Open Call: Arab Documentary Photography Program and Alumni Fellowship
Rehab Eldalil
Since 2014, the Arab Documentary Photography Program (ADPP) has supported over 85 photographers whose creative approaches to visual storytelling challenge conventional narratives about the region. Now entering its tenth year, the program continues to amplify essential stories in the Arab region and beyond.
Applications to the 2023 ADPP Open Call, and to the new ADPP Alumni Fellowship, are due December 20.
ADPP is a joint initiative of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, the Prince Claus Fund, and the Magnum Foundation.
Open Call: 2023 Arab Documentary Photography Program
In recognition of the image’s power to document, educate, and advocate, ADPP will explore ways by which documentary photography can reach out to wider audiences and engage with them in an impactful way. Photographers may propose to work in a range of non-fiction narrative styles, from classic documentary photography to more experimental visual storytelling, and may propose to include audio and video elements.
The Arab Documentary Photography Program provides up to 8 photographers with a $7,000 USD grant to work on their projects in their country of residence over a period of 10 months. The grant may be used to begin a new project or to complete work on an existing project.
In addition, ADPP Awardees will benefit from mentorship provided by distinguished program mentors and will be required to attend three specialized workshops to help them develop and produce their projects and consider avenues for distribution. Photographers can apply to ADPP in either English or Arabic. To facilitate exchanges, access to translations will be provided throughout the program.
Applications are due December 20, 2023 at 5:00 PM (Beirut time - GMT+2). Applications are only accepted through an online application form available on AFAC’s website (linked below).
Open Call: ADPP Alumni Fellowship
The Arab Documentary Photography Program Alumni Fellowship is open to all previous ADPP grantees and may be used to develop a photographer's individual project—a new work in progress or to complete work on an existing project—or contribute to strengthening the culture of documentary photography through creative activation of existing works, the production of events, or collaborations among colleagues. We also encourage projects involving collaborations with other media or proposing new and innovative outputs. The project can be implemented in any country. However, it must be related to the Arab socio-cultural realities.
The ADPP Alumni Fellowship provides up to 6 photographers with a grant up to $15,000 USD to work on their projects over a period of 12 months. Specific grant amounts will be determined according to the nature of the proposed projects. Fellows will meet regularly as a group throughout the course of the program and will be active members of a creative community that nurtures interdisciplinary exploration and collaboration. Additionally, fellows will meet online with mentors and their peers in the form of meetings and masterclasses, and they will also have ongoing guidance from mentors and the opportunity to consult with experts—photographers, artists, academics, and practitioners of other artistic disciplines—depending on their assessed needs. Fellows will present their work to the current group of ADPP grantees and will share their final projects at a virtual event for the program partners’ networks, including ADPP alumni.
The ADPP Alumni Fellowship invites applicants to submit projects including but not limited to; publication, exhibition, convenings and panels, residencies, workshops, and training. Any projects and ideas that fall outside of the scope of formats mentioned above will also be welcome for consideration.
Applications are due December 20, 2023 at 5:00 PM (Beirut time - GMT+2). The application link will be shared with all eligible applicants.