March's Grants and Awards

The LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award, the Leica Oskar Barnack Awards, and the ISSP 2018 Summer Program are all currently open for entries. Read our curated awards guide to learn more about them and how they can help fund and promote your work.

The LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award, the Leica Oskar Barnack Awards, and the ISSP 2018 Summer Program are all currently open for entries. Read our curated awards guide to learn more about them and how they can help fund and promote your work.

Void - Hunger Issue No. 2 Open Call // Deadline: 8 March // No entry fee

Independent publisher and educational platform, Void has announced an open call for the second issue of its new publishing initiative, Hunger. For this edition, artists using the photographic medium are invited to submit a visual response to the theme, A Hunger Artist, an idea inspired by a Franz Kafka short story of the same name.

“We are looking for outstanding artists with a body of work that can stand side by side with established names” say the curators. “In short, think about works of yours that deal, in the theme or in the processes, with resilience, passion, stubbornness, painful craftsmanship, fight, isolation, confrontation, pain, struggle, obsession, etc.” Submissions must represent a coherent body of work that follows a photographic narrative which fits within 3 to 6 newspaper spreads.

Seven issues of the publication will be released, one every 6 weeks starting from February 2018, with each containing two to three invited artists and one selected by Void’s editorial team through open calls. PHmuseum supports this initiative as a media partner and those artists participating in the project will also be presented as part of the PHmuseum online exhibition program in November 2018. The deadline is 8 March. To learn more and apply, visit void.photo/lab-hunger.

ISSP 2018 Summer Program // Deadline: 30 March // No entry fee (In partnership with PHmuseum)

The International Summer School of Photography (ISSP), held in Kuldīga, Latvia, is an immersive education and networking event for emerging photographers, artists working with photography, and students of photography and art.

Partnered this year by PHmuseum, the program features a number of international guests - Jason Fulford, Lisa Barnard, Yumi Goto, Jan Rosseel, Salvatore Vitale, and Sarker Protick will together host a series of workshops; Natasha Christia will present a special laboratory aimed at lens-based media curators; and, for the first time, ISSP are hosting an on-campus residency program, offering a space for up to 12 participating artists and photographers to concentrate on conceptualising, developing, and steering their on-going work to completion. Participants this year can also benefit from daily group activities, evening talks and presentations, portfolio reviews, a joint installation and exhibition at Kuldīga Arts Hall, and a public screening of the final works.

ISSP has a limited number of places available, with selection to be based mainly on the motivations behind the applications and the quality of the submitted portfolios. The evaluation of all the submissions will be performed by a panel of external experts comprised of editors Paola Paleari (YET Magazine), Katherine Oktober Matthews (GUP Magazine), Lisa Premiyak (The Calvert Journal), and Louise Clements (Director of Format Festival). Application deadline: 30 March. Find out more about the full program at issp.lv/en.

Liquida Studio Residency // Deadline: 2 April // No entry fee (In partnership with PHmuseum)

Taking place in April/May this year in Palermo, Sicily, the Liquida Studio Residency is open to all photographers and visual artists who are strongly interested in developing a project pertinent to the photographic medium. The project needs to be coherent with the geographical area of the residency, yet the selected artist will not have any specific limitation in terms of theme, visual approach, and dissemination.

The winner will receive a €500 endowment to reimburse the costs of travelling, accommodation, and research, while a final showcase exhibition will be printed and produced by the two co-founders, BACO and Minimum: two photography studios based in Palermo. “Liquida is an allegory for Palermo that is in turn a metaphor for our roots” they write. “[This initiative] is a cultural and artistic necessity to rediscover critical thinking of our determination to live, at this time of globalisation, in Sicily and the Mediterranean.”

Applications will be evaluated based on the quality, originality and efficacy of the artistic proposal, and the importance of the themes in the broader context of the Residency. The selected artist will also host two presentations open to the public, at Ballarak (Palermo) and Farm Cultural Park (Favara - Agrigento), at the conclusion of their stay. PHmuseum is a media partner of this residency. The deadline for submissions is 2 April. No entry fee. Learn more and apply at liquidastudioresidency.com.

Leica Oskar Barnack Awards // Deadline: 5 April // No entry fee

The Leica Oskar Barnack Awards are designed to support photographers using their camera to capture and express the interaction between man and the environment in the most graphic form. Submissions must be a self-contained sequence of a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 12 images in which this complex relationship is depicted with acute vision in a contemporary style.

All entries will be reviewed by Karin Rehn-Kaufmann (Art Director and Chief Representative Leica Galleries International), Mark Lubell (Executive Director ICP), Markus Hartmann (Hartmann Projects), Christoph Wiesner (Curator and art historian), and Terje Abusdal, (Photographer and 2017 Leica Oskar Barnack Award winner).

The two winners of the Main Category Prize and the Newcomer Award (to be granted to a photographer aged 25 years or younger) will receive cash prizes of €25,000 and €10,000 respectively. Both winners will also be awarded a Leica M camera and lens worth €10,000, and a further 10 finalists will each be given €2,500 endowments to help fund their projects. Applications must be made via the online application form before 5 April. To find out more, go to leica-oskar-barnack-award.com.

LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award Arles 2018 // Deadline: 6 April // No entry fee

The LUMA Rencontres Dummy Book Award provides all professional photographers and artists with an opportunity to fund the production, publication, and promotion of a dummy photobook. The prize is endowed with a €25,000 production budget, including €3,000 for the author or authors, to cover all expenses incurred by the book’s creation (adjustment work, layout, printing, and binding).

Les Rencontres d’Arles will shortlist 25 nominees, from which an independent judging panel (currently being selected) will select an overall winner. The 2018 winner’s dummy book, as well as those of the finalists, will be exhibited this summer during Les Rencontres d’Arles, from 2 July to 23 September.

All professional photographers and artists using photography, of any age or nationality, are eligible to apply, and the work must have been featured in group and/or solo shows or in publications, giving them previous national or international recognition. The application deadline is 6 April. No entry fee. Visit rencontres-arles.com to learn more.

Cortona On The Move - New Visions // Deadline: 25 March // No entry fee

For its 8th edition this year, Cortona On The Move has renewed its partnership with LensCulture to create a free open call that seeks strong and original documentary work from all over the world. The idea of ‘New Visions’ stems from the curators’ desire to closely follow emerging trends and the ever-changing language of the photographic medium. “In the spirit of our motto “on the move”, we will value the originality of style and language with which the works have been conceived and created” say the selection committee. “Concept and execution go hand in hand, and the output should strive to attract a broad audience and to surprise / provoke / inform / move. Novelty in form and content are our keywords” they add.

Three projects will be awarded an exhibition at Cortona On The Move 2018 from 12 July to 30 September, and an additional 12 shortlisted works will be projected during the festival’s opening days, four of which will also be published on Repubblica.it in July. Jim Casper (Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of LensCulture), Arianna Rinaldo (Artistic Director of Cortona On The Move), Laura Sackett (Creative Director of LensCulture), and Antonio Carloni (Director of Cortona On The Move) comprise the jury. The deadline is 25 March. No entry fee. Learn more at cortonaonthemove.com.

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ALSO OPEN THIS MONTH:

Visa pour l'Image Festival Open Call // Deadline: 30 March // No entry fee

Visa pour l’Image – the largest international event dedicated to photojournalism – is calling all photographers to submit their projects for exhibitions and evening screenings at this year’s festival. Applications must feature between 50 and 150 images from one single story and an accompanying text presenting the work. Multiple stories may be submitted, but each must include a minimum of 50 images.

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The FENCE // Early Bird Deadline: 13 March; Final Deadline: 10 April // Entry fee: $35 - $45

The FENCE is a large-scale travelling photography exhibition passing through multiple cities across North America. Its aim is to share powerful visual storytelling with a diverse audience while providing photographers with a truly public platform and unique networking opportunities. In addition to the seven exhibitions in seven cities, prizes this year also include a $5,000 cash grant to support the production and development of visual projects, a Leica camera package plus complimentary access to a MasterClass of choice through the Leica Akademie, and promotion across various channels including the World Photography Organisation.

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Foam Talent Call // Deadline: 18 March // Entry fee: €35

The Foam Talent Call is an international competition for photographers between the ages of 18 and 35, deisgned to help emerging talents earn global recognition and exposure to industry leaders. Selected photographers will receive a number of career-building opportunities, including publication in Foam Magazineparticipation in a travelling group exhibition, and a place in the prestigious art collection of Deutsche Börse.

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IWMF - Howard G. Buffett Fund For Women Journalists // Deadline: 9 March // No entry fee

IWMF’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists was created as a platform to strengthen the skills of female photo reporters worldwide. Through flexible monetary endowmentsdevelopment initiatives, and educational opportunities, the fund provides grantees the professional support to undertake ambitious projects that challenge traditional media narratives and expose under-reported, globally significant issues.

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PhotoEspaña Photography Book Awards 2018 // Deadline: 1 April // No entry fee

Open to artists, publishers, and publishing houses from all countries, the PHotoEspaña Photography Book Awards look to recognise the most outstanding photobooks of the year. An independent judging panel comprised of industry professionals will evaluate the concept, design, and graphic quality of every submitted publication and choose one winner in each of the four categories: Best National Photography Book of the YearBest International Photography Book of the YearBest Self-Published Photography Book, and Outstanding Publisher of the Year. A selection of finalists will feature in an exhibition at the National Library in Madrid.

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Every month we curate a list of what is coming up in the world of photography awards. Aimed at early, mid-career, and professional photographers, this list offers details of the most exciting opportunities. To stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter by registering your email address in the space at the bottom of this page.

© Dylan Hausthor (Featured in the first issue of Hunger)
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© Dylan Hausthor (Featured in the first issue of Hunger)

© Alexey Furman (ISSP 2016 Summer Program participant)
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© Alexey Furman (ISSP 2016 Summer Program participant)

© Liquida Studio Residency
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© Liquida Studio Residency

© Terje Abusdal, from the series Slash & Burn (2017 LOBA winner)
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© Terje Abusdal, from the series Slash & Burn (2017 LOBA winner)

© Olga Kravets, Maria Morina, Oksana Yushko, Anna Shpakova, spread from Grozny: Nine Cities (2017 winner)
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© Olga Kravets, Maria Morina, Oksana Yushko, Anna Shpakova, spread from Grozny: Nine Cities (2017 winner)

© Farshid Tighehsaz, from the series From Labyrinth (2017 New Visions winner) 
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© Farshid Tighehsaz, from the series From Labyrinth (2017 New Visions winner) 

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