Application

The Marai Photo Grant Assignment 2025

This year's theme, under the concept of "My Reality. Now." is climate change. We invite photographers from South Asia — Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Bhutan — to document the effects of climate change on their daily lives and communities. How would you capture this impact in a photo story that raises awareness and inspires sustainable living? Through your lenses, highlight the urgent need for action and drive the conversation forward.

Winner Prize and Mentorship

The Marai Photo Grant has two gender categories: "Female" and "Male." Applicants must apply according to the gender stated in their passport. Winners in each category will receive prize money, Nikon gear, and AFP mentorship to bring their photo story projects to life. The winners' photo story projects will then be showcased on AFP's global news wire! Each category will also feature one runner-up.

Prizes:

  • Two winners (one from each gender category) will receive $3,000 USD and a Nikon Z6III with a NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S.
  • Two runners-up (one from each gender category) will receive a Nikon Z50 with a NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR.

Mentorship:

With their mentor, the Grant winners will define clear and achievable objectives for the program duration through regular one-on-one sessions for discussion and guidance. Grant winners will focus on their project and set challenging targets, aided by the mentor, who will provide regular reviews and constructive feedback. The photographer’s development will be tracked by the mentor. Through these discussions, the Grant winners will also be able to learn more about the news photography industry. At the end of the program, the mentor will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of their project work.

Application Period

  • Start: Friday, November 15th, 2024, 17:00 (Tokyo Time)
  • Deadline: Monday, January 6th, 2025, 17:00 (Tokyo Time)

Application Requirements

  1. Eligibility: South Asian photographers residing in their home country (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Bhutan).
  2. Age: 25 years old or younger on the day the application closes, and of legal adult age according to the laws of their country at the time of registration.
  3. Commitment: Willing to create a photo story on climate change as part of a mentorship program, with the work to be published on AFP's global news wire.
  4. Submission Requirements:
    • Portfolio: Four recent photos in JPEG format.
    • Project Proposal: Describe your project idea for a photo story in a maximum of 1500 characters in total, in clear English. The title can be up to 50 characters, including spaces.
    • ID: A scan of the applicant's currently valid official ID (photo page) such as a passport is required. (PDF or JPEG)

Note: We will accept a maximum of 500 applications. Early submission is encouraged.