The Aftermath Project 2026: $25,000 Post-Conflict Photography Grant, Apply by 1 December
One substantial production grant for stories after conflict
The Aftermath Project is accepting proposals for its 2026 post-conflict photography grant, with one US$25,000 award and four named finalists. Applications are due by midnight Pacific Standard Time on 1 December 2026. The programme supports photographers depicting how people, families and communities repair lives, homes, cultural memory and civic institutions after periods of armed or social conflict. It can also consider the long aftermath of a conflict that remains ongoing. This is a project-production grant, not a prize for a single already completed photograph.
Worldwide eligibility, with clear exclusions
Working photographers based anywhere in the world can apply, but full-time students are not eligible. The work must fundamentally involve still photography. Funds may not be used to create a standalone film, audio documentary or video production, nor is the grant intended to cover book publishing or exhibition costs. Applicants should articulate a credible conflict-related context and explain how documentary images will increase public understanding rather than merely illustrate destruction or sensational events.
Exactly what to submit
The official application requires a signed form, a two-page maximum Word proposal headed by a one-sentence project summary, a portfolio of no more than thirty JPEG photographs, a caption sheet and a short biography. The JPEG files should be 1200 pixels on the longer side, at 72dpi and under 2MB each, with filenames consisting of the photographer's surname and number. Submission is by a file-sharing link emailed to the address on the foundation's own website. No extra documents should be attached, and proposals are judged for storytelling as well as portfolio quality.
Grant payments and usage rights
The winner receives 50 percent of the funds at project outset, 40 percent at the required interim stage and the final 10 percent after delivery of twelve archival prints at completion. The work must be finished by 1 January 2028, with prints delivered by 1 May. Photographers keep copyright but grant the project specified education, publicity and possible exhibition uses of selected images. The Aftermath Project is a specialist nonprofit with past documentary grants and a documented board, and its official call lists precise duties, disqualifications and deadlines. Applicants should study those terms before submitting sensitive documentary material.
Official organiser instructions and application links
Research and rules reviewed on 23 October 2026. Verify eligibility, fees, deadlines, recording/file rules, production costs and rights against the current organiser documents before submitting or paying.