About the Open Call

The Dedalus Foundation Master of Fine Arts Fellowships in Painting and Sculpture are awarded annually to final-year students who are graduating from an MFA degree program in the United States. Four fellowships are awarded every year, each carrying a stipend of $15,000. A committee of distinguished artists, curators and critics determines the winners of the fellowships.

What is Offered

Four fellowships are awarded every year, each carrying a stipend of $15,000.

Requirements

Final-year students who are graduating from an MFA degree program in the United States, nominated by department chairpersons from MFA programs in painting and sculpture. Nominees should be graduating in the spring semester that directly follows the fall nominating cycle. Nominees need not be U.S. citizens.

How to Apply

Candidacy for the fellowship is by nomination only. Nominations begin October 1, 2025, with a deadline of December 19, 2025. The application deadline for nominees is January 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. EST. Each fall, department chairpersons from MFA programs in painting and sculpture are invited to submit nominations (limit two candidates per institution). Once nominated, nominees will receive application guidelines via e-mail and are asked to submit JPGs of eight work samples with a descriptive list of the works and a biographical statement. Nominations can be submitted via https://dedalusfoundation.org/programs/fellowships-awards/view/mfa-fellowship/submit/.