New City Critics is a fellowship for people who write about cities, run jointly by the Urban Design Forum and The Architectural League of New York. Each cycle takes a cohort of six early- to mid-career writers and urbanists through nine months of guest lectures, workshops, research guidance and editing, and publishes their work on a dedicated vertical of the League’s magazine Urban Omnibus. The Urban Design Forum describes itself as a member-powered organisation of more than 1,100 civic leaders working for a more just future for New York; the fellowship was created in honour of the critic Michael Sorkin, who died in March 2020.
Its stated purpose is to widen who gets to shape criticism of how cities are understood, designed and built, and it is aimed at people who do not see themselves or their experiences reflected in criticism, urbanism and design today. Sessions are held in person in New York City, so the cohort is drawn from people already living or working in the metropolitan area. The 2025-26 cycle was supported by the Mellon Foundation as lead funder, alongside Critical Minded, the Dorothea and Leo Rabkin Foundation, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, LEVENBETTS and individual donors.
Benefits & funding
- US$7,500 honorarium for participation in the nine-month fellowship.
- Around 45 hours of programme sessions across the nine months, held twice a month on Tuesday evenings in New York City, plus regular office hours with programme staff.
- A curriculum of modules, each built around one critical skill and a new piece of writing: reading critical texts on the city; writing about urban places and projects; writing with and about the people who make cities; and reviewing texts, objects and events.
- Editorial support to produce new work, published on a dedicated New City Critics vertical on Urban Omnibus.
- Guest lectures, workshops, research guidance, site visits, public programmes and networking across both host organisations.
- A cohort of six, and contact with a selection committee of working critics and urbanists — for 2026-27, Garnette Cadogan, Sukjong Hong, Alexandra Lange, Daphne Lundi, Marianela D’Aprile and Adlan Jackson.
Eligibility
- Early- to mid-career writers or urbanists committed to making cities legible to broad audiences.
- Applicants are encouraged to show prior publication and significant engagement with the field. They should have experience in both writing and urban practice, although the balance between the two may vary.
- Open across formats and disciplines — writers, journalists, designers, planners, scholars, advocates, artists, curators, organisers, newsletter writers, zine publishers, podcasters and photo essayists among them.
- Fellows must live or work in the New York metropolitan area for the whole of the programme, and must attend every meeting date listed in the application portal.
- Open to all nationalities. Authorisation to accept monetary compensation in the United States is required to receive the honorarium; applicants without that authorisation, or whose visa status does not permit stipends, may still apply and take part, but cannot be paid the US$7,500.
- No degree requirement, age limit or minimum number of years of experience is stated.
- The programme’s focus on people underrepresented in criticism, urbanism and design is a statement of purpose rather than a formal eligibility bar.
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Application process
- 1Read the current cycle page on the Urban Design Forum site and check the meeting dates, which are mandatory.
- 2Confirm you can be in New York City for in-person Tuesday-evening sessions twice a month across the full nine months.
- 3Attend the information session or watch the recording — the 2026 session ran on 29 May 2026, 12:00-1:00pm.
- 4Apply through The Architectural League’s online awards platform, linked from the cycle page.
- 5Submit before the deadline — 11:59pm on 11 June 2026 for the 2026-27 round.
- 6Programme staff and the selection committee review applications and interview finalists; for 2026-27 interviews ran the week of 28 July 2026.
- 7Six fellows are selected and begin the nine-month cycle.
Program timeline
30 April 2026
Applications open for the 2026-27 cycle
Information session, 12:00-1:00pm
29 May 2026
Application deadline, 11:59pm
11 June 2026
Finalist interviews
Week of 28 July 2026
2026-27 season
Nine-month fellowship term; the 2025-26 cohort was announced in September and worked across the following nine months