Wilson Center Fellowship

The 2025-26 Competition is now accepting applications! Apply by October 1.

Through an international competition, the Center offers 9-month residential fellowships. The Wilson Center invites scholars, practitioners, journalists and public intellectuals to take part in its flagship international Fellowship Program. Fellows conduct research and write in their areas of interest, while interacting with policymakers in Washington and Wilson Center staff and other scholars in residence. The Center accepts policy-relevant, non-advocacy fellowship proposals that address key challenges confronting the United States and the world.

About the Competition

Fellowships at the Wilson Center

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1 of 4

Kathy Powers

Associate Professor of Political Science, University of New Mexico

The Wilson Center offers a community deeply engaged in understanding and solving the key problems of our time. Wilson Center fellowships supported my evolving research and offered a space to grow in my policy relevant work.

2 of 4

Sung-Yoon Lee

Former Kim Koo-Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies and Assistant Professor, the Fletcher School, Tufts University

To say my Wilson Center International Competition Fellowship has been a singular experience is an understatement. Nine months of an uninterrupted reverie--marked by continuous intellectual engagement and startling epiphanies--it's been. I shall cherish the memories and always remain grateful to the Center.

3 of 4

Renata Giannini

Independent Scholar

The Wilson Center fellowship is a rare opportunity to engage in critical thinking, connect with scholars and practitioners from around the world, and transform one's professional life. It was a privilege to access the extensive resources provided by the Center, interact with its brilliant staff, actively participate in strategic meetings where policy is shaped, and immerse oneself in an environment where knowledge is treated with awe and respect.

4 of 4

Steven Jackson

Former Professor of Political Science, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

The environment at the Wilson Center is supportive, and the Fellowships put you in touch with experts from around the world. The intellectual atmosphere of the Center is like no other – engaged, relevant, yet broad in the areas of focus.