The New York Foundation for the Arts has announced the recipients of the 2026 JGS Fellowship for Photography: Cali M. Banks, Diana Blain Fine, Christine Elfman, Jasmine Garoosi and Jiayue Yu. The fellowship is an $8,000 unrestricted cash grant open to photography artists living and working in New York State outside the five boroughs of New York City, and five artists receive it each year. Eligibility spans nine regions of the state: Western New York, the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier, Central New York, the North Country, the Mohawk Valley, the Capital District, the Hudson Valley and Long Island, with applicants required to have been full-time state residents for at least twelve months. The fellowship covers traditional and experimental photography, including light-based work and alternative processes, or any form in which photography or photographic techniques are pivotal. Funding comes from Joy of Giving Something (JGS), a nonprofit organisation dedicated to the photographic arts. NYFA announced the recipients on 29 September 2026 through its news pages. The foundation presents the award as support for artists at every stage of their careers, a point underlined by JGS board member Jeffrey Hoone, who said it was an honour to work with NYFA to support the next generation of artists and change agents at a moment when many institutions are cutting back on artist support. He noted that many artists NYFA has supported have gone on to become some of the most important artists of their generation. The announcement continues NYFA's long-running programme of direct grants to individual artists, which includes the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship and the Rauschenberg emergency grants. For the five photographers, the unrestricted funds arrive without project requirements, offering breathing room to take risks and spend more time with the work itself.