The Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA) fellowship advances American understanding of international cultures and affairs by sending outstanding young professionals abroad on two-year independent writing fellowships to study countries, regions and globally important issues. Fellows are given the time and resources to explore the world through self-designed programs of travel, thought and writing. They produce monthly dispatches and go on to make vital contributions to their fields.

Fellowships are aimed at developing local knowledge and writing skills, not necessarily awarding research or reporting opportunities to those who already possess them. Strong candidates propose compelling fellowship topics.

• Candidates must be under 36 years of age at the time of the due date for the initial letter of interest.
• US citizenship is not a requirement but candidates must show strong and credible ties to US society.
• Applicants must have excellent written and spoken English-language skills and must have completed the current phase of their formal education. (We do not accept applications from currently enrolled undergraduate students.)
• We expect candidates to have the necessary language skills to allow to them to carry out their proposed projects. That means enough language proficiency for them to be able to function in the local language within a few months of arriving in country.