Nominations for 2027 Class of National Heritage Fellows Due May 11

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is accepting nominations for the 2027 class of NEA National Heritage Fellows. The NEA National Heritage Fellowship is the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Each year since 1982, the program has recognized folk and traditional artists whose exemplary achievements contribute to our nation’s distinctive cultural heritage, increasing opportunities for the public to encounter different artists, art forms, and cultural traditions. Through their folk and traditional arts practices, National Heritage Fellows demonstrate the importance of the arts to personal, cultural, and national identity.

NEA National Heritage Fellowship recipients are nominated by the public—often by members of their own communities—and then judged by a panel of experts in the folk and traditional arts. The panel’s recommendations are reviewed by the National Council on the Arts, which sends its recommendations to the NEA chairman. The deadline to submit a nomination for the 2027 class of NEA National Heritage Fellows is Monday, May 11, 2026.

On March 24, AFS hosted a special information session with NEA detailing their updated nomination process. The recording includes Spanish and ASL interpretation. The webinar recording will be available next week on the AFS Community Hub and the FAP PDI Resource Hub.