Inge Morath Award 2026 — international $7,500 grant for women and non-binary photographers under 30

This opportunity is aimed at women and non-binary photographers under 30 who work in documentary photography and develop their own projects. It is particularly suited to those who are already in the process of creating their work and are looking for support to bring it to completion and launch it into the professional sphere.
This is an international award in the field of documentary photography, where the focus is not on individual images but on the ability to develop a long-term project and explore a subject over time.
It values the artist’s perspective, observation, and engagement with reality as an ongoing process.
The award provides not only financial support but also a professional context — from the jury’s attention to the potential for the project’s future public life. For many photographers, this marks the transition from personal exploration to international recognition.

What the award offers
Financial support serves as a means to complete a project that is already underway, rather than a starting point. This is an important distinction
— $7,500 — the main grant for project completion
— $1,000 — support for one of the finalists
— consideration by a jury comprising representatives from Magnum Photos and the Magnum Foundation
— the opportunity for further publication and exhibition of the project
This is a format in which what matters is not an idea ‘from scratch’, but the ability to bring the work to its final form and bring it into the professional sphere.

Who is eligible
The award is aimed at artists who are already actively working on a project:
— aged 30 or under — this is a restriction, but also a focus on the early stages of a career;
— identifying as a woman or a non-binary— part of the mission to support underrepresented voices;
— a long-term documentary project — it is important that the work already has a clear direction and structure.

How the selection process works
The project must be original and entirely the work of the author – this is a fundamental requirement.
It is important to understand that the jury assesses not only the visual material, but also the author’s way of thinking and their ability to construct a coherent exploration of the subject.
The finalists and winner are selected by the professional community associated with Magnum — this sets high standards and creates a strong professional context around the award.

What to bear in mind when submitting
— The project must be documentary in nature and long-term— not a series, but a process
— It is important to demonstrate what stage the work is at and what its completion will achieve
— You need to consider how the project will continue to exist: publication, exhibition, archive
It is a mistake to submit an unfinished idea lacking structure or to attempt to adapt a ready-made short series to the format.

What is important to understand about the award’s ethos
This is not a ‘best photographs’ competition. It is a platform for supporting the photographer’s unique perspective and investigative practice.
The award follows in the footsteps of Inge Morath—a photographer who worked with Magnum and actively supported other women in the profession. Today, this ethos remains: it is not only the quality of the image that matters, but also the photographer’s perspective within the subject matter.

The deadline for applications is 30 April 2026.