2025 Irene Yamamoto Arts Writers Fellowship

Are you a music critic of color with less than two years of publishing experience? Apply for the Irene Yamamoto Arts Writers Fellowship by March 17, 2025. Now in its third year, the 2025 fellowship will award $5,000 unrestricted awards to two emerging writers of color who write critically about music.

The Yamamoto Fellowship is offered through the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the Japanese American National Museum, with support from Critical Minded.

The fellowship seeks to encourage critics of color starting out in the field to continue writing about works from their own cultural and political perspectives, enriching and broadening cultural criticism as a practice and profession. By supporting and highlighting these voices, the fellowship seeks to broaden public discourse and strengthen participation in cultural conversations by diverse communities.

Requirements

Eligible applicants must:

-Be a US citizen or currently reside within the US
-Be at least 18 years of age
-Identify as a member of a community with ancestry in one of the original peoples of Africa, Asia, the Americas, Oceania, or Pacific Islands
-Have less than 2 years of publication experience, which may include a blog or self-publishing
-Have demonstrated a commitment to writing about music

Application Instructions

Applicants are required to submit through our online portal. Applications should be prepared to submit the following:

-Name, contact information, website, pronouns, race/ethnicity
-Cover letter (Word or PDF) introducing themselves, their work, why they are applying for the fellowship, and how they would spend the money (1000 words or less)
-Resume or CV (Word/PDF) that includes all relevant published works
-Biography summarizing your background and writing interests (500 words or less)
-Anything else you would like the panel to know
-Writing samples (Word or PDF)
-You may upload between one (1) and three (3) writing samples. Altogether, all writing samples should not exceed 3,000 words.
-Links to websites where the sample was published are not a substitute for the actual written sample.
-The written sample should include information as to where and when the piece was published or appeared.
-Samples should reflect an interest and investment in music.
-Please do not submit works whose final, published form is an interview.