Last Updated on 01/30/2025 by Lara Carretero
Documentary photographers have always been at the forefront of highlighting challenging issues in our society. From the living conditions in certain parts of the world to the challenges faced in conserving our environment, documentary photography continues to showcase the human condition in its myriad hues and shades. Despite their best efforts, documentary photographers always run short on funds for their projects. To help artists in this genre, Cortona On The Move and BarTur Photo Award have both announced a new grant. Here’s a look at what it offers.
Cortona On The Move is a reputed international photography festival that recently collaborated with the BarTur Photo Award for the Cortona On The Move | BarTur Grant. The grant is designed in such a way that he helps both professionals and amateur photographers get much-needed support for their global stories. The partnership is backed by the Visual Storytellers Fund, which will also help fund ongoing documentary projects on issues ranging from social justice to environmental crises.
If you work on a series and require funds, consider this opportunity seriously. The grant is supposed to help documentary photographers work on critical social, environmental, economic, and cultural issues. The works you submit will actually go through a review process from a jury consisting of globally recognized individuals. This includes Amnon Bar-Tur, Founder of the BarTur Award; Veronica Nicolardi, Director of Cortona On The Move; Kate Bubacz, Lead Photo Editor of The Wall Street Journal; and François Hébel, ICP’s Director at Large. Other esteemed members of the jury panel are Nathalie Herschdorfer, Director of the Museum Photo Elysée; Hideko Kataoka of Newsweek Japan; Azu Nwagbogu, Founder of the African Artists’ Foundation; and Paolo Woods, Artistic Director of Cortona On The Move. In addition, Fiona Shields of The Guardian, Marie Monteleone of Bloomberg News, and Vivek Prakash of Getty Images will also be joining the panel, among other prominent figures in the visual arts industry.
While applying, photographers must submit a biography, CV, project summary, detailed project proposal, and budget plan. If they choose your work, one professional winner will receive a grand prize of $30,000. Two additional photographers in the emerging category who are under 30 will receive a $5,000 prize, respectively. Once the winners receive the grant, after the unveiling ceremony at the Cortona On The Move Festival in July 2025, they will be given nine months to complete their documentary projects. After this, the winning works will be exhibited at the 2026 edition of the festival. The organizers also cover the cost of travel and accommodation for the winners of the festival.
Overall, this is a great chance for photographers from around the world to apply and win a chance to boost their careers. In addition to completing their projects, the winners can reach out to an international audience of professionals, curators, and the public. However, we do wish the prize grant for amateurs was slightly more than $5000. There is also a submission fee of $20 USD per project, which we would have preferred to be free to enter. The only reason is documentary photographers find it challenging to find funds. With an entry fee, especially for photographers residing in third-world countries, it leads to missing out on an opportunity. Other than that, we think the prize will certainly be helpful in advancing the careers of many.
The last day to apply is April 17. For more information, visit the BarTur Photography Award’s website. To apply, visit the official Picter submission platform.