The Rose Library offers the Leonard and Louise Riggio Fellowship, which supports residencies to undertake research in the Alice Walker papers and related archives.  

Award Information 

• This fellowship has a value of $1,000 per week. The total amount depends on the applicant's research proposal.
• Travel can begin on September 1, 2026, and must be completed by August 1, 2027.
• All award recipients are required to submit a report of their experiences and work at Rose Library for our blog.
• Funds are disbursed to award recipients 4-6 weeks AFTER the completion of their research visit and submission of blog post.  
• The application deadline is May 15, 2026.   
• Award notifications will be made on August 15, 2026. 

Important Information for International Fellowship Applicants   Please familiarize yourself with the appropriate visa type for your desired length of stay at the Rose Library. For more information, please consult your U.S. Consulate or the Emory Office of International Student and Scholar Programs well in advance of your planned trip.

Funded through the Billops-Hatch Scholarship Fund, the Billops-Hatch Fellowship supports researchers working in the Camille Billops and James V. Hatch Archives. Past fellowship recipients include post-graduate students, authors, professors, and scholars researching areas of African American art and art history, including the visual arts, theater, film, and literature. Among its various holdings, the Billops-Hatch archives has more than 1,200 play scripts written by African Americans, 1,400 interviews with various artists, and a library of rare and unique books and periodicals.       Award Information 

• This fellowship has a value of $1,000 per week. The total amount depends on the applicant's research proposal.
• Travel can begin on September 1, 2026, and must be completed by August 1, 2027.
• All award recipients are required to submit a report of their experiences and work at Rose Library for our blog.
• Funds are disbursed to award recipients 4-6 weeks AFTER the completion of their research visit and submission of blog post.  
• The application deadline is May 15, 2026.   
• Award notifications will be made on August 15, 2026.

 Important Information for International Applicants        Please familiarize yourself with the appropriate visa type for your desired length of stay at the Rose Library. For more information, please consult your U.S. Consulate or the Emory Office of International Student and Scholar Programs well in advance of your planned trip. 

The Donald C. Locke Award provides funding for researchers exploring the collection of visual artist, teacher, critic, poet, and writer Donald C. Locke. The Rose Library holdings include correspondence, manuscript materials, photographs and negatives, and printed materials including books and art catalogs. Materials related to Locke’s exploration of African diasporic themes and ideas are readily accessible. The Rose Library holdings also include born digital content. Award Information  

Funded through the Billops-Hatch Scholarship Fund, the Billops-Hatch Fellowship supports researchers working in the Camille Billops and James V. Hatch Archives. Past fellowship recipients include post-graduate students, authors, professors, and scholars researching areas of African American art and art history, including the visual arts, theater, film, and literature. Among its various holdings, the Billops-Hatch archives has more than 1,200 play scripts written by African Americans, 1,400 interviews with various artists, and a library of rare and unique books and periodicals.       

Award Information 

• This fellowship has a value of $1,000 per week. The total amount depends on the applicant's research proposal.
• Travel can begin on September 1, 2026, and must be completed by August 1, 2027.
• All award recipients are required to submit a report of their experiences and work at Rose Library for our blog.
• Funds are disbursed to award recipients 4-6 weeks AFTER the completion of their research visit and submission of blog post.  
• The application deadline is May 15, 2026.   
• Award notifications will be made on August 15, 2026.

Important Information for International Fellowship Applicants  Please familiarize yourself with the appropriate visa type for your desired length of stay at the Rose Library. For more information, please consult your U.S. Consulate or the Emory Office of International Student and Scholar Programs well in advance of your planned trip.

The Dana White Award provides funding for researchers exploring the collections of Dana White. The Rose Library holdings include The collection consists of papers, journals, and audiovisual material from 1973-2005. The collections consists primarily of binders and subject files created by White on various research topics including African American cinema in Atlanta, the work of Oscar Micheaux, Mussolini and Charles Palmer, and Georgia prison history. In addition, there are audio and video cassettes that cover White's work on The Making of Modern Atlanta including interviews and rough cuts of the documentary as well as audio recordings of White's classes at Atlanta University and in the Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts at Emory University. Sound recordings include interviews with White on his work as a historian and his research for presentations at the National Association for Olmsted Parks and for the Biltmore Village Conference. The journals and papers document his work with the National Association for Olmsted Parks as well as research on Frederick Law Olmsted.     

