“I’ve applied for the Guggenheim Fellowship for the last five years and got rejected every time. I believe I meet the required qualifications. Is this even worth doing? Please help! —Beverly, LA”
Almost everybody is turned down, and almost everybody applies more than once. Whether it is worth the effort depends on information I do not have.
First, consider the time involved. The application process demands a significant commitment, so if you do not have much time, it may not be worth pursuing. The Foundation asks for two four-page documents describing your art-making plans for the year and your qualifications, along with three references, a list of significant work, work samples, and other basic personal information.
You are not going to assemble all of that in a couple of hours. In my experience, most artists spend at least a month working on the application.
And you probably will not win. That is said with sympathy. In 2026, according to the Foundation’s press release, the Guggenheim Fellowship awarded 223 mid-career fellows, with grants of between $60,000 and $70,000, across 55 fields of study. Of those recipients, 30 were in fine art and 19 were in photography.
