Applications are now open for the 2026 Virtual DLF Forum Digital Storytelling Fellows program
This year, DLF is launching a new fellowship experience that is directly connected to the Forum’s new Digital Storytelling Presentation session format. The program centers on digital storytelling, emerging technologies, and ethical practice across libraries, archives, and museums, while creating intentional opportunities for participation, reflection, and community engagement in a virtual setting.
We invite early-career and underrepresented practitioners to participate in the 2026 Virtual DLF Forum and help shape conversations about how stories, platforms, technologies, and communities intersect in our work.
Why Digital Storytelling?
Digital storytelling projects, including exhibits, platforms, collections, and collaborative archives, are increasingly central to how cultural heritage organizations document, interpret, and share knowledge. These projects also raise important questions about representation, labor, technology, access, and stewardship.
A cohort of 8–10 Fellows will engage directly with these themes through participation in DLF’s new Digital Storytelling Presentation sessions: interactive, installation-inspired presentations featuring collaboratively developed digital projects and dedicated discussion time. Because this is a new and experimental session type for 2026, the fellowship intentionally builds in structured engagement and feedback to help strengthen the experience and better understand what works in a virtual Forum environment.
Fellows will serve as conversation catalysts during these sessions by contributing questions, reflections, and observations that surface broader themes across the Forum community.
About the New Session Format
40-minute Digital Storytelling Presentation
An interactive session highlighting digital storytelling projects developed through collaborative partnerships. Digital Storytelling Presentations focus on installation-inspired digital storytelling work, such as exhibits, platforms, or collections, designed for immersive and experiential engagement. Sessions may feature up to three presenters, for example, pairing a digital librarian or archivist with a community partner, student, artist, or scholar whose work is represented in, or inspired by, the project. Sessions will be scheduled within 50-minute blocks, leaving dedicated time for Q&A and discussion. Read more about the new session type here: https://www.diglib.org/digital-storytelling-in-practice-a-new-session-format-for-the-dlf-forum/
What Fellows Receive
Selected Fellows will receive:
- Complimentary registration to the 2026 Virtual DLF Forum
- A $250 stipend
- Participation in a small cohort of 8–10 Fellows
- A pre-Forum virtual orientation and meet-and-greet
- Visibility through publication on the DLF blog
Fellowship Expectations
Fellows will:
- Participate in a virtual orientation session on October 6, 2026
- Attend the 2026 Virtual DLF Forum on October 14–15, 2026
- Engage actively in Digital Storytelling Presentation sessions by:
- Asking questions in chat or live discussion
- Optionally sharing brief verbal reflections during session discussions
- Incorporating insights from storytelling sessions into their post-Forum reflection
- Participate in a virtual debrief session and/or complete a feedback survey
- Contribute a short public reflection for publication on diglib.org (up to 1,000 words, due November 15, 2026)
Reflections may explore themes such as ethical technology, collaborative storytelling, digital exhibits, community memory, access, or emerging questions around provenance and stewardship.
Selected Fellows must attend the Forum in order to receive the stipend. Apply here.
Who Should Apply
We welcome applications from:
- Early-career professionals (fewer than 7 years of experience)
- Students and recent graduates
- Contingent, contract, and adjunct practitioners
- Professionals working in under-resourced or capacity-limited institutions
- First-time DLF Forum attendees
- Practitioners whose identities and perspectives are historically underrepresented in digital libraries and cultural heritage spaces
We recognize that professional pathways are not always linear. If you are unsure whether you meet these criteria, we still encourage you to apply.
Application Process
The application process is designed to be straightforward and accessible. Applicants will:
- Answer a few short questions
- Submit a brief personal statement (maximum 4,000 characters)
- Share a link to an online professional profile, if available
Application available here: Google Form.
Applications Close Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at 11:59 pm ET