UCROSS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Ucross is dedicated to fostering the creative spirit of working artists by providing uninterrupted time, studio space, living accommodations, and the experience of the majestic High Plains, while serving as a responsible steward of our historic 20,000-acre ranch in northern Wyoming. Learn more about Ucross.
The open call for applications for Spring 2026 (January through early June) will open May 1, 2025, with a deadline of July 15, 2025. The open call for applications for Fall 2026 (August through early December) opens November 1, 2025, with a deadline of January 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. MT.
There is a $40 application fee for all Ucross General Studio Residency submissions, no fee waivers are available. There is no application fee for Ucross Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists and Writers.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
ELIGIBILITY: The Ucross Residency Program is open to visual artists, writers, composers, choreographers, interdisciplinary artists, and performance artists, as well as collaborative teams. Applicants must exhibit professional standing in their field; both mature and emerging artists of promise are welcome to apply. We do not accept applications from students at any level.
ADMISSIONS: Residents are chosen by a rotating panel of professionals in the arts and humanities. Final residency awards are at the discretion of the Ucross Foundation. Only completed applications with the required names and contact information of two references will be reviewed.
APPLICATION DEADLINES: July 15 by 11:59 PM MT for residencies within the Spring Session (February to early June) and January 15 by 11:59 PM MT for residencies within the Fall Session (August to early December).
SESSION SCHEDULE: Notification of the status of your application takes approximately sixteen weeks after the close of the call. While every effort is made to accommodate applicants' scheduling requests, we cannot always grant first choices. Please indicate your flexibility and your restrictions in your application. If you are accepted for a time slot in which you are not available, please contact the Program Director as soon as possible, as a scheduling change could occur to your advantage.
WORK SAMPLES: The work samples should represent/relate to the project that you are submitting.
REAPPLICATION: Artists who have applied in the past, including previous residents and those who had "Alternate" status, must submit new and complete applications to be considered for another session. This includes recent work samples and references. An artist may return to Ucross after three years have elapsed since their previous residency. (Eligible to reapply in two and a half years.)
COLLABORATION: If applying as a collaborative team, one artist needs to apply with all artists needing to submit additional forms within the original application for the submission to be accepted. Work samples may be individual and collaborative. Please indicate in the proposal what requirements you have for your workspace. Applicants may submit up to three collaborators.
COUPLES: Couples composed of two artists may apply individually for concurrent residencies with the understanding that one might be accepted and the other not. Every artist accepted for a residency will be offered a private studio. Ucross is unable to invite spouses, partners, and/or family to accompany artists-in-residence under any other circumstance.
Current work is requested. The nature of the work sample submitted should correspond to the project proposal you submit for your time in residence. If your work is in one discipline (writing, visual art, music, etc.) only select the category that best fits your project. If you are applying under the interdisciplinary category your project must contain multiple disciplines (for example visual/writing, dance/visual, music/writing, etc). An applicant's work sample and project proposal are the most significant features of their application.
**WORK SAMPLE: Your samples should represent the genre(s) in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples (fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting) should be double-spaced and include your full name. Appropriate samples of all disciplines follow:
- DANCE: Submit 2-3 video files. Each video may be equal or less than 8 minutes in length and 200 MB in size OR provide up to 3 VIMEO URL links. If your video is longer than 8 minutes, you must give a time stamp of the section you would like the reviewers to watch.
- MUSIC/SOUND: Submit 3-5 audio files. Each file must be equal to or less than 8 minutes in length and 200 MB in size OR provide up to 3 VIMEO URL links. If your video is longer than 8 minutes, you must give a time stamp of the section you would like the reviewers to watch. Musical scores are also welcome.
- PERFORMANCE/VIDEO: Submit 1-3 video files. Each file must be equal to or less than 8 minutes in length and smaller than 200 MB in size or provide up to 3 VIMEO or YOUTUBE URL links. If your video is longer than 8 minutes, you must give a time stamp of the section you would like the reviewers to watch.
