PhotoWork Junior Fellowship

About the Open Call

The PhotoWork Junior Fellowship celebrates individual artists and their craft, offering a space for education and experimentation beyond traditional academic pathways. Through a holistic support network, Fellows receive personalized guidance that meets them at their current stage while challenging them to advance their practice and strengthen the foundations of their future careers. At the same time, the Fellowship contributes to a broader awareness and appreciation of the post-documentary genre and its practitioners. Six Junior Fellows are chosen by a jury of industry leading colleagues. Over the six-month fellowship, each Fellow will develop a photographic project of their choosing, guided through monthly one-on-one critique sessions with their Mentor. These meetings will provide space to discuss progress, refine artistic vision and practice, and strengthen both written and oral articulation of their work. In addition, Fellows will participate in tailored sessions on post-production, professional practices, and other topics identified to meet the specific needs of the cohort. Periodic group meetings will further encourage Fellows to share insights and challenges, fostering reflection on their creative process and cultivating a supportive peer network.

What is Offered

Monthly one-on-one mentoring with a dedicated Mentor from January – June, 2026. $1,000 USD stipend to aid in the production of work. $2,000 USD of in-kind photographic services with picturehouse + thesmalldarkroom. Professional practices session with Sasha Wolf. One-hour, individual, post-production mentoring session with experts from picturehouse + thesmalldarkroom. Online profile on the PhotoWork Foundation website. Additional sessions with industry colleagues. Ten shortlisted applicants will receive a portfolio review with Executive Director, Sasha Wolf. Shortlisted applicants’ application fees will be waived for the following Junior Fellowship application period.

Requirements

Participation in this program is specifically intended to support early-career photographic artists working in the post-documentary tradition, regardless of formal training or completed arts education. Applicants must have a project or focused goal to work on during the Fellowship period. Applicants must be a US citizen or resident and at least 18 years old. Must be able to commit to a minimum of 12 hours of online mentoring/workshop time, as well as dedicated time to developing a project over a six-month time period. Applicants are ineligible if currently enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate degree program, have an arts-related graduate degree, have current gallery representation or had multiple gallery exhibitions, have more than 5 years professional experience as a photographer, are not a US resident, or if project work is computer / AI generated.

How to Apply

Please submit the following via SlideRoom – applications will not be accepted via email, delivery, or after the above deadline date and time. Please refer to the FAQ for more information. Applicants will be asked to provide an artist bio, an artist statement, a statement of intent, a history of relevant experiences, a description of their artistic process, names and contact information for two character references, and 20-25 images with image titles in the file name.