Award Information 

Award Information 

• This fellowship has a value of $1,000 per week. The total amount depends on the applicant's research proposal.
• Travel can begin on September 1, 2026, and must be completed by August 1, 2027.
• All award recipients are required to submit a report of their experiences and work at Rose Library for our blog.
• Funds are disbursed to award recipients 4-6 weeks AFTER the completion of their research visit and submission of blog post.  
• The application deadline is May 15, 2026.   
• Award notifications will be made on August 15, 2026. 

 Important Information for International Fellowship Applicants         Please familiarize yourself with the appropriate visa type for your desired length of stay at the Rose Library. For more information, please consult your U.S. Consulate or the Emory Office of International Student and Scholar Programs well in advance of your planned trip.

The Rose Library offers the LGBTQ Collections Travel Award, which supports research in Rose Library's LGBTQ related papers and archives that document the history, culture, politics, and public health initiatives. Award Information Funded through the Billops-Hatch Scholarship Fund, the Billops-Hatch Fellowship supports researchers working in the Camille Billops and James V. Hatch Archives. Past fellowship recipients include post-graduate students, authors, professors, and scholars researching areas of African American art and art history, including the visual arts, theater, film, and literature. Among its various holdings, the Billops-Hatch archives has more than 1,200 play scripts written by African Americans, 1,400 interviews with various artists, and a library of rare and unique books and periodicals.       Award Information 

• This fellowship has a value of $1,000 per week. The total amount depends on the applicant's research proposal.
• Travel can begin on September 1, 2026, and must be completed by August 1, 2027.
• All award recipients are required to submit a report of their experiences and work at Rose Library for our blog.
• Funds are disbursed to award recipients 4-6 weeks AFTER the completion of their research visit and submission of blog post.  
• The application deadline is May 15, 2026.   
• Award notifications will be made on August 15, 2026. Important Information for International Fellowship Applicants  Please familiarize yourself with the appropriate visa type for your desired length of stay at the Rose Library. For more information, please consult your U.S. Consulate or the Emory Office of International Student and Scholar Programs well in advance of your planned trip.

In honor of the late Richard A. Long (1927-2013), who was a professor of English and African American Studies at Atlanta University and Emory University, the Rose Library offers 2-3 short-term research fellowships annually to graduate students and faculty from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program or teach at an HBCU that is more than 50 miles away from Emory University’s main campus.  

The goal of the fellowship is to support faculty and graduate students from HBCUs by providing resources to conduct research in the Rose Library’s African American collections. Graduate students must include a letter of support from an advisor, faculty member, or librarian/archivist at their institution and a copy of student identification as proof of enrollment. Faculty must include a letter of support from their department chair or Dean and a copy of faculty identification as proof of employment.   Award Information 

• This fellowship has a value of $1,000 per week. The total amount depends on the applicant's research proposal.
• Travel can begin on September 1, 2026, and must be completed by August 1, 2027.
• All award recipients are required to submit a report of their experiences and work at Rose Library for our blog.
• Funds are disbursed to award recipients 4-6 weeks AFTER the completion of their research visit and submission of blog post.  
• The application deadline is May 15, 2026.   
• Award notifications will be made on August 15, 2026.

Important Information for International Fellowship Applicants Please familiarize yourself with the appropriate visa type for your desired length of stay at the Rose Library. For more information, please consult your U.S. Consulate or the Emory Office of International Student and Scholar Programs well in advance of your planned trip.

Rackoff Prize

The Alan Rackoff Prize was established through the Betsy and Wayne Rackoff Fund and named in honor of Dr. Rackoff's late brother, an Emory student in the class of 1973. Dr. Wayne Rackoff (75C), vice president of clinical oncology at Janssen Research & Development (a Johnson & Johnson company), was among the first generation of Emory students in English courses to have access to primary materials in what was then known as “Special Collections.” The experience made a lasting imprint on his intellectual life and led him to become a long-time supporter of the archival collections.

The prize will award $750 to one student each academic year for the best paper, project, or honor's thesis written on the basis of primary source material from Rose Library related to a class or course of study in any academic department except the Department of English, $500 for a second place award, and a $250 honorable mention reserved for a first year student.  

Application Guidelines 

The deadline for application is Applications are due Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 5:00 pm EST.

