Lucie Foundation Scholarship Program 2026

The Lucie Foundation awards four cash scholarships – $3,000 each to professional photographers and $1,000 each to emerging photographers – in Fine Art and Photojournalism/Documentary categories.

Overview

The Lucie Foundation Scholarship Program supports professional and emerging photographers with vision and dynamic ideas that challenge and progress the art form of still photography. The foundation's support spans Fine Art to Documentary and Photojournalism, encompassing both digital and film-based works.

Four cash grants are awarded across two categories: Fine Art and Photojournalism/Documentary. Professional photographers in each category receive a $3,000 scholarship, while emerging photographers receive $1,000. The emerging photographer recipient in the Photojournalism/Documentary category also receives a Sony camera and lens (model to be announced). Prize recipients will be part of a group exhibition that travels to House of Lucie Galleries worldwide, including Los Angeles, Athens, Budapest, Ostuni, and Samui.

The foundation defines "professional" as any photographer who earns the majority of their income from photography, and "emerging" as any photographer enrolled as a student, in the first five years of their photography career, or who does not earn the majority of their income from photography.

Practical Info

The scholarships are open to professional and emerging photographers 18 years and older, worldwide. Applicants may submit to both categories and may submit multiple applications.

Submissions require a project proposal (1,500 characters maximum) that includes project start and end dates, a description of the project, a plan for completing the project including how the scholarship money will be used, and five goals to accomplish while working on the project. Applicants must also submit a one-page biography and/or CV and twenty digital images from the existing project or, if the project has not yet started, from a previous cohesive project. Images must be JPG format, 72 DPI, with no file exceeding 4MB.

The submission fee is $25 for the professional category and $15 for the emerging category. The photographer must be the sole author and owner of the copyright of submitted photos; copyright and all other rights remain with the photographer.

Finalists and prize recipients will be announced in October 2026, with the exact date to be determined.

About Lucie Foundation

Lucie Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization with a three-tiered mission: to honor master photographers, discover and cultivate emerging talent, and promote the appreciation of photography worldwide. The foundation presents a variety of programs throughout the year, including its signature program, The Lucie Awards.