A Guide to May 2024 Photo Awards & Opportunities

Deloitte's Photo Grant, PhotoVogue's Local Open Call, Verzasca Foto Festival Awards, Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award, PhMuseum Education Program Scholarship, Prix Virginia, and Polycopies are among the opportunities we selected this month.

PhMuseum Education Program Scholarship 2024/25

Deadline 23 May / No entry fee

PhMuseum's educational program is dedicated to providing a comprehensive learning experience for all participants, emphasizing quality teaching while alternating practice with theory. Each masterclass is tailored to meet the needs of contemporary photographers, artists, curators, and storytellers looking to cater to specific areas of the visual language, from research and critical thinking to photobook making, from transmedia storytelling to exhibition design. Participants can get the chance to develop their projects and curatorial skills working with Erik Kessels (CURAE Masterclass On Curatorial Practice), Lewis Chaplin (Loose Joints, FOLIO Masterclass On Photobook Making), Salvatore Vitale (MEDIAE Masterclass on Transmedia Storytelling), Laura El-Tantawy and Elisa Medde (CRITICAE Masterclass On Documentary Photography).

PhMuseum is offering 4 fully-funded scholarships, one for each masterclass. Applicants need to send a motivational paragraph that addresses why they need it and how they can benefit from attending the program.

The deadline for applying to the call is on May 23rd, with no entry fee. More information on PhMuseum's website.

Deloitte's Photo Grant 2024

Deadline 30 June / No entry fee

Under the artistic direction of Denis Curti and promoted by Black Camera, Deloitte's Photo Grant aims to stimulate social reflection and, based on intellectual awareness, foster the concept of Possibilities by awarding two grants with a combined cash contribution of €60,000. Through this edition's theme, Deloitte invites us to reflect on the power of the choices that each of us, individually and as part of society and humanity as a whole, can make.

Ten referrers will select two projects each, unpublished, by authors from around the world to submit to the jury for a vote. The winner of this Nominations Section will be awarded a a cash award of €40,000, a solo exhibition at MUDEC, Museo delle Culture, in Milan in December 2024, together with a catalogue to be published by the 24 Ore Cultura group.
On the other side, the Open Call welcomes photographers Under 35 to submit unpublished works that must not have been awarded in other competitions or made public during other events. The selected photographer will receive a mention in the exhibition dedicated to the Nomination Section winner and €20,000 towards the development of their project idea. The resulting work will become an exhibition at MUDEC, Museo delle Culture in Milan, when the next edition of the award is held in 2025.

Find out more on their website.

PhotoVogue's Local Open Call: Latin American Panorama

Deadline 6 May / No entry fee

In celebration of Vogue Mexico & Latin America's 25th anniversary, PhotoVogue launched an open call for Latin American photographers and videographers, including the diaspora. With no limits regarding genres, artists are welcome to submit works using both photography and video. The jury is composed of the Vogue Mexico & Latin America’s team, global Condé Nast staff, and experts from the region's visual community and beyond. One artist will receive a $5,000 (€4680) grant to support their artistic development. In addition, selected artists might have the opportunity to collaborate on an editorial project or be displayed at the PhotoVogue Festival 2024 in Milan. Plus, the best portfolio will be featured both online and in print by Vogue Mexico & Latin America.

The deadline for applying to the call is on May 6th, with no entry fee. More information on their website.

Luma Rencontres Dummy Book Award Arles 2024

Deadline 10 May / No entry fee

On the occasion of the 55th edition of the festival, Les Rencontres d’Arles and the LUMA Foundation are once again offering the LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award, a prize to help publish a book model. Open to all photographers and artists using photography of all ages and nationalities, the award comes with a €25,000 production grant including €3,000 of royalties for the author. Applicants' work must have appeared in group or solo shows and publications that have gained them national or international recognition, and it must be unpublished and not under contract to any publisher. The project submitted must be as close as possible to its final version, including the form and materials, and technically feasible within a traditional book production framework. The shortlisted projects and the winning dummy book will be exhibited from July 1 to September 29, as part of Les Rencontres d’Arles official program.

Discover more on their website.

Prix Virginia

Deadline 7 May / No entry fee

Founded in 2012 by Sylvia Schildge, Prix Virginia is the first photography prize exclusively reserved for a woman photographer, regardless of her age or nationality. The work submitted must never have yet been exhibited in France and must not be the result of an editorial assignment or advertisement commission. However, the artist may have already exhibited other works in France. The winner will be awarded a €10,000 cash prize. In addition, the jury will select 10 other finalists.

