The American Academy in Berlin is accepting applications for the 2020–2021 Berlin Prize.

The American Academy in Berlin seeks to enrich transatlantic dialogue in the arts, humanities, and public policy through the development and communication of projects of the highest scholarly merit. Past recipients have included anthropologists, art historians, literary scholars, philosophers, historians, musicologists, journalists, writers, filmmakers, sociologists, legal scholars, economists, and public policy experts, among others.

Each year the Academy welcomes about two dozen fellows to the Hans Arnhold Center, on Lake Wannsee. For 2020/21, the Academy will also award three specially designated fellowships: two Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships in the Humanities, for work that demonstrates an interest in the topics of migration and social integration, race in comparative perspective, or exile and return.

In addition to placing a high priority on the independent work of its fellows, the Academy is in a unique position to aid fellows in establishing professional and general networks both in Berlin and beyond. The Academy’s public outreach, which facilitates the introduction of a fellow's work to a wider audience, serves its mission of fostering transatlantic ties through cultural exchange.

Berlin Prize winners are typically in residence for a full academic semester. The fall semester begins in mid-August and ends in mid-December; the spring semester is from late January through late May. Fellowships are occasionally awarded for an academic year.

Fellowships are restricted to candidates based permanently in the US. US citizenship is not required. American expatriates are not eligible. Candidates in academic disciplines are expected to have completed a doctorate at the time of application.