Eligibility 

To be eligible to win, applicants must:

• be current Emory College undergraduates at any class level and in any discipline (humanities, social sciences, or sciences)
• have completed their research project in the form of a paper, digital project, performance, or poster since during the current academic year for an Emory University credit course
• allow library staff to display their research project for public viewing following receipt of the Rackoff Prize

An evaluation panel comprised of Emory University faculty, librarians, and community partners will focus primarily on the evidence of the applicant's research strategy, process, and personal learning, as summarized in an essay. Expectations for achievement will be commensurate with the applicant's class year and the requirements of the discipline. See more on award criteria below.

Applications will be submitted through Submittable and must include the following:

• A 500-750 word essay describing your research strategies and use of library tools and resources.  
• A final version of the research project, which may be in the form of a paper, digital project, performance footage or images, or a poster.

Evaluation criteria

Submissions will be judged based on how well they demonstrate the following:

• Sophistication, originality and/or unusual depth or breadth in the use of Rose Library collections in any media;
• Exceptional ability to locate, select, evaluate, and synthesize primary source materials and to use them in the creation of a project that shows originality and/or has the potential to lead to original research in the future; and
• Evidence of significant personal learning and the development of a habit of research and inquiry that shows the likelihood of persisting in the future.

An evaluation panel comprised of Emory University faculty, librarians and other educators will focus primarily on the evidence of the applicant's research strategy, process, and personal learning, as summarized in the research essay. Expectations for achievement will be commensurate with the applicant's class year and the requirements of the discipline.

• Primary focus of judging should be the research project.
• The project itself provides evidence of the appropriateness and synthesis of the research.
• The letter of support or statement of personal research should be used to learn about the initiative and independence shown by the student and to give an indication of the originality of the research and where it falls within its discipline.

An excellent submission should:

• Demonstrate use of complex research tools such as primary resources, archival finding aids and specialized databases
• Utilize a variety of types of information sources
• Make use of Rose Library collections and services to their fullest
• Show originality of thought and the potential to lead to original research in the future.
• Show evidence of significant personal learning and the development of research and inquiry skills
• Show careful evaluation of the quality of information sources
• Include correct and complete citation of materials, with annotations if appropriate.

For additional questions, please feel free to contact Shanna Early, Instruction Archivist at shanna.early@emory.edu. 

This fellowship, named in honor of long-time Marcus Garvey Foundation board member Jean Harvey Slappy, looks to support doctoral candidates working on aspects of the history of the U.N.I.A. (Universal Negro Improvement Association), the A.C.L. (African Communities League), and/or Marcus Garvey's organizational activities, and who wish to use the Thomas W. Harvey/U.N.I.A. collection located at the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. Research fellows receive grants of $500 to help defray expenses associated with travel to and use of the archival collection.   "The Thomas W. Harvey Collection contains groundbreaking material that broadens our understanding of the Black freedom struggle in America and beyond." -Tshepo Chery, 2010 Jean Harvey Slappy Fellow   Marcus Garvey Foundation Research Fellowship   This fellowship looks to support doctoral candidates doing primary research in the humanities and social sciences on topics related to Africa and the African diaspora. Those doctoral candidates using archival collections and/or conducting oral histories are especially encouraged to apply. Research fellows receive grants of $500 to help defray research expenses.  

Award Information 

• Travel can begin on September 1, 2026, and must be completed by August 1, 2027.
• All award recipients are required to submit a report of their experiences and work at Rose Library for our blog.
• Funds are disbursed to award recipients 4-6 weeks AFTER the completion of their research visit and submission of blog post.  
• The application deadline is May 15, 2026.   
• Award notifications will be made on August 15, 2026.

The Rose Library offers short-term travel awards to support scholarly use of the Library's research collections in five strategic areas:

1. English-language literature
2. The Raymond Danowski Poetry Library
3. African American history and culture
4. Southern history and culture
5. Modern politics

Award Information Funding provided by Rose Library to support use of the Library's research collections in our strategic areas. Recipients will be required to submit a report of their experiences and work within the archive for the Rose Library blog. All fellows are paid their award money 4-6 weeks AFTER completion of their visit and submission of their blog post. All fellowship winners are announced April 28, 2025 on our website with your name and research project title. You will also be sent an email.  All fellowships must be completed by August 2026. Important Information for International Fellowship Applicants  Please familiarize yourself with the appropriate visa type for your desired length of stay at the Rose Library. For more information, please consult your U.S. Consulate or the Emory Office of International Student and Scholar Programs well in advance of your planned trip.