Amelia Earhart Fellowship 2026

Who can apply

A woman of any nationality with a superior academic record, pursuing research applied to aerospace engineering or space sciences
Registered in a full-time PhD or doctoral programme, having completed at least one year of it, or holding a Master's degree in an aerospace-applied field, at the time of application
Must not graduate from the PhD or doctoral programme before April 2028
Postdoctoral research programmes are not eligible, and previous Amelia Earhart Fellows cannot reapply, though a past Zonta award recipient with a complimentary one-year membership may apply for a different fellowship during that membership year
Zonta International club members, direct members, and employees of Zonta International or the Zonta Foundation for Women are not eligible

A cash award that travels with you, not tied to one institution

This is a cash award, not a tuition waiver, and it goes with you rather than to a specific institution: USD 12,000 that can be used at any accredited university or college offering a PhD or doctoral programme in aerospace engineering or space sciences, anywhere. Roughly 30 women receive it each year, and the amount was recently raised from the USD 10,000 level some older listings still quote.

Timing eligibility is unusually specific

Timing eligibility is unusually specific. You need to already be a year into your full-time PhD, or hold a Master’s degree in an aerospace-applied field, at the moment you apply, and you also need to not be on track to graduate before April 2028, which effectively rules out applicants who are close to finishing. Postdoctoral researchers don’t qualify at all, and past recipients can’t come back for a second year, though a past Zonta award recipient serving a complimentary one-year membership can still apply for a different fellowship during that year.

Approaching a 90th anniversary, with real numbers behind it

Running since 1938 in honour of Zontian and famed aviator Amelia Earhart, the fellowship is approaching its 90th anniversary, which Zonta plans to mark across its 2026-2028 biennium. The track record behind that milestone is substantial: 1,824 fellowships awarded to date, totalling more than USD 12.5 million, to 1,395 women from 81 countries. Recent cohorts skew genuinely international: the 2026 group includes fellows from India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand, South Korea and China, alongside the more expected US and European names. One of the 30 fellows selected each year now also carries the Sharon Langenbeck Amelia Earhart Fellow designation, honouring a two-time past fellow and major donor to the programme’s endowment.

What past fellows have gone on to do

Zonta names the range of careers past fellows have moved into: astronauts, aerospace engineers, astronomers, professors, geologists, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, and even a US Secretary of the Air Force. That range is worth knowing if you’re weighing this fellowship against a narrower academic-only award, since Zonta frames it explicitly around building leaders across the field, not only funding a single research project. For a wider view of funding built specifically for women in STEM fields, see the guide to the best scholarships for women in STEM.

Applications for 2027 are open now

Applications for the 2027 round are open now and close 15 November 2026, a meaningful change from an earlier check in August 2026 that found the 2026 round already closed with no next date published. If you’re reading this after that deadline, check Zonta’s own page directly for the following cycle rather than assuming a fixed annual pattern.