Find out more on their website.

Book Awards 2024

Deadline 10 May / No entry fee

The new edition of the Book Awards of Les Rencontres d'Arles invites photographers and publishers to submit photographic works published between May 1, 2023 and May 10, 2024. The Author's Book Award, the Historical Book Award and the Photo-Text Book Award (supported and encouraged by the Fondation Jan Michalski pour l’écriture et la littérature) are endowed with €6,000 each. Both shortlisted and winning books will be exhibited throughout the festival in a dedicated exhibition space, from July 1 to September 29, 2024, as well as during the Jimei x Arles festival, held in the fall of 2024. In addition, they will be archived in the library of the École nationale supérieure de la photographie d'Arles. Winners will be announced during the opening week of the festival.

You can apply by May 10th. Find out more on their website. 

PhMuseum Days 2024 Open Call

Deadline 9 May / Entry Fee €25

PhMuseum invites you to present your visual projects and share your interpretation of this year's theme. All approaches are welcome, you can also insert links to videos or installation shots in your applications. Through this open call, PhMuseum will select at least 4 projects for individual shows at PhMuseum Days 2024, up to 40 images for a collective installation at Archiginnasio di Bologna, and up to 20 works for screenings at PhMuseum Days 2024. Plus, as an applicant, you can claim your free daily pass to attend the festival.

The jury is composed of Giuseppe Oliverio (PhMuseum Days Artistic Director) and PhMuseum Days 2023 Exhibiting Artists such as Brea Souders, Leonardo Magrelli and Felicity Hammond.

You can apply by May 9th. More information on open call's website. 

Verzasca Foto Festival Awards 2024

Deadline 16 May / Entry fee €25

Aimed to promote emerging international photographers and to support visual arts in rural and peripheral areas, the Verzasca Foto Festival is seeking photographic projects to be exhibited during the festival held on 30 August - 1 September. The winner will be awarded a 2,000 Swiss Francs (€2046) cash prize, a solo show, plus board and lodging in Ticino during the festival. Finalists from 2nd to 10th place will receive an invitation to the Night of Photography event, plus board and lodging by giving them the chance to spend one weekend surrounded by nature. The jury is composed of Urs Stahel, Katerina Radchenko, Ben Harman, Giuseppe Oliverio, Julie Bonzon and Alfio Tommasini.

Applications are open until 16 May, with a €25 entry fee. Find out more on their website. 

Polycopies & Co. Grant 2024

Deadline 1 June / No entry fee

Established in 2022, Polycopies & Co. awards a grant to a photographer for a book project or offers a financial contribution to a project whose principal output will be a book. The sum awarded will be €2,500, €5,000, or €10,000 depending on the project’s budget. Applicants may be French or foreign photographers who have an agreement with a French publisher. For book projects, the association will pay the grant to the photographer selected by the jury upon signing a book contract with a publisher. For ongoing projects, Polycopies & Co. will pay the grant to the selected photographer in the next January.

Find out more on Polycopies' website.

SIPF 2024 Open Call

Deadline 10 May / Entry fee €41

First launched in 2008, the Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) is seeking works to be exhibited during the 9th edition of the festival, held in Southeast Asia from 18 October to 24 November 2024. Authors can apply to the Portfolio category dedicated to photography and image-based body of works, and the Photobook category, open for both published and dummy photobooks. Winners will be invited to the festival vernissage to receive the award presented by the Guest-of-Honour and will have the chance to actively participate in SIPF's programming, such as Artist Tours and Talks. Plus, shortlisted artists may propose and be approached by SIPF to conduct public workshops. Best Portfolio Award, Best Published Photobook Award, and Best Dummy Photobook Award will be awarded an SGD$2,000 (€1,380) cash prize each, and the Public's Favourite Photobook Award will receive an SGD$1,000 (€690) cash prize.

More information on their website.

