Yaddo Residencies for Literature

Yaddo Residencies for Literature is a grant from Yaddo that funds professional and emerging writers with residential studio time at Yaddo's historic Saratoga Springs estate. Residencies last from two weeks to two months and include room, board, and a studio space valued at approximately $3,000.

Yaddo accepts artists working in choreography, film, literature, music, and visual arts; applicants must not be enrolled in an academic degree program at time of application. Selection is based solely on the quality of work, with no publication requirements placed on residents. The application deadline is August 1, 2026.

Yaddo has been a haven for artists for a century. We’re committed to fostering an inclusive environment for individual artists, giving you the time, space and silence to create your best work.

Application Guidelines and Instructions Instructions by Discipline We offer residencies to professional creative artists from all nations and backgrounds working in one or more of the following disciplines: choreography, film, literature, musical composition, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and video. Artists apply individually.

Peer review is the keystone of our selection process, with different panelists each season. Residencies last from two weeks to two months and include room, board and a studio. All artists whose work falls within the five disciplines we serve are encouraged to apply.

Generally, those who qualify for Yaddo residencies are either working at the professional level in their fields or are emerging artists whose work shows great professional promise. An abiding principle at Yaddo is that applications for residency are judged solely on the quality of the work. Yaddo places no publication, exhibition or performance requirements on artists in residence.

Not only is Yaddo an equal opportunity employer—we will not discriminate against any individual, employee, or application for residency based on race, color, marital status, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, national origin, disability, or any other legally protected status recognized by federal, state, or local law—we strongly encourage applicants from backgrounds underrepresented in arts and culture to apply.

Application Guidelines and Instructions The January 5 deadline is for residencies starting May of the same year, through March of the following year. Applicants receive results by email in mid-March. The August 1 deadline is for residencies starting November of the same year through June of the following year.

Applicants receive results by email in early October. Late applications are not accepted. All applications must be submitted electronically through the SlideRoom portal, yaddo.

slideroom. com. The application portal opens in June for the August 1 deadline and mid-November for the January 5 deadline.

Artists who are enrolled in graduate or undergraduate programs, or who are engaged in completing work toward an academic degree at the time of application, are not eligible. Artists may apply once every other calendar year. For example, if you applied to a 2022 deadline, you will be eligible to apply again to a 2024 deadline.

Yaddo supports individual artists engaged in the genesis of new, original work. Auxiliary artists such as sound and lighting technicians, musicians, dancers and designers are ineligible to apply. The criterion for repeat visits is the same as for first visits – the quality of the artist’s work.

All artists must submit a complete application, including recent work samples. Artists may apply every other calendar year regardless of the outcome of a previous application. The nonrefundable application fee is $35.

Application fees must be paid by credit card. If the fee represents a barrier to application, please contact our Program Department at least three weeks prior to the application deadline. Artists are responsible for their travel to and from Yaddo.

We have modest access grants available to offset the costs of accepting an invitation. Applications for Access Grants are sent with your invitation. Residencies vary in length, from two weeks to two months.

Applications are considered by independent Admissions Committees. Membership changes with each application round, and is composed of artists whose work is recognized and esteemed by their peers. Panels consider applications to Yaddo in the following disciplines: Literature: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, librettos, and graphic novels.

Visual Art: painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, mixed media, and installation art. Music Composition: instrumental forms, vocal forms, electronic music, music for film, and sound art. Performance: choreography, performance art, and multimedia works incorporating live performance.

Film & Video: narrative, documentary and experimental films, animation, and screenplays. Apply to the Admissions Panel that best represents the project you’d like to work on at Yaddo. Apply to only one admissions panel, and in one genre, at a time.

Contact the Program Director with any questions. Yaddo is no longer accepting applications under Collaborative Teams. Our Admissions department is exploring workshop formats that invite collaborators to Yaddo.

Details are forthcoming. Artists who wish to be in residence at the same time should apply to the Admissions Panel in their individual artistic discipline. Concurrent dates of residence may be requested.

At this time, references are not required as part of our application process. All application materials, including contact information and work samples must be submitted through yaddo. slideroom.

com. Complete instructions by discipline, including details about the process and requirements, are offered in the SlideRoom portal . Specific work sample requirements are available here .

Submit a work sample(s) that reflects the project you wish to pursue during your residency, and that represents recent, finished work. The weight of your application is on your work sample; please choose your strongest work. Samples may be visual images, video clips, manuscript pages, or audio files, depending on the requirements for your discipline.

Address admissions questions to admissions@yaddo. org. Include your name and discipline in all correspondence.

For technical assistance during the application process, contact support@slideroom. com . Please note: Follow the instructions in Slideroom for your specific discipline, outlined below.

Instructions by Discipline The initial stages of our application review are anonymous. Therefore, we ask that you omit your name from all work sample uploads in the file title and anywhere embedded in the file. Identities are revealed in the later stages of review.

More detailed instructions on upload requirements are available in SlideRoom when the portal is open (early November – early January and again early June – early August). Submit both a two-page preview sample and a full-length writing sample in double-spaced, manuscript format.

For the longer excerpt, page length is determined by literature genre, including fiction & nonfiction (20 pages, about 5,000 words), drama & libretto (30 pages), poetry (10 pages), and graphic novel (10 pages). Work sample requirements are available here. Submit seven digital images of visual artwork.

Note: The Admissions Committee views images on personal computer screens and a large screen via projection. Optional: Documentary or elemental video of an installation. Work sample requirements are available here.

Submit two separate musical works, with recordings of one or both works. Both must include either a score or a brief statement. Work sample requirements are available here.

