12-Month Residency for French-Speaking Artists, Authors, and Researchers at Villa Medici in Rome
Table of Contents
The Villa Medici Fellowship 2027 offers established French-speaking artists, authors, and researchers a 12-month residency at the French Academy in Rome. Selected Fellows receive a €42,000 gross residency grant and free accommodation at Villa Medici. The competition accepts applications across literary and artistic creation, arts and crafts, art history and theory, and restoration of works of art or monuments. There is no nationality restriction. Applicants must be at least 18, speak French, and already be engaged in professional life. Applications close October 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM noon, metropolitan France time.
OF THE FIELD.
Villa Medici Fellowship 2027 Snapshot
What: International competition selecting Fellows for a 12-month residency in creation, experimentation, or research at the French Academy in Rome, Villa Medici.
Who: Established French or International French-speaking artists, authors, and researchers who are at least 18 years old and already engaged in professional life. There is no nationality criterion. Applicants must not have previously been a Fellow of the French Academy in Rome. Group projects are permitted.
Where: Villa Medici, French Academy in Rome, Rome, Italy.
Award / Support: €42,000 gross residency grant for the year, paid at €3,500 per month. Free accommodation is provided for the full residency. A workspace may be assigned depending on availability. Fellows have access to shared work facilities. The FAQ also lists a €2,000 lump sum for outward and return moving expenses and a €250 round-trip travel allowance.
Application Fee: FREE
Residency Duration: September 1, 2027 to August 11, 2028. The residency cannot be divided.
Deadline: October 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM noon, metropolitan France time.
Official Link: https://villamedici.it/en/programme_residence/open-call-fellows-annual-selection/
Strategy Coach Notes: https://www.patreon.com/pformart/posts/funded-rome-000-169506801
The Villa Medici application centers on a detailed project proposal, professional trajectory, and portfolio. Applicants submit a project description in French of no more than 10 pages explaining their motivation for the residency, research themes, and proposed work. The portfolio must document the applicant’s practice and may include links to publications, video, audio, or websites. For collaborative work, identify the applicant’s individual contribution. The jury reviews the submitted files before selecting candidates for auditions.
Join the network to access the Strategy Coach Notes, with a detailed breakdown of how to structure the project proposal, connect the portfolio to the proposed residency, and prepare the application materials for jury review.
About the Villa Medici Fellowship 2027
Each year, the French Academy in Rome organizes an international competition to select Fellows for its long-term residency program at Villa Medici. The 2027–2028 competition offers up to 16 residency grants. Applications are accepted across literary and artistic disciplines and for research in art history or the restoration of works of art or monuments. Applicants may submit individual or collective projects. For a selected collective project, each selected applicant receives a residency grant.
The residency requires a substantial commitment to living and working at Villa Medici. Selected Fellows reside there from September 1, 2027 through August 11, 2028. Fellows must maintain permanent residence at the Academy during the program and may leave for short periods under the conditions established in the competition rules. Time spent outside Italy is generally limited to 30 days during the residency. The program provides free accommodation, workspaces when available, and access to shared facilities, including the library, woodworking workshop, and photographic laboratory.
What Is Offered
- €42,000 gross residency grant for the year
- €3,500 gross paid monthly
- Free accommodation for the full residency
- Workspace or shared workstation when available
- Access to shared work facilities
- €2,000 lump sum for outward and return moving expenses
- €250 round-trip travel allowance
- Up to €10,000 including tax in potential post-residency production cofinancing, subject to the stated conditions and matching or greater financing from a third-party coproducer
Production expenses during the residency are paid by the Fellow. The FAQ states that the production budget is included in the residency grant. It also specifies monthly deductions of €15 for insurance and €15 for household waste collection before applicable social and tax obligations.
Who Should Apply to The Villa Medici Fellowship 2027
The competition is open to French-speaking applicants regardless of nationality. Applicants must be at least 18 years old on the application deadline, already engaged in professional life, and cannot have previously been Fellows of the French Academy in Rome. Knowledge of Italian language and culture is recommended. The program accepts applications in literary and artistic creation, arts and crafts, art history and theory, and restoration of works of art or monuments.
Applicants propose a specific artistic or research project for the residency. The project description must identify research themes, the nature of the proposed work, and the applicant’s reasons for undertaking the residency. Collective applications are permitted.
Villa Medici Fellowship 2027 Timeline
- Application Deadline: October 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM
- Preselection Notification: Week of January 25, 2027
- Auditions: February 2 and 3, 2027 in Paris
- Residency: September 1, 2027 to August 11, 2028
Why The Villa Medici Fellowship 2027 Matters
The Villa Medici Fellowship provides a year-long period for creation, experimentation, or research in Rome with a €42,000 gross residency grant and free accommodation. Its international eligibility allows French-speaking practitioners to apply regardless of nationality, and the competition accepts a wide range of artistic and research disciplines. The residency requires full-time presence and sustained engagement with the proposed project. The application therefore asks applicants to define a substantial body of work that can develop across the residency period and to document the professional practice that supports that proposal.
Apply
OF THE FIELD.
Deadline: October 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM noon, metropolitan France time.
Apply: https://villamedici.it/en/programme_residence/open-call-fellows-annual-selection/
Explore More Opportunities
Find current artist grants, residencies, fellowships, commissions, and open calls on Contemporary Performance.
