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Nāgrika Fellowship 2026-27

What is Nāgrika Fellowship?

The Nāgrika Fellowship Programme is an initiative by Nāgrika, designed to empower the youth of India's smaller cities to positively and actively engage with their cities and communities.

The Nāgrika Fellowship Programme equips youth from India’s smaller cities to become local enablers of change. Over eight months, Fellows work with the Nāgrika team to understand their city’s lived realities through community-based urban research and storytelling. They translate these insights into accessible, city-specific knowledge and identify practical, locally rooted actions that residents, community groups, and institutions can take forward. The Fellowship’s not only produced locally relevant knowledge, but also builds local stewardship: enabling young people to convene conversations, connect stakeholders, and turn evidence into small, actionable improvements for their cities.

Why Become a Nāgrika Fellow

If you’ve ever wondered why your own city doesn’t find its way into the mainstream urban conversation, and if you believe its stories, challenges, and possibilities deserve to be seen and heard, the Nagrika Fellowship is for you.

Through the fellowship, you will:

Explore your own city deeply, developing an intimate and nuanced understanding of its rhythms, systems, and lived realities.

Uncover overlooked narratives by listening to and documenting the voices of people who make the city what it is.

Bridge research and storytelling, turning your observations into accessible knowledge and representation.

Build community-rooted contributions, laying the groundwork for long-term civic and social impact.

Grow as a practitioner, developing a portfolio that blends research, policy, and creative documentation.

Be a Nāgrika Fellow: Details of the Application Form

Thank you for your interest in the Nāgrika Fellows Programme 2026-27. To understand you better, the application form is divided into three sections. These sections will collect specific information about:

1. Your Personal Information

2. Your love for your City

3. Your interest in joining the Fellowship

Instructions for Filling the Form

1. Answer all questions honestly and thoughtfully. 

2. Fields marked as optional are not mandatory but help us understand you better.

3. Stay within the word limits where mentioned.

4. Review all the questions here first, so that you can prepare your answers before starting the form.

5. Draft your answers in Word or Google Docs, then copy them into the form once they’re finalized.

6. Please fill out all required fields to proceed to the next section.

7. Only when you complete the last section will you be able to submit the form, and your application will be registered. 

8. Applicants may use AI tools to refine and polish language, but all core ideas, reasoning, and content must be strictly their own.

For more details including eligibility requirements, refer to the Guidelines document or visit the Nāgrika Website

For all queries email us at connect@nagrika.org, with subject line as [Query] Nāgrika Fellowship 2026-27

Please take enough time and fill out the form. All the best!

Section A: Personal Information

This section collects basic details about you to help us understand you better

Name:

Your email id

WhatsApp Contact Number

Your Pronouns:

A
B
C
D
E

Date of Birth

Social Media handles

Highest Education Obtained

A
B
C
D
E

If you are currently a student, mention the course, year, and name of the College/University you are enrolled in:

Are you currently taking a gap year?

A
B

Are you currently employed?

A
B
C

What is the city you live in? Mention <City, State>

For how long have you lived/been living here?

Note: The fellowship is meant for youth living in cities with a population of less than 15 Lakhs. Use this link to verify your city population. You must be currently living in the city that you want to represent during the fellowship.

Do you have any prior work experience?

Volunteering activities like setting up a stall at a fair also count
A
B

Do you have any additional ongoing academic, extracurricular, or work-related commitments?

eg- existing fellowships, college clubs, etc.
A
B

From the following list, choose all of the skills that you have:

Where do you see yourself (in terms of career) 5 years from now? (100 words)

List the strengths you would bring as a prospective Nāgrika Fellow? (50 words)

If you were to write a motto for yourself, what would it be? (15 words)

A personal motto is a short statement that reflects your values, beliefs, or goals in life, say quote of your life!

Section B: About love for the city you want to represent

This section focuses on understanding the city you wish to research through your lens. Be as authentic as the cities you wish to describe. Expected word limit is indicated in brackets

What is your emotional connection with your city? What is it that makes you feel a sense of belonging to the city? (200 words)

If you could fix one problem in your city, what would it be and why? (200 words)

Who do you think are the most important people or groups that should be involved in solving problems in your town or city? Why? (100 words)

How do you envision your city 10 years from now? (150 words)

If you were to write a tagline for this city, what would it be.? (15 words)

Section C: About your interests to be a Nagrika Fellow:

This section helps us understand your willingness to be a fellow and, over the duration of the fellowship, achieve high-quality results for the resilience of your city.

Why do you want to be a Nāgrika Fellow?

If given a chance to circulate Nāgrika’s work in your city, how would you go about it?

What is the one key learning you seek to take away from this experience with the ‘Nagrika Fellows’ program?

Where did you hear about the Nāgrika Fellows program?

A
B
C
D
E
F
G

Have you participated in any of Nāgrika's Initiatives?

A
B

Have you been involved in any city-based organisation or initiative, or engaged in activities such as writing to local authorities, filing PILs, writing blogs or newspaper articles, or other efforts to raise concerns or contribute to your city?

A
B

I hereby declare that all the information provided in this form is true and correct. If any information is found to be incorrect, my candidature is liable to be cancelled.

I hereby declare that I currently reside in the city mentioned above and, if selected, intend to reside in the same city for the duration of the fellowship.