The Vilcek Foundation will award six Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in the amount of $50,000 in two categories: Fashion & Design and Fashion & Culture. In each category, three young immigrant fashion professionals who demonstrate outstanding early achievement in their field will individually receive an unrestricted cash prize of $50,000.
Who Should Apply
- You were born outside the United States to non-American parents.
- You are not more than 38 years old.
- You have 5 years of professional experience in fields related to Fashion & Design or Fashion & Culture and possess a strong track record of creative, high-caliber work.
Why Should You Apply
- Unrestricted cash prize of $50,000 is awarded to each prizewinner.
- Reflect on how your experience as an immigrant has shaped your success.
- Receive an invaluable endorsement from leaders in your field.
- Receive a comprehensive public relations campaign to promote you and your work.
Eligible Categories
Fashion & Design:
- Designers – including but not exclusive to womenswear, menswear, nonbinary clothing, textile design (including print, embellishment, knitwear, original fabric making for fashion), and accessories including footwear, bags, jewelry, and other artifacts relating to the culture of fashion.
- Environmental and Technology Designers – environmental designers, sustainability experts, eco-conscious creators, and professionals designing wearable technologies.
- Materials Innovators – professionals who develop new fabrics and innovative textile technologies such as smart textiles, eco-friendly fabrics, and new dyeing/surface application techniques for various sectors including but not exclusive to Uniforms, Athletics, Space, Medical, and Innovative Workwear.
- Makeup Artists / Hair Stylists – experimental artists that push the breadth of materials used to both challenge and communicate perceived beauty ideals through the art and design of makeup or hair.
Fashion & Culture:
- Writers and Researchers – including academic (historical, theoretical, and anthropological), journalistic, critical, and editorial.
- Curators and Museum Professionals – including exhibitions, presentations, and displays through real and/or virtual environments. It could include preservation and conservation.
- Stylists – including editorials, advertising campaigns, and fashion presentations
- Image Makers – including fashion photography, film, animation, illustration, and work in fashion tech.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
- Have been born outside the United States of America to non-American parents;
- Not be more than 38 years old as of December 31, 2025 (born on or after January 1, 1987), Exceptions will be made for applicants who were born on January 1, 1985, to December 31, 1986, and who experienced career interruptions due to caregiving, medical, military, or parental leave;
- Have lived in the United States for at least 4 years (or immigrated to the United States on or before December 31, 2021);
- Be one of the following: a naturalized citizen or a permanent resident of the United States; a H-1B or O-1 visa holder with a valid visa stamp; a H-4 visa holder with a valid EAD card; a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) relief; an asylee or an asylum seeker who has applied for asylum and has a valid EAD card. Please note that other types of visas including TN, F-1, J-1 visa holders are not eligible for the prize. Applicants may be required to submit a scanned copy of a valid immigration document if their application progresses in the review process. The staff at the Vilcek Foundation will reach out with instructions at the appropriate time;
- Have at least 5 years of professional experience in fields related to Fashion & Design or Fashion & Culture;
- Not be enrolled as a full-time student (Exceptions may apply for some doctoral students who will complete their program this year);
- Have completed at least 3 professional, implemented solo or collective projects;
- Intend to pursue a career in the United States;
- Not be a past recipient of the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in any category.
Application and Selection Process
1. Complete the application process. You will be required to:
- Register for the Vilcek Foundation Prize Portal (You will receive an email prompting you to create your user profile. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive it.)
- Complete your user profile
- Complete all application questions and provide the following:
- Answer essay questions.
- Current CV: provide a public URL link (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive) to a letterhead-sized PDF, or a link to a viewable PDF version of your current CV.
- Work samples/projects: provide public URL links to 3 to 5 work samples/projects that best represent your career, aesthetics, and vision, and exemplify the body of work you wish for the jurors to review.
- Press clippings: provide a public URL link (e.g., Dropbox, Google Drive) to a letterhead-sized PDF of press clippings about your work, or a link to a viewable PDF version of the press clippings about your work.
- 2 references: provide the names and contact information of 2 references.
- Sign an age exception self-attestation if you were born between January 1, 1985, and December 31, 1986.
- Submit a completed application by Monday, June 9, 2025, 5:00 pm ET.
After setting up your user profile and logging into the prize portal, please carefully review the requirements for the category that you wish to apply for. Each category has unique questions and document submission requirements. Be sure to complete all required questions and sections thoroughly; incomplete applications may not be considered. We encourage you to provide detailed and accurate responses.
2. A panel of distinguished jurors will evaluate applications in each category based on the applicant’s contributions to the fields of Fashion & Design or Fashion & Culture, as demonstrated by their essays, portfolio, and references. The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise will honor fashion professionals whose work showcases high caliber and commitment to the field.
3. Recommendations of the jury will be submitted to the Vilcek Foundation’s Board of Directors for final approval. All three winners in each category will be considered equal in standing.
4. The winners of the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Fashion & Design and Fashion & Culture categories will be notified in September of 2025. Prizewinners will be invited to attend the Vilcek Foundation’s prizewinner event in New York City in the spring of 2026. Travel expenses and accommodations will be covered by the foundation.
