The Robert and Ina Caro Travel & Research Fellowship

The Caro Fellowship is open to all biographers anywhere in the world who are writing in English and whose work requires travel to a particular place significant to the life of the biographical subject and/or a particular archive. The fellowship is restricted to support works of biography, e.g., not of history, autobiography, or memoir. BIO welcomes submissions for non-print biographies such as documentary films. A publishing contract is not required for eligibility.

Complete the online entry form.

Upload the following submission materials in one single PDF document:

• Project description (up to 500 words). Provide a synopsis of the biography and explain how this work fits into the mission of the Caro Fellowship. Provide details of where you wish to travel and why, and explain how such travel is relevant to your project. If you wish to travel to places where your subject lived or worked, provide relevant details. If you wish to travel to particular archives, specify why they will be important for your biography.
• Details of your proposed budget. Provide an estimated cost of travel and possible housing.
• Anticipated result of receipt of a Caro Fellowship. Explain whether the fellowship will lead to completion of a proposal, a chapter in your biography, or completion of the work.
• Author bio (up to 500 words).

Your document should be double-spaced, with 12-point type and standard margins. The document must be a PDF. Please be sure to include your first and last name as part of the file name of the PDF that you submit.

Sign the online entry form by checking the box affirming your understanding of the rules and procedures.

There is no application fee for this fellowship.

You will receive an acknowledgment of your entry within several days. If you do not, please contact BIO’s awards administrator.

The deadline for entries is February 1. Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged by email. The fellowship winner will be announced by early May. Formal announcement of the winner will be made at the annual BIO conference.   

In submitting this prize entry form, you agree to all the terms and conditions of the BIO Caro Fellowship. You also affirm that the work you are submitting is in progress and will not be in production at the time of the annual BIO conference. Only one entry per applicant is allowed. In submitting this entry form, you affirm that you are the sole author (or, if co-authored, authors) of the work being submitted. In the event that you are the winner, you affirm that you will make your best effort to publish your work, and that you will acknowledge the support of BIO’s Caro Fellowship in any publications resulting from the fellowship. BIO also requires that you submit a brief paragraph reporting on your progress upon completion of your funded travel. All decisions by the judges are final.

Question: Does memoir qualify?
Answer: No, it does not.

Question: Do I have to be a member of BIO when I apply?
Answer: No, you do not, but we would be pleased if you joined.

Question: Are biographies for young adults eligible?
Answer: Yes, they are.

Question: Am I eligible if I am represented by an agent or if my biography is under contract for publication?
Answer: Yes.

Question: Am I eligible for more than one BIO fellowship in a given year?
Answer: Yes.

Question: Will I receive feedback on my submission?
Answer: Due to the number of submissions we receive, we are unable to provide written or verbal feedback on applications.