- PLAYWRITING/SCREENWRITING: One complete play double-spaced, noting which 20-page section the reviewers should read
- VISUAL ART: Submit 10 IMAGES at 300 dpi (in JPG or TIF format, NO PDFs, for work sample) with the file name including title and size, and a DATA SHEET that corresponds to your images (datasheet should include title, medium, size, and year of completion).
- WRITING: 20 pages of double-spaced writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry).
- INTERDISCIPLINARY: Your samples should represent the genres in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced, noting the 20 pages you would like the reviewer to read, and include your full name. Appropriate samples may combine the following: DANCE, MUSIC, PERFORMANCE, VISUAL ART, PLAYWRITING/SCREENWRITING, and WRITING.
Current work is requested. An applicant's work sample and project description are the most significant feature of their application. Unless work is interdisciplinary, each applicant is encouraged to apply in a primary discipline and submit a work sample and project description that emphasizes this single discipline. Competition for residencies varies annually and with the number of applications. While only one Fellowship winner will be selected, all applicants to this program will have the option of being considered for a general Ucross residency.
ELIGIBILITY: Residencies are open to Native American visual artists who meet the criteria below. They must:
- Be a practicing contemporary visual artist currently producing works of art in all visual mediums, including but not limited to PAINTING, DRAWING, MIXED MEDIA, SCULPTURE, PRINTMAKING, PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEO, ANIMATION, PERFORMANCE ART, INSTALLATION, and CERAMICS; and
- An enrolled member of a state-recognized or federally-recognized Tribe, Pueblo, Nation, Native Community, Political Entity, or Alaskan Native Village.
VISUAL ARTWORK SAMPLE: Submit 10 IMAGES (in JPEG format, NO PDFs, for work sample) with the file name including title and size, and a DATA SHEET that corresponds to your images (datasheet should include title, medium, size, and year of completion).
FILM/VIDEO/ANIMATION/PERFORMANCE ARTWORK SAMPLE: Submit up to 3 video files, each less than 8 minutes in length and smaller than 200 MB in size, or provide up to 3 VIMEO or YOUTUBE URL links.
THERE IS NO APPLICATION FEE FOR THE 2024 UCROSS FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN VISUAL ARTISTS.
Current work is requested. An applicant's work sample and project description are the most significant feature of their application. Unless work is interdisciplinary, i.e. the various genres interconnect, each applicant is encouraged to apply in a primary discipline and submit a work sample and project description that emphasizes this single discipline. Competition for residencies varies annually and with the number of applications. While only one Fellowship winner will be selected, all applicants will have the option of being considered for a general Ucross residency.
ELIGIBILITY: Residencies are open to Native American writers who meet the criteria below. They must:
- Be a practicing contemporary writer who is currently producing works in one or more of the following genres, including but not limited to FICTION, NONFICTION, POETRY, DRAMA, SCREENWRITING, PLAYWRITING, and HYBRID FORMS;
- Be an enrolled member of a state-recognized or federally-recognized Tribe, Pueblo, Nation, Native Community, Political Entity, or Alaskan Native Village.
FICTION WORK SAMPLE: Your writing sample should represent the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced and include your full name. * Appropriate sample: 20 pages of fiction, which could be a novel excerpt, a story, several stories, or a combination.
NONFICTION WORK SAMPLE: Your sample should represent the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced and include your full name. * Appropriate sample: 20 pages of nonfiction.
POETRY WORK SAMPLE: Your sample should represent the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Poetry submissions may be single-spaced and should include your full name. * Appropriate samples: 10 pages of poetry.
PLAYWRITING WORK SAMPLE: Your sample should represent the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced and include your full name. * Appropriate samples: One complete play (documentation of production may be included, if relevant), noting the 20 pages that you would like the reviewers to read.
SCREENWRITING WORK SAMPLE: Your sample should represent the genre in which you plan to work while in residence. Writing samples should be double-spaced and include your full name. * Appropriate samples: One complete screenplay (documentation of production may be included, if relevant), noting the 20 pages that you would like the reviewers to read.
THERE IS NO APPLICATION FEE FOR THE 2024 UCROSS FELLOWSHIP FOR NATIVE AMERICAN VISUAL ARTISTS.