be a 1 page narrative that provides a picture of yourself as an individual․ It should deal with your personal history, family background, influences on your intellectual development, the educational, professional, and cultural opportunities (or lack of them) to which you have been exposed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you and your personal growth․ Also include your special interests and abilities, career plans, and life goals, etc․ It should not be a recording of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your Statement of Grant Purpose․ It is more of a biography, but specifically related to you and your aspirations relative to the specific Fulbright Program to which you have applied․

Do not repeat information from other parts of the application.

Adhere to the proper format:

• Length is limited to a maximum of one single-spaced pages. The application system will not allow statements longer than one page to be uploaded.
• Use 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12-point font.
• At the top of each page include:
• On line 1: Personal Statement
• On line 2: Your Name, Country of Application, and Field of Study

Language requirements vary by country, so before starting the application you should note the specific requirements of the proposed host country. You must possess the necessary language skills to successfully complete the project you are proposing.

For programs where language skills are Required, you must submit both a Language Self Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form, which is completed by a professional language teacher. Submission of both forms is mandatory, even if you have advanced skills or native-speaker ability. Failure to submit the forms may affect your eligibility.

For programs where language skills are Recommended or Not Required, if you possess some language skills relevant to the host country or proposed project, you should submit both a Language Self Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form. It will be advantageous to have your language ability documented, even though it is not required. Remember, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of Community Engagement, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.

For programs in countries where English is one of the national languages, you do not need to submit any foreign language forms unless a foreign language is required for your project.

If you have little or no knowledge of the language, you may discuss your plans to study the language prior to beginning a grant in your Statement of Grant Purpose. You should not submit a Language Self Evaluation or a Foreign Language Evaluation.

For Commonly-Taught Languages: The Foreign Language Evaluation should be completed by a professional language teacher, preferably a university professor. The language evaluator cannot be related to the applicant.

For Less-Commonly-Taught Languages: If a professional language teacher is not readily available, a college-educated native-speaker of the language can be used. The language evaluator cannot be related to the applicant.

Provide your language evaluator with the Instructions for Foreign Language Evaluators. You can print these out and discuss them with the person completing the form.

If you wish to have the same person complete both a recommendation and a Foreign Language Evaluation, you will need to register the person once for the recommendation and once for the Foreign Language Evaluation.

You must submit three recommendation letters as part of the application. The authors should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed; they should discuss your intellectual and professional preparation, and your ability to represent the U.S. abroad. You should provide the recommender with a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose before requesting the recommendation letter. The recommendation letter should NOT simply be a character reference, as this will be of no value in assessing your ability to complete the proposed project. 

• When choosing recommenders, select the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to carry out the proposed project.  Do not submit character references.
• Provide reference writers with copies of the Statement of Grant Purpose and the Personal Statement so that they can write well-informed recommendation letters.
• Give recommenders at least 3-4 weeks to complete the recommendation letters.
• You must register the recommenders in the online application system so that they can upload their recommendation letters directly into the application. Let your recommenders/evaluators know that they should be expecting an email message with the following information in the header:

• From: Fulbright U․S․Student Program (FBstudent@iie.org)
• Subject: Fulbright Recommendation for [your name]

• Recommendations must remain confidential. Applicants cannot upload recommendation letters.
• Recommendation letters should be printed on institutional letterhead, signed by the authors, and then uploaded into the online application system.
• Provide your recommenders with the Instructions for Study/Research Recommendation Writers
• All recommendations must be written in English. If the original recommendation letter is written in a language other than English there must be an official English translation.  Because the recommendation letter is confidential the translation cannot be done by the applicant.  Both the original recommendation letter and the English-language translation must be uploaded into the Fulbright application.
• After the recommendation is submitted, it cannot be edited. However, if there is a significant error and the recommender agrees to submit a revised recommendation, the following process must be followed:
• The deadline to request a letter be un-submitted is Friday, October 9th, 2020 at 5:00pm Eastern Time.
• The recommender sends an email from the registered email account to FBstudentsupport@iie.org to request that the recommendation be un-submitted (from the login page of the Fulbright Online Recommendation System, the same used to submit the recommendation/evaluation).
• The email to FBstudentsupport@iie.org must include the applicant’s full name and country of application.
• The recommender will need to allow at least 48 hours for the request to be implemented.
• Once the recommendation is un-submitted, the recommender can edit the recommendation and resubmit.
• All recommendations must be submitted by the application deadline, Tuesday October 13, 2020 at 5 pm Eastern Time.
• If a recommendation letter needs to be removed from the application after being submitted, the recommender must send an email from the registered email account to FBstudentsupport@iie.org to request that the recommendation be deleted from the application.

