The Alexia Grants — a $20,000 grant for documentary photography and visual social storytelling

This grant is intended for photographers and visual artists who work with reality as a subject of meaningful research. It supports projects in which photography and visual storytelling become a way of understanding the world — social processes, human experience, ecology, and change.
The programme is run by The Alexia Foundation at the Newhouse School of Communications (Syracuse University, USA) and has remained one of the most significant international forms of support for documentary photography and visual journalism for decades.

What is this grant essentially
Alexia Grants is a grant programme aimed at supporting projects that share the foundation’s mission: to tell meaningful stories about life on the planet and promote a deeper understanding of the world. Both projects in progress and clearly defined future research projects are eligible to apply.
When evaluating applications, the jury looks not only at the visual level, but above all at the meaning, theme and what the images say about life, people and society, rather than the chosen genre or format.
All applications are automatically considered for several possible grants, and applicants can additionally indicate which nominations they would like to be considered for.

Main professional grants
The programme’s key professional grant is the Alexia Vision Grant $20,000, plus a Sony camera or lens.
Additional cash prizes are awarded for second place and outstanding achievements.
This grant supports projects that: deepen understanding of social and humanitarian issues, promote cultural dialogue, and raise questions of human rights, identity, inequality, and global change.
In addition to the main grant, temporary thematic grants are offered annually, including grants for ecology and nature conservation, climate change projects, visual research in the field of health, social and popular science documentary projects.
These grants are usually $5,000, and the topics change from year to year.

Student grants
There is a separate line of support for students. It is aimed at authors who are already working on a project or have regular access to it.
The main student grant, the Alexia Vision Student Grant, includes financial support, Sony equipment, participation in professional seminars, educational opportunities at Syracuse University, and the prospect of further research work.
Additionally, smaller thematic grants (usually $1,000) are available to students, including in the areas of ecology and nature, healthcare, faith and spirituality, sports, green spaces and landscape.

Mentorship grants
A separate part of the programme is mentorship grants, where students or young authors work in pairs with recognised professionals in documentary photography and visual storytelling.
The format includes: individual mentorship throughout the year, online sessions with mentors, and $1,000 for project implementation.
Mentoring grant topics cover human rights, disability, education, ecology, visual innovation, and portrait photography.

Grant for emerging photographers
The programme also includes a special grant for authors with up to five years of experience. It provides training in an international documentary programme in France, as well as accommodation and daily allowances.
This format is aimed at new voices in documentary photography and visual journalism and supports the transition from training to professional practice.

Organisational fee
Professional applicants are required to pay a registration fee of $50.
Applications for student grants are free of charge.
The fee does not affect the evaluation of the project and is an administrative part of the application process.

Additional opportunities
All submitted images are automatically considered for: The Alexia exhibitions, publications, and public programmes of the foundation.
Authors of selected works will be contacted separately to confirm their participation.

Who is this grant suitable for
The Alexia Grants are suitable for photographers and visual artists who work with documentary practice as a form of research and accountability. This is not a quick competition or a career award, but a tool to support projects that require time, depth and trust in the process.

Deadline: Applications for 2026 are open until 13 February 2026.