W. Eugene Smith Fund announces 45th Annual Grants in Humanistic Photography, Revives Howard Chapnick Grant
Sebastião Salgado (1982 grant recipient), of Brazil, spent seven years documenting the lives of villagers in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico and Guatemala and published the work in a book titled: “The Other Americas.” Copyright, Sabastiao Salgado
Jane Evelyn Atwood was the first recipient of the W. Eugene Smith Award in 1980 for her work concerning the lives of blind children all over the world. Copyright, Jane Evelyn Atwood.
Sabiha Çimen’s project (2020 grant recipient), portraits shot in cHafız: The Guardians of Quran, is an ongoing series of onservative Quran boarding schools for young girls in five cities in Turkey. Copyright Sabiha Cimen
Grants / Fellowships Total More Than $55,000 with Top Honor Receiving $30K; International Partners Receive $6,000 in Entry Fee Waivers to Support Photographers
The Smith Fund also announced it has established new submission guidelines for the Howard Chapnick Grant, which recognizes programs–not individuals–that significantly contribute to the field of documentary photography through education. Education, as defined broadly, could include not only direct learning, but also research, publication, archives, exhibitions, online resources, and social media dissemination–but only if these activities are dedicated to knowledge sharing purposes intended to effect change. Now in its 27th year, the grant was named in honor of Howard Chapnick, president of Black Star photo agency, and a mentor to photographers around the world for decades. The grant will award $5,000 to the winning entry. A voluntary entry fee of $25 can be paid through the Smith Fund’s GoFundMe page.
The deadline for submitting applications for all grants is October 8, 2024.
Since the Smith Fund’s inception in 1979, it has awarded over $1.3 million to photographers whose past work and proposed projects follow the tradition of W. Eugene Smith’s career as a photographic essayist. None of the grants presented by the Smith Fund are endowed, and rely entirely on corporate contributions, foundation grants, and individual donations to fund its grants and fellowships.
“Thanks to the ongoing financial support from both new and longtime patrons, the W. Eugene Smith Fund is able to announce its 45th annual grant in humanistic and documentary photography, a truly remarkable milestone,” said Scott Thode, president of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund. “We are beyond grateful for the continued support from organizations including the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, PhotoWings, the John and Anne Duffy Foundation, The Joy of Giving Something, and Earth Vision Institute. It is because of this support that the Smith Fund was able to revive the Howard Chapnick Grant, increase the award for the Student Grant, and provide thousands of dollars in entry fee waivers to give underrepresented photographers an opportunity to submit and share their important stories with us,” Mr. Thode added.
The Smith Fund will continue its partnership with several international photo organizations, encouraging documentary photographers from a variety of demographic and socio-economic backgrounds to submit their work to the annual Smith Fund grants. Organizations currently partnering with the W. Eugene Smith Fund include African Photojournalism Database, African Women in Photography, Authority Collective, Black Women Photographers, Center for Photography Ethiopia, Diversify Photo, Everyday Projects, Foto Féminas, Indigenous Photograph, Magnum Foundation, MATCA, Market Photo Workshop, Women Photograph, and UCAB PhotoContact Project.
Collectively, these organizations provide media outlets, art buyers, and editorial directors with an expansive portfolio of diverse international talent whose work is often ignored or overlooked. As part of its support of the Smith Fund, the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation will once again help underwrite the cost of allowing these organizations to waive entry fees for the Smith Grant ($50), and Smith Student Grant ($10). Entrants should visit entry rules to determine if they qualify to have their entry fee waived.
Past recipients of the W. Eugene Smith Grant include Irina Werning (2023), Justyna Mielnikiewicz (2016), Peter van Agtmael (2012), Brenda Ann Kenneally (2000), Eli Reed (1992), and Graciela Iturbide (1987). For a complete list of past Smith Grant recipients, visit SmithFund.org.
The W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, Inc. is a non-profit corporation qualified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is supported by generous contributions from The Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, Earth Vision Institute, the John and Anne Duffy Foundation, and PhotoWings. Additional support is provided by the International Center of Photography, and Synergy Communications.
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Lou Desiderio
Synergy Communications, Inc.
lou@pr-synergy.com
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