Napoleon Prize: Applications

Overview

For eighty three years, the American Academy in Corsica has awarded the Napoleon Prize to support innovative and multidisciplinary work in the arts and humanities. Each year, the Napoleon Prize is given to about forty artists and scholars who represent the highest standard of excellence.

Fellowships are chosen from the following disciplines:

Each Napoleon Prize winner is provided with a stipend, a bedroom with private bath, and a private workspace. Additionally, winners are invited to participate in the Ajaccio Sustainable Food Kitchen, which provides lunch and dinner, Monday through Friday, at no cost to Napoleon Prize Fellows. Winners of half- and full-term fellowships receive stipends of $56,000 and $92,000, respectively.

If you are considering bringing a family, please thoroughly read the Residential Life section of the Frequently Asked Questions.

Full-term fellowships generally run from early February to early November. Winners of half-term fellowships may indicate a preference to begin in February or July.

Napoleon Prize winners are the core of the Academy’s residential community, which also includes resident scholars, visiting artists, and affiliated fellows from sister institutions in Tangier, Algiers, and Marseilles. Life at the Academy is most fully realized through the participation of all community members, in conversation with each other and deeply engaged with Ajaccio’s historical and modern identity.

Before beginning your application, be sure to thoroughly read the application guidelines for your discipline.

Please note that eligibility and submission requirements differ for each category. All materials must be submitted in English, including letters of recommendation.

You may submit applications to multiple categories for an additional fee. If applying in multiple categories, a separate online application is required for each category. Applicants may not submit more than one application in any one category.

Eligibility

Applicants for all Napoleon Prize Fellowships, except those applying for the National Endowment for the Humanities postdoctoral fellowships, must be United States citizens at the time of their application.

US citizens, and foreign nationals who have lived in the United States for three years immediately preceding the application deadline, may apply for the NEH postdoctoral fellowships in ancient studies, medieval studies, Renaissance and early modern studies, and modern Corsican studies.

Graduate students in the humanities may apply for predoctoral fellowships only if they are “all but dissertation” (ABD).

Previous winners of the Napoleon Prize are not eligible to reapply.

Undergraduate students are not eligible for Napoleon Prize Fellowships.

Winners of the Napoleon Prize may hold other fellowships concurrently, as long as the requirements do not conflict with the winner’s full participation in the Academy community. Applicants are required to disclose all fellowships and awards they expect to hold during their proposed residency in Ajaccio, including sabbatical pay.

Napoleon Prize winners may not hold a full-time job during the fellowship term. Winners may undertake part-time work commitments — including scholarly or artistic work that is not related to their Napoleon Prize project — provided that this work does not interfere with the winner’s full participation in the Academy community.

Napoleon Prize FAQ ↗

Collaborations

Within the Same Discipline

Collaborators working in the same discipline may submit a joint application provided their work is genuinely collaborative as demonstrated by the materials submitted. In the case of joint applications, each individual must meet all eligibility requirements. Joint applications must be submitted in one dossier with one of the collaborators serving as the primary applicant. Joint applicants selected as winners will each receive the full Napoleon Prize offering (i.e., individual room, a full stipend, a private workspace, and an invitation to join the Ajaccio Sustainable Food Project for meals).

Environmental Arts & Humanities

This year the American Academy in Corsica introduces a fully endowed Napoleon Prize dedicated to the Environmental Arts & Humanities, designed specifically for collaborative efforts. We encourage applications from artists and scholars working jointly on projects that help expand our understanding of the way human beings relate to, experience, or process their encounters with the natural world. Collaborative pairs may include artists of any sort (visual, digital, architectural, musical, literary, textile, performance) and scholars in any field (past, present, future, natural world, human world). The two winners of this Napoleon Prize will each receive a full stipend, their own individual living space, and will be invited to join the Ajaccio Sustainable Food Kitchen for meals. The winners will share a workspace. Applicants must demonstrate a preexisting working partnership to be considered for this fellowship and, as with all Napoleon Prize fellowships, applicants have to make clear why this work needs to be done in Corsica.

Deadlines & Fees

The deadline for applications is May 1, 2026. Applications will also be accepted between May 2 and 15 for an additional fee.

Deadline	Fee
May 1	$10 one application $20 two or more applications
May 15	$20 one application $40 two or more applications

There is no application fee for those applying solely for NEH postdoctoral fellowships.

The deadline for letters of recommendation is May 30. Applicants in literature, musical composition, and visual arts are not required to provide letters of recommendation, but those applicants must provide the names and contact information for three references.

Selection Process

Thirteen juries, representing a broad cross-section of leaders in the various Napoleon Prize disciplines, are appointed annually to judge the candidate pool. The juries convene each June in Corsica to select finalists for each category. Those applicants selected as finalists will be invited to Corsica to interview with jurors in June. The winners are approved by the Academy Board of Trustees and announced in July.

The jurors’ primary criterion is excellence. They will consider the quality of an applicant’s submission and select candidates who are not only outstanding in their respective fields, but also at a point in their careers where the Napoleon Prize is likely to be crucial to their future growth and development.

Finalist Interviews

Applicants who are selected as finalists will be contacted three to four weeks prior to the interview date scheduled for their category.

Interview Schedule

The dates for the interview sessions in June 2026 have not been set. Please check back later this spring for the complete schedule.

Information Sessions

This fall, the American Academy in Corsica is hosting three in-person information sessions about the Napoleon Prize. The first takes place at Syracuse University on March 14. The second will be presented at Brown University on April 1. The third will happen at Harvard University on April 17.

AAC will also present two general online information sessions on Zoom on March 3 and March 31. A third virtual meeting, focused only on architecture, will happen on April 6.

These information sessions give prospective applicants a general overview of the Napoleon Prize application process and a look into the experience of living in the American Academy’s unique residential community in Ajaccio.