Women Photograph Mentorship Program

We're now accepting applications for the Women Photograph Mentorship Program! This year, we will pair five early career photographers with an industry leader as a mentor, and provide $2,000 in support for work on a local visual storytelling project over the course of six months.

We are currently seeking applications from women and nonbinary photographers of any age with less than five years of professional work experience who might be interested in long-term support. Please make sure to read the FAQ at the bottom of the page, but if you still have questions please contact hello@womenphotograph.com.

The mentorship program will take place remotely over the course of July-December of 2025, and requires proposing work on a specific project throughout that period. We will strongly prioritize photographers looking to work locally / within their own communities, and estimate that the mentorship will require a minimum of 8-12 hours of engagement per month. Mentors will be selected specifically because of their areas of expertise in relation to each selected mentee’s project and practice.

The photographers who stand to benefit most from this program are already at the beginning of a documentary/photojournalistic practice and looking for targeted guidance and mentoring in the early stages of their career.

APPLICATIONS FOR THE WOMEN PHOTOGRAPH MENTORSHIP PROGRAM ARE NOW CLOSED.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO APPLIED!

This program is possible thanks to the generous support of Leica USA!

ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The mentorship/fellowship program is open to women, nonbinary, transgender, and intersex documentary photographers of any nationality. Central to Women Photograph’s mission is to be inclusive of and support work from photographers who represent a diverse range of identities, geographies, and experiences.

Members of Women Photograph are not eligible to apply. All mentees will join the Women Photograph database at the end of the program.

There is no fee to apply.

If your project is already underway, you may submit existing work. If you haven't yet started on your proposed project, then please include work samples that best represent the project.

We welcome applicants of all ages, however you must have less than 5 years of professional experience to apply (less than 5 years of the majority of your income coming from photography).

Applications must be submitted in English, but we welcome applications translated using services like Google Translate.

You may use the budget for any work related expenses (local transportation, equipment, etc), including your own creative fees.

Mentees will retain full ownership of all work completed.

Women Photograph and Leica will ask for the use of promotional images to be used explicitly in conjunction with promoting the photographer, the work, and the mentorship program.