Women Photograph Project Grants

Women Photograph, an organization dedicated to elevating the voices and visibility of women and nonbinary visual journalists, is offering its Women Photograph + Leica Project Grants to support documentary photography projects. Backed by funding from Leica USA, the program reflects a broader mission to promote diversity, equity, and representation in the visual storytelling field. These grants are specifically designed to support visual journalists working in a documentary capacity, encouraging in-depth storytelling rooted in real-world issues and lived experiences across global communities. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to provide financial support for photography projects that are either new or already in progress. The grants emphasize storytelling through cohesive bodies of work rather than standalone images, reinforcing the importance of narrative depth and journalistic integrity. Funding may be used to cover essential reporting costs, including travel, logistics, and research expenses, as well as photographers’ creative fees and other costs directly associated with producing new documentary work. However, the program explicitly excludes funding for secondary outputs such as books, exhibitions, workshops, or other derivative materials. Eligibility for the grants is broad and inclusive. The opportunity is open to women, nonbinary, transgender, and intersex documentary photographers of any nationality. Applicants are not required to be members of Women Photograph, and the organization explicitly encourages submissions from individuals representing a wide range of identities, geographies, and perspectives. Applications must be submitted in English, though translated submissions using tools such as Google Translate are accepted. Only one submission per applicant is allowed per open call cycle. The application process requires applicants to submit a project proposal along with a selection of images. While applicants are encouraged to submit a cohesive story, the submitted images do not have to be directly related to the proposed project, provided this is clearly noted. Applications must be rooted in still photography, although links to multimedia or video components may be included within the project description. There are no restrictions on the type of camera equipment used, and there is no application fee, lowering barriers to entry for a wide range of applicants. Applicants must adhere strictly to submission guidelines, including the requirement to disclose any use of generative artificial intelligence in their work. The deadline is firm, and late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances. The program does not specify detailed evaluation criteria but implies that storytelling strength, documentary relevance, and project feasibility are central to the review process. Judges for the 2026 cycle are to be announced. The timeline for this opportunity begins with applications opening on May 20, 2026, and closing on June 30, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The grants are part of a recurring initiative by Women Photograph, suggesting an annual cycle. Selected grantees will retain full ownership of their work, although Women Photograph and Leica USA reserve the right to use images for promotional purposes related to the grant and the photographer’s work. No specific award notification timeline or project performance period is provided in the source material.

Submit a cohesive story rather than individual images and clearly disclose any AI use in the application