Resource: Photo Contests and Grants Calendar

(Updated August 2024)

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Did you know that an editor can help you home in on the right images for contests and grants?

An objective, outside opinion and fresh look at work can help you craft a contest or grant entry that connects with the judges.

I've created contest edits for numerous photographers who went on to win World Press Photo, POYi, Communication Arts, and PDN Photo Annual awards.

Photography Contests and Grants Calendar for 2024

Photography offers many opportunities to showcase your talent and receive support through contests and grants. Below is a comprehensive list of key photography contests and grants for 2024, including specific grants aimed at documentary photographers who are People of Color, Women, or Indigenous.

Top Photography Contests and General Grants for 2024

  1. International Photography Awards (IPA)

    • Prizes: Up to $12,000 for professionals

    • Eligibility: Open to photographers of all levels worldwide

    • Categories: Ranging from fine art to documentary photography

    • Deadline: January 31, 2024

    • Details: IPA Website

  2. Sony World Photography Awards

    • Prizes: Multiple categories with significant media exposure

    • Eligibility: Open globally with specific categories for youth, students, and professionals

    • Deadline: Various deadlines for different categories (Professional competition: January 12, 2024; Open competition: January 5, 2024)

    • Details: Sony World Photography Awards

  3. Monovisions Photography Awards

    • Prizes: $3,000 for Black and White Series of the Year

    • Eligibility: Open to black and white photographers at all levels

    • Deadline: January 21, 2024

    • Details: Monovisions Awards

  4. Fine Art Photography Awards

    • Prizes: $5,000 in total cash prizes

    • Eligibility: Open to all, with categories for both amateurs and professionals

    • Deadline: February 11, 2024 (Early Bird: October 13, 2023)

    • Details: Fine Art Photography Awards

  5. Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards

    • Prizes: Mentorship sessions with leading industry figures

    • Eligibility: Open to all music photographers

    • Deadline: July 18, 2024

    • Details: Abbey Road Studios

  6. Getty Images Editorial Grants

    • Amount: $5,000 to $15,000

    • Eligibility: Open to emerging photographers and photojournalists

    • Focus: Supports impactful editorial projects, particularly those highlighting underrepresented communities

    • Deadline: Typically opens in spring

    • Details: Getty Images Grants

  7. The Howard Chapnick Grant

    • Amount: $10,000

    • Eligibility: Focuses on education, research, and projects promoting social change in photojournalism

    • Deadline: Spring 2024

    • Details: W. Eugene Smith Fund

  8. The Magnum Foundation Fund

    • Amount: Varies per project

    • Eligibility: Prioritizes photographers of color and those working on projects related to social justice

    • Deadline: Typically opens in March

    • Details: Magnum Foundation

  9. National Geographic Storytelling Grants

    • Amount: Up to $30,000

    • Eligibility: Open to photographers documenting underrepresented communities or critical global issues

    • Deadline: Rolling deadlines throughout the year

    • Details: National Geographic

  10. The Alexia Foundation Grants

    • Amount: Varies

    • Eligibility: Supports photographers focusing on social justice and human rights issues

    • Deadline: Opens in early 2024

    • Details: Alexia Foundation

Top Grants for Documentary Photographers (People of Color, Women, Indigenous)

  1. Women Photograph Project Grants

    • Amount: Up to $5,000

    • Eligibility: Open to women and non-binary documentary photographers

    • Focus: Supports photographers telling stories about their communities or issues affecting women globally

    • Deadline: Opens in spring 2024

    • Details: Women Photograph​

  2. The Nat Geo Explorer Grant

    • Amount: Up to $10,000

    • Eligibility: Open to early-career photographers who identify as women, Indigenous, or as part of an underrepresented community

    • Focus: Supports impactful storytelling projects

    • Deadline: Rolling applications throughout the year

    • Details: National Geographic Explorers​

  3. Indigenous Photograph Annual Grant

    • Amount: Varies

    • Eligibility: Indigenous photographers from around the world

    • Focus: Supports the work of Indigenous photographers documenting their communities and issues relevant to them

    • Deadline: Typically opens in the fall

    • Details: Indigenous Photograph

  4. The Visionary Woman Awards

    • Amount: $5,000

    • Eligibility: Open to women photographers with a focus on social justice or environmental issues

    • Focus: Supports projects that address critical issues affecting women and communities of color

    • Deadline: Summer 2024

    • Details: Visionary Woman Awards

  5. Native and Indigenous Photographer Fund

    • Amount: $10,000

    • Eligibility: Exclusively for Native American, First Nations, and Indigenous photographers

    • Focus: Supports documentary photography projects that highlight Indigenous experiences and stories

    • Deadline: Typically opens in the fall

    • Details: Native Photographers

  6. Black Women Photographers Grant

    • Amount: $5,000

    • Eligibility: Open to Black women and non-binary photographers

    • Focus: Provides funding to help elevate the work of Black women photographers and document their communities

    • Deadline: Opens in spring 2024

    • Details: Black Women Photographers

  7. Diverse Photographers Initiative by Adobe

    • Amount: $10,000

    • Eligibility: Open to photographers of color, particularly those from underrepresented communities

    • Focus: Supports creative projects that highlight diversity and social justice

    • Deadline: Opens in the spring of 2024

    • Details: Adobe Diversity Initiative

  8. The Serendipity Arles Grant

    • Amount: €5,000

    • Eligibility: South Asian women photographers

    • Focus: Supports creative documentary projects that explore social issues in South Asia

    • Deadline: Typically opens in late summer

    • Details: Serendipity Arles Grant

  9. Fellowship for Black Photographers by Light Work

    • Amount: $10,000

    • Eligibility: Black photographers working on documentary projects

    • Focus: Supports emerging and mid-career Black photographers with a focus on documentary work

    • Deadline: Opens in early 2024

    • Details: Light Work

  10. The Color Positive Grant

    • Amount: $7,500

    • Eligibility: Photographers of color

    • Focus: Supports documentary photography projects that highlight positive stories from communities of color

    • Deadline: Opens in the fall

    • Details: Color Positive Grant

Conclusion

The landscape of photography contests and grants is rich and diverse, with numerous opportunities for photographers of all backgrounds to advance their careers and amplify their voices. For documentary photographers who are People of Color, Women, or Indigenous, these grants provide vital support to tell important stories that might otherwise go unheard. Stay updated with deadlines and apply to those that resonate most with your work and vision.

Explore, create, and submit—2024 could be your year to shine!