Alt+1000 Open Call

Deadline 31 May / No entry fee

Alt+1000 welcomes emerging artists in Switzerland to take part in the 8th edition of the festival which will be held in Le Locle between August 30th and September 22nd 2025. Submitted works should focus on the notion of landscape in a broad sense, revealing the complex economic, political, territorial, sociological and emotional relationships that shape it. Particular attention must be paid to the ability to adapt to the outdoor exhibition space. Selected artists will receive a CHF 800 (€818) fee. Alt+1000’s direction will make available its expertise, in terms of both form and content, so that the winners can complete their work on time and within budget.

The deadline for applying to the call is on May 31rst, with no entry fee. More information on their website.

Portofino Residency 2024

Deadline 15 May / No entry fee

Portofino Dry Gin and PhMuseum welcome Mexican or Mexico-based visual artists to offer their interpretation of the Italian Riviera. The selected artist will be invited to propose and shoot an editorial project following their own poetics, which will then be exhibited as part of PhMuseum Days 2024. The work shall be related to the festival’s theme Closer, an invitation to open up, to share, to observe things more carefully and to consider how contamination, partiality, and subjectivity are intrinsic parts of looking at reality.

The selected photographer will receive an artist fee of €1000, travel expenses (up to €2000), stay in Portofino from 10 to 14 June (worth €2000), and shooting expenses (up to €500) covered by Portofino Dry Gin. PhMuseum will take care of the exhibition curation and cover the production costs (worth €2000).

More information on PhMuseum's website.

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Other Deadlines

13th Organ Vida: Creeps and Butterflies / Deadline 10 May / Entry fee €20-30

Open to hybrid practices that consider images in relation to sound, sculpture, or spatial expansion, such as installations or performances, Organ Vida is looking for projects responding to the given topic Creeps and Butterflies. Selected artists will exhibit their work during the 13th Organ Vida Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, opening on September 26th, 2024. In addition, winners will receive an artist fee of €300 (gross amount), shipping and/or production of the artwork, in accordance with the project's requirements and the curatorial exhibition plan, and two nights accommodation during the event.

Ear/Eye Award 2024 / Deadline 30 May / No entry fee

Addressed to visual artists and sound artists interested in creating a dialogue between these two art forms, Ear/Eye is the experimental project of Witty Books, aimed at creating a spontaneous dialogue between two different artists. Winners will be part of a publication with a number of copies, design, and other technical characteristics decided based on the project. In addition, the authors will receive a percentage of copies of the double publication. Printing costs will be entirely covered by Witty Books, and the publication will be released starting from Fall 2024.

Emergentes 2024 / Deadline 20 May / Entry fee €20

A jury composed of Jens Friis, João Silvério, Michael Weir, Moritz Neumüller, Paulo Catrica, Trish Lambe, Wiktoria Michalkiewicz, and Xavier Canonne will select the best contemporary photographic works, awarding a winner with a €3,000 cash prize, and a solo exhibition during the 2025 edition of Encontros da Imagem, held next Autumn in Braga, Portugal. Plus, two Honorable mentions will receive a €1,000 cash prize each. Photographers may access the award by applying to the Emergentes portfolio review open call.

BUP Book Award 2024 / Deadline 12 May / Entry fee €45

Open to all photographers and photographic techniques with no limitations, the BUP Book Award seeks an author to sign a professional book publishing contract with Blow Up Press, which will finance the production of the selected book, publish it in a print run between 500 and 800 copies, and then distribute it internationally and promote at leading book fairs, festivals and competitions. The selected authors will receive 10% net royalties and 30 copies of the printed book.

Landskrona Foto Residency Autumn 2024 / Deadline 15 May / Entry fee €5

Non-Swedish photographers or artists working with photography and/or lens-based media are welcome to apply for a residency taking place in Landskrona, Sweden, for 6 weeks from November 2024. The selected author will receive a SEK15,000 grant (€1290), in addition to covered travel expenses to and from the home country, an apartment in the Swedish town, and an office space with Landskrona Foto crew. The organization will connect the photographer in residency with regional-based photographers, artists, and other art professionals through meetings, mentoring, exhibition openings, and other networking opportunities.

Cortona On The Move Award 2024 / Deadline 18 May / No entry fee

In partnership with LensCulture, the open call is thematically open and welcomes projects in development or unpublished. Ten finalists will be announced and screened during the opening of Cortona On The Move 2024 held in July in Cortona, Italy. One winner will receive a €3,000 cash prize and the opportunity to exhibit the project at the following edition of the festival. In addition, two other selected authors will have their work published on LensCulture.

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