CCRT Culture Fellowships 2026-27: ₹10,000 or ₹20,000 a month

**Closed for 2026-27, and here because of when it reopens.** The window ran 15 June to 31 July 2026. The next advertisement has not been published; when it is, the new dates will appear on this page.

**This is not a scholarship and it is worth being clear about that.** CCRT's own instructions say it in plain words: these fellowships are awarded for undertaking research-oriented projects, and **"It is not a monthly remuneration/stipend or pension to the artistes, but a project-based award."** They are also explicitly **not** for providing training, conducting workshops or seminars, or documenting memoirs, autobiographies or fiction. You are being funded to do a piece of work and hand it in.

**Two tiers, and the only real difference is your age and the money.**

| | Junior Fellowship | Senior Fellowship |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 200 | 200 |
| Amount | ₹10,000 a month | ₹20,000 a month |
| Age | 25 to 40 years | above 40 years |
| Date of birth, 2026-27 batch | between 1 April 1986 and 31 March 2001, both inclusive | on or before 1 April 1986 |
| Maximum duration | two years | two years |

Everything else — the fields, the process, the deadline, the address, the obligations — is identical.

**Who can apply.** Indian nationals. You must never have held the same fellowship before: a Junior applicant must never have had a Junior Fellowship in any field, and a Senior applicant must never have had a Senior Fellowship. There is **no income ceiling.**

**The one place a degree is required.** For the arts fields — Performing, Literary and Visual Arts — the instructions set no minimum qualification. Graduation is the minimum **only** for the "New Areas" category and its sub-fields: Indology, Epigraphy, Sociology of Culture, Cultural Economics, structural and engineering aspects of monuments, Numismatics, scientific and technical aspects of conservation, management aspects of art and heritage, and studies applying science and technology to culture and creativity. If you are a performer, a writer or a visual artist, a degree is not being asked of you.

**How to apply.** Offline only, by post. You send the filled application form together with a **project synopsis of 1,000 to 1,500 words** in English or Hindi — with one exception worth knowing: **for the field of Literature the synopsis may be sent in your regional language.** Post it to:

The Director, CCRT, 15-A, Sector-7, Dwarka, New Delhi – 110075.

**How you are chosen.** An Expert Committee constituted by the Ministry of Culture assesses every application and project proposal. Candidates who meet the criteria are called for an interview or personal talk, and the Committee selects the most meritorious across fields. Keep a printout of your form — you must bring it to the interview with your detailed project proposal. **Incomplete applications are rejected summarily, in any respect.** Names of the selected are posted on ccrtindia.gov.in and indiaculture.gov.in.

**If you have a job, read this before you apply.** Two conditions catch employed applicants:

- Anyone employed must bring a **NOC or consent letter from their employer** to the interview.
- If you work for a Central or State Government department, institution, undertaking or university, you will have to **take leave for two years** if selected. At the interview you must submit a written assurance from your head of department that leave will be granted for the fellowship's duration. **The first instalment is released only on proof that the leave was sanctioned.**

**What you owe them afterwards.** Six-monthly progress reports — and the instructions are blunt that where these are not received on time, **further releases will be withheld.** A mid-term review after one year decides whether the fellowship continues at all. The project must be completed within two years and submitted to CCRT by post; an extension of up to three months needs Ministry approval and brings no extra money. If you are later found to have been ineligible, the fellowship is cancelled and the money recovered.

**Practical details.** Difficulty with the form goes to fellowship.ccrt@nic.in or 011-25088747. Awards are disbursed by the Ministry of Culture directly to the awardee. Any legal dispute falls under the jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court only.

**Where the next cycle appears.** CCRT publishes the advertisement, application forms and instructions together at ccrtindia.gov.in. No 2027-28 date has been announced, and this page will not carry one until it is.

Dates checked on 27 August 2026. Deadlines move without notice, so confirm on the official page linked above before you apply.