Call for Applications: 2025 Recanati-Kaplan Prize 

For the third year in a row, the Recanati-Kaplan Prize will be awarded to one creator, cultural expert or scholar from the Arab world, who seeks to carry out an original research project in the fields of arts and ideas that requires an immersive stay in the United States. 

The winner will receive: 

• the opportunity to participate in a two-month exploratory residency in a US city supported by Villa Albertine in the fall of 2025 
• a $15,000 grant 

Applications must be submitted by November 12, 2024, 11:59 p.m. (Paris time). 

Applicant Profiles 

Applications are open to any creator, cultural expert, or scholar from the Arab world proposing an original research project in the realm of arts and ideas that would require an immersive visit to the United States. 

Each applicant will have to propose a residency project on a theme of their choice, focusing on contemporary issues affecting the United States and one or more countries in the Arab world. 

Applicants must hold the nationality of one of the following countries: Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, or Yemen. 

Applicants must be fluent in English. 

Applicants must be available in the future to complete a two-month residency in the fall of 2025 (i.e. at any time between the months of September and December 2025). 

Applications may only be submitted on an individual basis. Group applications shall not be accepted. 

Applicants must be at least 21 years of age prior to the proposed start date of their residency. 

Applicants must be able to adapt to potential constraints of their proposed residency location. For example, it is strongly advised that they hold a driver’s license if traveling to large metropolitan areas, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

Residency Location 

Candidates are asked to set their residency in a territory that makes sense in terms of the themes they wish to explore. The residency project can focus on the city of their choice. The winner will be accompanied by Villa Albertine’s nearest office amongst the ten cities in which it is based. 

The residency shall take place in one of Villa Albertine’s ten cities. The resident will develop their project in conjunction with the region and the locals living in their chosen city. 

The cities where Villa Albertine has established a permanent office are: Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; New York, NY; New Orleans, LA; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, DC. 

Residency Project Type 

Applicants are advised to propose their exploratory residency project within a US city that would foster original artistic or intellectual reflection not likely to be developed elsewhere. 

The concept of the exploratory residency project should not be thought of as indoor desk work, but rather as a field investigation that inspires and builds new connections. The project’s value lies in its relationship to the location. As such, meetings, visits, events, and exchanges will all help enrich the work carried out. 

Proposed projects must address a societal issue that resonates both in the United States and the Arab world. 

The residency is not limited to one specific form, e.g. material art, as would be the case with a production-based residency. 

All disciplines related to the arts, culture, and ideas are welcome: visual arts, design, architecture, performing arts, music, cinema, digital creation, fiction writing, comics, social sciences, etc. 

Support from Villa Albertine 

A schedule of meetings, visits, and events shall be drawn up for the resident, in accordance with their project and requirements. Villa Albertine will support the resident by offering its expert knowledge of the local artistic and cultural scene, as well as putting the resident in contact with its network of partners. 

Villa Albertine will cover program-related travel and living expenses through the following arrangements: 

• A residency stipend for daily living expenses, calculated according to the local cost of living (e.g. $100 per day in Chicago); 
• Round-trip travel to the US from the resident’s home country; 
• Accommodation; 
• Car rental, if necessary, depending on the proposed location; 
• Health, civil liability, and repatriation insurance. 

Villa Albertine cannot cover any costs other than the above-mentioned travel and living expenses. 

Selection Criteria 

The criteria for assessing an application are: 

• Quality of the applicant’s overall work – Do they practice their artistic or intellectual work on a professional basis? Are they recognized by peers in their field? Is their project for Villa Albertine a logical continuation of their research objectives?  
• Quality of the project – Does the project address a contemporary issue that resonates both in the United States and in the Arab world? Are the project’s artistic, cultural, and intellectual approaches clear and relevant? Does the project present a strong connection to the dynamics of the applicant’s proposed city of residency such that it would require them to travel to the United States? 
• Project feasibility: Villa Albertine reserves the right not to accept projects that it would not be properly equipped to support. 

Application Process  

Applications are to be submitted by email to recanati-kaplan-prize@villa-albertine.org no later than November 12, 2024, 11:59 p.m. (Paris time). They must contain the following elements, each completed in English: 

• Completed applicant information form, which may be downloaded via this link; 
• Presentation of the applicant’s career and work in PDF format, limited to 10 pages and 10 MB (e.g. résumé and summary of a small selection of projects related to the project theme.) Statement indicating whether the applicant holds a driver’s license; 
• Three-minute video of the applicant speaking in English – This video shall be used to confirm the applicant’s proficiency in English, but also presents an opportunity for the applicant to introduce themselves and speak about their project for the Recanati-Kaplan Prize, without reading from a prepared text. This should be uploaded as an “unlisted” video to a platform such as YouTube or Vimeo, available to view only by those who have the required link. If the applicant decides to protect their video with a password, this should be provided with the application. The video link (and password, if applicable) must be shared at the beginning of the PDF presenting your project (cf. following point); 
• Presentation text summarizing the proposed residency project (two pages or less) – The project must demonstrate the applicant’s interest in participating in the residency program, and propose an innovative research project on societal themes linking the United States, the Arab world, and France. The link to the video presentation in English must be indicated at the beginning of this document. 

Any applications deemed incomplete or failing to meet these conditions will not be considered. Any untruthful representations will automatically render the application null and void. 

Applicants will be informed of their status by March 2025. 

Villa Albertine will not host any resident who is unable to meet the requirements for entry into the United States.