The Alexia Grants 2026

The recipient of the professional Vision grant will receive $20,000 and a Sony camera/lens to produce their proposed project. The recipient of the student Vision grant will receive $2,000, a Sony camera/lens to advance their proposed project, and more.

Overview

The Alexia grants exist to help professional and student visual storytellers produce projects that inspire change and foster understanding by addressing significant topics around the world, and it encourages a diversity of creators, issues, and approaches.

Practical Info

Submissions must include a synopsis of your project, a proposal, your bio, a résumé/CV, and a body of work. Stories may be in progress or planned. Entries are judged as much on the strength of the proposal as on the applicant’s visual skills. What storytellers address and what their images say about life on the planet is more important than the approach chosen to address that topic.

The 2026 Alexia professional grants support socially significant visual storytelling through a flagship $20,000 Vision Grant and three specialized $5,000 "Pop-Up" grants focusing on conservation, environmental change, and global health. These awards, which require a $50 submission fee, prioritize projects that foster cultural understanding and provide deep insight into complex global issues, rewarding winners with substantial cash prizes, Sony equipment, and opportunities for public outreach.

The 2026 Alexia student grants provide collegiate photographers and filmmakers with funding and educational resources to pursue socially impactful projects, emphasizing work that is accessible and often already in progress. The premier Vision Grant includes $2,000, Sony equipment, an invitation to the Eddie Adams Workshop, and tuition-free courses at Syracuse University, while several $1,000 "Pop-Up" grants target specific themes such as conservation, faith, green spaces, health, and sports. These awards aim to support a diverse range of creators who use visual storytelling to foster cultural understanding and drive meaningful change through deeply personal and locally focused narratives.

The newly introduced Alexia Mentor Grants provide student photographers with $1,000 in production funding and a year of professional guidance through four scheduled Zoom sessions with world-renowned industry experts. These grants cover diverse thematic areas, including disabilities, education, environmental impact, human rights, portraiture, and visual innovation, featuring mentorship from iconic figures such as Lynn Johnson, Ed Kashi, and Gregory Heisler. This initiative is designed to help students elevate their projects by pairing financial support with the deep insight and technical expertise of accomplished visual storytellers.

The Alexia Emerging Photographer Grant, sponsored by the VII Foundation in memory of Paul Lowe, provides a tuition scholarship for Level 3 of the Program for Narrative and Documentary Photography in Arles, France, including accommodation and a per diem. This grant is available to student applicants and professionals with five years of experience or less, honoring Lowe’s legacy as a conflict photographer and educator. By empowering new voices to create truthful visual journalism, the foundation aims to provide creators with the tools to address global challenges and advocate for sustainable solutions through impactful storytelling.

All images will be considered for inclusion in exhibits and publications curated throughout the year. Photographers with selected images will be contacted for approval.

About The Alexia

Through grants, scholarships, and special projects, The Alexia promotes the power of visual storytelling to shed light on significant issues around the world by supporting photographers and filmmakers whose work informs, fosters cultural understandin,g and inspires meaningful change.