Note: Applicants and Fulbright Program Advisers cannot request that a recommendation be un-submitted. 

Applicants can follow the status of the recommendation (In progress, Submitted) from the Status Page. Additional details on the submission of recommendations are available in the online application system. 

 

The Fulbright Program requires a complete academic record of your higher education. You must provide transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions from which you received degrees. Transcripts must also be submitted from other institutions where you studied and received credit for coursework.  You may submit documentation of certificates (i․e․non-degree programs) only if relevant to your Fulbright Grant Purpose․ However, do not submit extraneous documents as they will not enhance your application․

Failure to submit any required transcripts will result in your being declared ineligible.

• You must upload one unofficial academic transcript from each post-secondary institution from which you received a degree. Additional transcripts should be uploaded for coursework and grades not reflected on degree-granting transcripts.
• Make sure that the document that you submit clearly shows your name, the name of the institution, and appears as an academic record that is organized chronologically--with course dates, titles, credits and grades. Screenshots of online academic portals will not be accepted.
• Graduate-level students who do not include undergraduate transcripts will be considered ineligible.
• Consult the Transcript and Upload Instructions page for more detailed information.

All candidates applying in the creative and performing arts must submit examples of their artistic work; this work, along with the written portions of the application, will be evaluated by the screening committee members. Arts applicants should understand that they will be evaluated first and foremost on their technical and artistic skills within their artistic disciplines and that the supplementary materials need to be complied in a professional manner.

• Carefully review and follow the instructions in the Required Supplementary Materials for Arts Applicants. Applicants for Germany should review and follow the additional instructions provided.
• You should assemble a portfolio that relates to the proposed project and demonstrates your artistic skills and growth in the field.
• You should solicit critiques from professional artists on the portfolios before submission.
• Work submissions need to be labeled in detailed fashion so that the National Screening Committee members are clear on the sizes of objects, the materials used, what your role in the production of the pieces was, etc.

The list of arts fields

• Architecture
• Creative Writing
• Music
  • Composition
  • Conducting
  • Harpsichord
  • Historical Performance
  • Jazz Performance
  • Opera Stage Direction
  • Organ
  • Percussion
  • Piano
  • String Instruments
  • Voice
  • Woodwind & Brass
  • World Music
• Performing Arts
  • Dance
  • Performance Art
  • Theater Arts
• Visual Arts
  • Animation
  • Design & Crafts
  • Drawing, Illustration, & Sequential Art
  • Filmmaking
  • Installation Art
  • Painting/Printmaking
  • Photography
  • Sculpture

Consult the Required Supplementary Materials For Arts Applicants page for more detailed information.

Applicants to Germany are required to submit additional materials in hard copy by the competition deadline. These materials are described in Additional Materials For Music And Arts For Germany and are in addition to the work samples described in the Required Supplementary Materials listed above.

Applicants proposing research involving human beings or animals as research subjects who plan to formally publish the results or to use the results in a graduate program should have their projects vetted by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at their home institutions. At-large applicants should conduct an individual ethics review ensuring that their proposed projects are consistent with ethical standards for research involving humans as research participants as outlined in the National Guidelines for Human Subjects Research (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health), in the National Guidelines for Animal Welfare at the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare or other applicable internationally recognized ethics guidance documents.

Human subjects research includes: clinical investigations (any experiment or study on one or more persons which involves a test product/article, whether a drug, treatment, procedure or device); social-behavioral studies which entail interaction with or observation of people, especially vulnerable populations (i.e., as minors, pregnant women, inmates, drug-users, the mentally impaired, displaced/refugee populations); and, basic scientific research to study the biology of animals, persons or organs and specimens thereof. The most fundamental issues in studies involving human research subjects include: valid scientific questions and approaches; potential social value; favorable risk-benefit ratio; fair selection of study participants and an adequately administered informed consent process.