2025 Light Work Grants in Photography

Light Work offers $3,000 grants to CNY artists to encourage the production of new photographic work in the region.

Overview

In its 50-year history, Light Work Grants have supported more than 110 artists, some multiple times. With the help of the regional grant, many artists have been able to continue long term projects, purchase equipment, frame photographs for exhibitions, promote their work, collaborate with others or otherwise continue their artist goals.

Practical Info

All applicants must reside in of one of the following Central New York counties: Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Tioga or Tompkins. Full-time students are not eligible.

To apply, submissions must include an artist statement, a brief description of how applicants would use the grant, a short one-paragraph artist bio, a CV, and a 10-20 images portfolio. Light Work interprets the medium of photography in broad terms, and encourages the submission of work produced with new and traditional technologies.

If selected, curation will take place from images in the photographer's application. For this reason, Light Work recommends photographers apply with works they are prepared to show in the Jeffrey J. Hoone Gallery at Light Work.

Three $3,000 grants will be awarded to photographers who reside within an approximate 50-mile radius of Syracuse, N.Y. The recipients of these grants are invited to display their work in a special exhibition at Light Work, and their work will also be reproduced in Light Work’s publication, Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual.

About Light Work

Light Work was founded as an artist-run, non-profit organization in 1973. Its mission is to provide direct support through residencies, publications, exhibitions, a community-access digital lab facility, and other related projects to emerging and under-represented artists working in the media of photography and digital imaging. Over 400 artists from every state and over fifty countries have been selected to participate in its renowned Artist-in-Residence Program. The program exemplifies Light Work's primary goal of supporting artists.