Submit both a preview work sample and a full-length work sample. For the preview, submit a two-minute continuous excerpt of one of your performance works. For the longer excerpt, include video documentation of up to three excerpts, totaling no more than 10 minutes in length.

Include title, year, performers, any major collaborators, performance space/ location, and a brief description. Work sample requirements are available here. Submit both a preview work sample and a full-length sample of the same work.

For the preview, offer a two-minute continuous excerpt of your work. The longer sample includes a video or film segment, no more than 10 minutes total. Optional: Brief description of the samples.

Work sample requirements are available here. Submit two writing samples of your screenplay. One longer sample of no more than 10,000 words or 30 pages and a second two-page excerpt of the same work.

Optional: May include a brief synopsis if necessary. Work sample requirements are available here. Is Yaddo open year-round?

Yes, with the exception of a winter hiatus from mid-December through mid-January. How many artists are in residence? May through September comprises the larger season, with about 25-30 artists at any given time.

The smaller season runs from October through April, with about 18 artists in residence. Does Yaddo accept international artists? Yaddo has a strong tradition of internationalism.

While a working knowledge of English is helpful, please note that Yaddo does not provide interpreters or assist with U.S. visa arrangements. May I defer my residency? If alternative dates cannot be arranged, you will need to reapply.

Residencies may not be deferred beyond the eligibility period established by the deadline under which you applied. What’s a typical day like at Yaddo? Traditionally, 9 a.

m. to 4 p. m.

and after 10 p. m. are designated “quiet hours.

” Artists are asked to be mindful of the working time of their peers and to respect studio time, avoiding intrusion without invitation. Communal dinners are the hallmark of the Yaddo experience, and guests are expected to attend. Otherwise, the time is yours!

Yaddo places no requirements on guests to report on their work, nor to participate in public programming or group activities. Does Yaddo offer any other programs? The main focus is the residency program.

Unlike other residency programs, Yaddo does not organize readings, recitals, performances, exhibitions, or other such activities for artists in residence, nor do we place expectations on artists in residence that they will participate in public or private programming. Does Yaddo offer barrier-free access?

While the main buildings at Yaddo were built around the turn of the century, accessibility improvements have been made in recent years. There are year-round ADA bedrooms, bathrooms, and studios. In addition, the Yaddo Authors Library, the media room, and some other shared spaces are accessible year-round.

The Yaddo Mansion and dining room are only accessible during the warmer months. Those with mobility concerns should note that though our main roadways are paved, many uncovered dirt and gravel roads are throughout our grounds. Contact our Program Director with any questions or concerns about access.

Does Yaddo provide room and board? Yes. Each artist has a private bedroom and workspace in one of several buildings on the estate.

Weekly room cleanings, plus linens and fresh towels are provided, and laundry facilities are available. Dinners are served communally in our dining room, while breakfast offerings and lunch are packed up for each artist to carry away. The kitchen cannot offer meals for special diets, but vegetarian alternatives are provided.

Does Yaddo provide supplies? Other than the specialized equipment in the photo, printmaking, and welding studios, Yaddo does not provide supplies or equipment such as printers, paper, typewriters, paint, power tools, or personal computers. A few computers, along with wireless Internet, are available for guest use in a central location.

Saratoga Springs has an art supply store, and Yaddo office staff members can refer artists to computer rental agencies. Does each artist have a studio? Each guest is assigned a private studio.

There are studios for painting and drawing, printmaking, sculpture, welding, and choreography, as well as a black and white photography darkroom. Because the studios vary in size, it is important that visual artists make clear the dimensions of the work they propose to do. There is no equipment for editing film or video.

Composers’ studios are equipped with pianos. Some of the larger bedrooms serve as both living and working spaces for writers. Appropriate table space is supplied for writers using computers.

Does Yaddo accommodate family or pets? No. Yaddo prioritizes good working conditions for artists. We can’t accommodate family members or friends for overnight stays or meals.

Except for service animals, pets may not accompany artists. Be advised that because of our unique facilities, any artists needing their service animal to attend a residency must indicate this need in the application under personal-space requirements. It will be treated as an access need and help us schedule the appropriate housing.

Can Yaddo accommodate individual medical needs? Yaddo has no medical facilities or medical personnel on-site. Applicants with special medical needs should contact the Program Director before applying.

Complete medical care facilities, including a local, full-service hospital, day clinics, and a regional trauma center, are within driving distance from Yaddo. Yaddo provides neither medical transportation nor health insurance to guests. What can artists do when they’re not working?

We offer no formal programming. But Yaddo has common areas available for guests, several paths through the woods, a swimming pool, a pool table, a ping-pong table, and bicycles in addition to small libraries, including one of books by Yaddo authors. Off the grounds, Saratoga Springs offers many amenities.

Guests may borrow books from the public library and the library at nearby Skidmore College. For a fee, you may use the athletic facilities at the YMCA or a local private gym. Does Yaddo publicize artists while they are in residence?

What other policies are important to know? The use or possession of drugs prohibited by law is prohibited at Yaddo. Yaddo reserves the right to end a guest’s visit when responsible officials judge it necessary to do so for the good of the community.

Come to Yaddo: Residencies include room, board, a studio and more, granting you the opportunity to work without interruption in a supportive environment. Image by Adama Delphine Fawundu Collectively, Yaddo artists have won 90 Pulitzer Prizes, 34 MacArthur Fellowships, 73 National Book Awards and a Nobel Prize in Literature. Learn more about the impact of Yaddo.