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The PhotoWork Senior Fellowship awards a $10,000 grant to each of three photographers who demonstrate a sustained commitment to post-documentary photography and exhibit both the readiness and capability to work with a photography advisor toward creating a book maquette of a comprehensive body of work.

About Fellowship

A panel of industry experts will select three Senior Fellows, each of whom will receive a $10,000 grant and a dedicated Advisor for an immersive six-month photobook development program. From May to October 2025, Fellows and their Advisors will focus on developing a photobook project and participate in online sessions led by publishing industry experts.

The Fellowship’s primary aim is to propel artists to the next stage of their careers by offering one-on-one guidance and critical exposure to experts who bring valuable skillsets in their area of expertise. Through this experience, Fellows will learn about photobook conception, editing, layout, design, production, publication, distribution, and promotion in order to prepare themselves for the journey of publishing their first photobook.

Each Fellow will be carefully matched with a photobook Advisor from our list of esteemed PhotoWork Foundation Mentors and Advisors, which includes industry leaders like Dannielle Bowman, Kelli Connell, Lois Conner, Carolyn Drake, Doug DuBois, Rahim Fortune, Ron Jude, Raymond Meeks, Kristine Potter, Wendy Red Star, and Bryan Schutmaat.

The PhotoWork Foundation is honored to announce the Teresa Goodman Grant, a part of its Senior Fellowship, which will be awarded to a woman photographer under the age of 40 in memory of Teresa Goodman. With a master’s degree in Curatorial Practice from the California College of the Arts (CCA) and a passion for photography, Teresa was just beginning her career. Funded by her parents, William Goodman and  Victoria Belco, this generous grant aims to support and inspire mid-career women photographers. By providing financial assistance and recognition, the grant ensures that Teresa’s dedication to the craft and commitment to curatorial excellence continue to foster creativity and innovation in the field she loved.

  • $10,000 grant.
  • Six months of personal photobook publishing guidance with a dedicated Advisor.
  • Photobook sessions with a minimum of three experts on topics tailored to each Senior Fellow’s needs.
  • Professional guidance session with Executive Director, Sasha Wolf.
  • Participation in a PhotoWork Symposium with photobook project presentations by Senior Fellows.

*Please note that the intent of the Senior Fellowship is to provide Fellows with access to and practical knowledge about photobook publishing, preparing them to begin their own publishing journey. While Senior Fellows must create a photobook maquette during their time in this Fellowship, the PhotoWork Foundation will not facilitate the publishing of their photobook.

Eligibility

  • Applicants must show they are at a point in their career where they are ready to publish their first monograph/photobook.
  • Applicants must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident.
  • Must be able to commit to regular monthly meetings with their Advisors and publishing experts over the Fellowship period.

Ineligibility

A mature photographer working in the post-documentary tradition who has a history of commitment to the medium and significant accomplishments such as gallery or museum exhibitions, self published zines or books, but who has not yet professionally published a trade monograph / photobook.

*PhotoWork Foundation is committed to diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. 

Senior Fellowship Applicants will be asked to provide the following:

  • An artist bio introducing yourself and sharing relevant information you would like us to know about you as a person, artist, and member of your community. (2,000 characters)
  • An artist statement describing your artistic practice and the type of work you are currently making. (2,000 characters)
  • A statement of intent telling us how a publishing mentorship will benefit you at this point in your artistic career, why you believe you are a good candidate for the Senior Fellowship, how you intend to use your time during the six-month term, and what book project you intend to develop. (9,000 characters)
  • A history of any relevant experiences and achievements you may have had leading up to this current point in your artistic career, i.e. residencies, grants, awards, publications, and exhibitions. (1,200 characters)
  • A description of your artistic process as it relates to the images you are submitting with this application. (1,200 characters)
  • References – names and contact information for two character references. References may be anyone who can speak to your personal character and do not necessarily need to be professional or related to the arts.
  • A PDF edit of a potential book project – Please select 30-50 images that represents a carefully considered edit for your book project, taking into consideration the sequence and order of images. If text is important to the design and presentation of your project please include this in the PDF if available.

A nonrefundable processing fee of $35 is required with each application. Applicants pay the processing fee by debit or credit card through a secure site on the online application portal. Applicants who have difficulty paying the application fee are encouraged to contact us before applying.

Please read through this application’s eligibility requirements carefully. Entries will be accepted until the FINAL DEADLINE of Saturday, March 15th, 2025, at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.

Please submit via SlideRoom – applications will not be accepted via email or delivery. Late applications will not be accepted, take notice of the deadline date, time, and timezone.

Dates & Deadlines

Applications Open

FEB. 15

2025

Applications Close

MAR. 15

2025

Fellows Announced

APR.

2025

  

Applications Open
February 15th, 2025

OPENING SOON

If you have any questions or concerns
please contact us and we’d be happy to assist you.

What is post-documentary photography?

A discipline of photography that emerges from the photographer’s personal engagement with the real world, with an emphasis on a subjective, lyrical approach to picture making and storytelling.

The post-documentary approach favors individual artistic style and maintains its connection to documentary photography, but is generally opposed to the literal and restrictive styles associated with conventional documentary, journalistic, and editorial photography.

Will all Senior Fellows have the same Advisor?

No, Senior Fellows will each be paired with their own dedicated Advisor.

What do you mean by “photography degree program”?

Any degree-based visual arts program that primarily focuses on photography and the creation of images.

Artists who have a completed body of work that they believe lends itself to the book form may apply for the Senior Fellowship. As a part of this fellowship selected Fellows will be required to create a book maquette throughout the six-month process, utilizing the advice and guidance of their Advisor, as well as additional industry experts.

I graduated with an undergraduate / graduate degree in photography or the arts, does this disqualify me?

No, applicants who are not currently enrolled in a degree-based photography program are eligible to apply.

How do you define “professionally published monograph / photobook?”

A professionally published monograph / photobook is any publication that was published by a mainstream publisher and distributed for book trade. Books that are self-published, gallery catalogs, or print-on-demand are not considered professionally published monographs / photobooks. Artists who have self-published a body of work and believe they would benefit from reworking that book project during this Fellowship are also welcome to apply.

Do you accept AI generated imagery?

No, we do not accept work that is created with AI.

If I’m selected, will the PhotoWork Foundation have any rights to use or sell the images created, used or exhibited online? 

No. Aside from the display and contextualization of the work online for exhibition purposes or promotion of the Fellowship, the PhotoWork Foundation will not retain any rights or other legal claim to the work you create at any stage in the process.

Can I get an extension on my application? 

No, the posted deadline is the final day and time to submit your application. Please note that all times are in the Eastern Standard Time. We recommend submitting your application in advance of the final deadline to avoid any technical issues that may prevent you from submitting your application on time.