Carmignac Photojournalism Award 2024

The 15th edition of the Carmignac Photojournalism Award is dedicated to Southeast Asia and the violations of human and environmental rights caused by illegal fishing and overfishing.

Overview

In 2009, while media and photojournalism faced an unprecedented crisis, Edouard Carmignac created the Carmignac Photojournalism Award to support photographers in the field. Every year, it funds the production of an investigative photo reportage on human rights violations and geo-strategic issues in the world. The Fondation Carmignac provides the laureate with financial and human resources to carry out their project and produces both a monograph and a traveling exhibition, aiming to shed light on the crises and challenges which the contemporary world is facing. At the end of each edition, four photographs bequeathed by the laureates are included in the Carmignac collection. 

Selected by an international jury, the laureates receive a €50,000 grant to carry out a 9-month field report with the support of the Fondation Carmignac, which produces, upon their return, a travelling exhibition and a dedicated website.

Practical Info

The 15th edition of the Carmignac Award supports the production of a 9-month investigative photo report documenting violations and the consequences of intensive fishing in Southeast Asia.

Since the mid-20th century, artisanal coastal fishing has given way to large-scale deep-sea industrial fishing, which affects all the seas of the world. To meet the exponential demand and face the competition, many players in the sector no longer hesitate to resort to used illegal fishing and overfishing practices with devastating consequences. Today, 80% of the species suitable for consumption are fully exploited or overexploited, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Behind this out-of-control industry which is threatening biodiversity, human rights violations are increasing: deplorable working conditions, widespread forced labour and human trafficking are transforming many seas into no-go areas. Southeast Asia, which has one of the most diverse marine ecosystems in the world, is the centre of gravity for global fisheries. According to SEAFDEC (the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center), the region contributed approximately 52% of the total output by fisheries in 2018, representing more than $21 billion. Today it is one of the areas most threatened by illegal fishing practices and human rights violations, particularly in the South China Sea, the Gulf of Thailand as well as the Philippine and Indonesian archipelagos.

The Award is open to all photographers, of all nationalities. Participation can be individual or collaborative. Applicants must submit the requested materials using the online platform, including personal contacts, a biography, a portfolio, a project title and description.

A jury consisting of experts on the subject and contemporary photography will meet in Paris in September 2024 to select the winning project which will then run from October 2024 to May 2025 and after that will be the subject of a travelling exhibition and a dedicated website.

About Fondation Carmignac

Founded in 2000 by Édouard Carmignac, the Fondation Carmignac is a corporate foundation structured around two main pillars: a contemporary art collection of more than 300 works, and the Carmignac Photojournalism Award that annually supports an investigative report that is the subject of an exhibition and a catalog.