Frequently Asked Questions
I meet all of the requirements except for one.
In order to be considered for the prize, you must meet all of the eligibility requirements.
What Fashion & Design and Fashion & Culture subcategories are eligible?
Applicants in the Fashion & Design category will be considered across the following areas of practice:
- Designers – including but not exclusive to womenswear, menswear, nonbinary clothing, textile design (including print, embellishment, knitwear, original fabric making for fashion), and accessories including footwear, bags, jewelry, and other artifacts relating to the culture of fashion.
- Environmental and Technology Designers – environmental designers, sustainability experts, eco-conscious creators, and professionals designing wearable technologies.
- Materials Innovators – professionals who develop new fabrics and innovative textile technologies such as smart textiles, eco-friendly fabrics, and new dyeing/surface application techniques for various sectors including but not exclusive to Uniforms, Athletics, Space, Medical, and Innovative Workwear.
- Makeup Artists / Hair Stylists – experimental artists that push the breadth of materials used to both challenge and communicate perceived beauty ideals through the art and design of makeup or hair.
Applicants in the Fashion & Culture categories will be considered across the following areas of practice:
- Writers and Researchers – including academic (historical, theoretical, and anthropological), journalistic, critical, and editorial.
- Curators and Museum Professionals – including exhibitions, presentations, and displays through real and/or virtual environments. It could include preservation and conservation.F
- Stylists – including editorials, advertising campaigns, and fashion presentations.
- Image Makers – including fashion photography, film, animation, illustration, and work in fashion tech.
Are interdisciplinary practices eligible?
Yes, interdisciplinary practices can apply for the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise as long as you identify with at least one of the eligible categories. Applicants should select one main category that best represents the practice.
I work under a different name than in my ID.
If you work under a name different from the one on your ID, please contact us at creativepromise@vilcek.org to discuss this with the staff at the Vilcek Foundation before submitting.
Can a collective apply for the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise?
Yes, as long as all members of the collective meet the eligibility requirements, a representative may submit an application. Please note that if selected, the cash award can only be paid to individuals.
Do you accept research-based practices?
Yes, research-based practices will be accepted. However, you must be able to provide evidence of 3 professional, implemented design projects (research-based or not) to be eligible.
Can I receive feedback on my application?
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide feedback on applications due to the high volume of applications received.
Why must I have completed “professional, implemented solo or collective projects” in order to apply?
Our selection process involves several stages of review. In order to spend ample time on each application we have decided to require proof of professional, implemented solo or collective projects to carefully narrow our pool of applicants. These are minimum qualifications and they do not have to be your best projects.
How will you verify proof of “professional, implemented solo or collective projects”?
Applicants will need to provide proof that they completed 3 professional projects through implementation by including a public link to the project. An example might include a website page for the project, a Vimeo/YouTube/etc. link if the project is moving imagery or film, a viewable PDF of images of 2D and 3D work or text (up to 2 pages), or a viewable PDF of an article/part of a book. These 3 examples will not be viewed by the jury, and do not have to be your best work. A round of initial screeners will verify that an applicant has completed 3 professional, implemented projects, without examining the quality or success of those projects. Should your examples demonstrate you meet this requirement, your application and actual portfolio can advance to the review stage by established professionals in Fashion & Design and Fashion & Culture.
What is the difference between the portfolio and the “professional, implemented solo or collective projects” requirement?
The professional, implemented solo or collective projects will only be reviewed by an initial round of screeners for verification purposes, without examining the quality or success of those projects. Our jury will only evaluate the work you include in your portfolio.
May I submit the same work samples for both the “portfolio” and the “professional, implemented solo or collective projects”?
Yes, you may submit the same work samples for both the “portfolio” and the “professional, implemented solo or collective” projects if you feel those projects best represent your work and artistry.
Why must I have had “5 years of professional experience” in fields related to Fashion & Design or Fashion & Culture in order to apply? How do you define this?
By 5 years of professional experience, we mean an applicant’s professional practice should span at least 5 years.
The projects I am looking to submit fall across more than one of your categories. Will my application be more or less competitive depending on the categories I select?
No. We understand that your practice may span multiple categories, but please select the one that applies to your practice the most. This is an organizational lens for us—this is not a lens that will impact the validity or merit of the application or how the jury will conduct their assessment.
Can I submit materials in foreign languages?
Yes, but please include English translations for non-English materials.
I am currently here on OPT/student/other visa types; am I eligible?
You are eligible if you currently hold a valid O-1, or H-1B, or H-4 visa and have been residing in the United States for at least 4 years. Any other visa status is not eligible. However, if you are on OPT, have lived in the United States for at least 4 years, and are in the process of applying for another visa, such as a H-1B or O-1, and you will have the proper documentation by July 2025, please contact us at creativepromise@vilcek.org before submitting your application.
I am currently applying for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status; am I eligible?
