The Design Trust for Public Space is now accepting submissions from emerging and established photographers for the Photo Urbanism 5 Fellowship. The fellowship supports the production of a discrete body of work that explores particular qualities of New York City's natural and built environment. Photo Urbanism seeks photography that surpasses editorial and descriptive imagery, and is premised on a concept strongly related to New York City's public realm.

The Photo Urbanism fellowship award includes a $5,000 stipend, and concludes with a public presentation of the fellow's project. The fellow must be based in New York City in order to concentrate on the specific local content of the program, and is expected to complete their project within one year.

The Design Trust acts as director of the fellowship, and as a resource and sounding board throughout the project. The photographer is expected to maintain a self-directed work schedule and will meet with the Design Trust on a regular basis throughout the course of their fellowship.

Applications must be postmarked by May 15, 2009. Full submission guidelines, eligibilty rules, and timeline can all be found in the application form (PDF). Any questions not answered here or on the application form can be directed to mcanning(at)designtrust(dot)org.

The first five Photo Urbanism projects, each focusing on a different aspect of New York City's public realm, will form a catalog of the city's evolving character and will be published collectively at the program's conclusion.

The Photo Urbanism fellowships are being partially underwritten by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Paul & Ursula Warchol, and Paul Warchol Photography.