You are eligible if you have an I-797 approval notice showing approval of the I-821D DACA application. If you are in the process of applying for DACA and expect to have the proper documentation by July 2025, please contact us at creativepromise@vilcek.org before submitting your application.
I am currently in the process of applying for a green card; am I eligible?
If you are in the process of finalizing the application for a green card and expect to have the proper documentation by July 2025, please contact us at creativepromise@vilcek.org before submitting your application.
My green card or visa has expired.
You need a valid visa in order to be eligible. If your green card has expired, please contact us at creativepromise@vilcek.org with more details on when and how it expired.
My temporary green card has expired, but I have submitted paperwork to become a permanent resident. I do not know if and when they will receive my information. Am I eligible?
Yes, applicants in the process of becoming a permanent resident are eligible. Please contact us at creativepromise@vilcek.org for further instructions.
My visa was approved, but I don’t have a visa stamp yet.
You may submit the approval notice in place of the visa stamp, but please only submit your approval notice when contacted by program staff.
Do I need to submit my visa or citizenship documentation with my application?
No, you only need to select which citizenship/immigration document type is applicable to you when submitting your application. Applicants may be required to submit a scanned copy of a valid immigration document if their application progresses in the review process. The staff at the Vilcek Foundation will reach out with instructions at the appropriate time.
Can I send my visa or citizenship documents by email to program staff?
Please do not email your citizenship/immigration documents to program staff. Applicants may be required to submit a scanned copy of a valid immigration document if their application progresses in the review process. The staff at the Vilcek Foundation will reach out with instructions at the appropriate time.
I’m currently in-between visas and live outside the U.S.
Unfortunately, you are not eligible to apply for the prizes.
I became a U.S. citizen when I was a minor and do not have a certificate of naturalization.
If contacted by program staff to provide your documentation, please submit a birth certificate and your passport instead of a certificate of naturalization.
I can’t locate my certificate of naturalization.
If contacted by program staff to provide your documentation, please submit a birth certificate and your passport instead of a certificate of naturalization.
I’m a U.S. citizen. Can I provide a copy of my passport as my immigration document?
No, a passport may be submitted as a supplementary document only.
I was born in Puerto Rico, Guam, or another U.S. territory; am I eligible?
Unfortunately, we do not accept applications from individuals born in the U.S. territories.
I was born outside the United States, but to American citizens; am I eligible?
No, we do not accept applications from U.S. citizens who were born overseas but are American by birth.
I am over the age limit but not by much; can you make an exception?
Unfortunately, we are not able to make exceptions unless you experienced career interruptions due to caregiving, medical, military or parental leave, and are within two years of the age requirement (born between January 1, 1985, and December 31, 1986).
What kind of documentation should I provide to prove my career interruption?
Below are examples of accepted documentation:
- Confirmation letter from your employer, a medical provider, or a military office;
- Official request for leave or approval notice;
- Certificate of birth or military service.
Do you accept other reasons for career interruptions?
No, currently we only make exceptions for caregiving, medical, military, or parental leave.
Can the winners use the prize money to support a specific project, personal expenses, etc.?
Each winner will receive an unrestricted cash prize; there is no obligation to use the money in any particular way.
Are there any other monetary fees that I should be aware of before applying?
Winners of the Vilcek Foundation Prizes receive unrestricted cash prizes, which are considered taxable income. Consult your financial advisor to understand any tax implications of receiving a cash prize.
If I win, will I have to pay taxes on the prize?
Yes, you will have to pay taxes on any income you receive through any Vilcek Foundation Prize.
If I apply for the prize this year and am not chosen as a prize winner, can I apply again in the future?
Yes, as long as you are within the age limit of a certain prize cycle and are not chosen as a prizewinner, you are eligible to apply as many times as you would like. Please note that our arts and humanities categories repeat every eight to ten years.
Can I please change or update an already submitted application?
You may contact us at creativepromise@vilcek.org to notify us of any changes or updates, but we cannot guarantee any changes to an already submitted application.
Are the prizes considered grants?
No, the Vilcek Foundation Prizes are cash awards and they are not considered grants. They will be considered taxable income.
If I am selected to receive a Vilcek Foundation Prize, can I decline to receive the prize payment myself and make a charitable donation instead?
In some cases, yes. We have a policy on prize transfers that outlines scenarios for transfers of cash prizes. Following your receipt of a prize, please let us know if you are interested in learning more about our policy.
May I apply for a Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise and submit a proposal for an organizational grant from The Vilcek Foundation?
Yes, individuals who are eligible for the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise may also submit a proposal for a grant on behalf of an organization, provided they are the primary point-of-contact for an organization seeking funding. The Vilcek Foundation only accepts applications for grants from organizations that are nonprofits under IRC 501(c)(3) in the United States.
The Vilcek Foundation Prizes and Grant programs are separate and have different eligibility requirements. If you apply for both a Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise and a Grant, you will need to register accounts with both our prize and grant portals, and you will be required to use two separate, unique email addresses for each portal. If you have further questions about the prizes program please reach out to creativepromise@vilcek.org. For information about grants, visit vilcek.org/grants.