W. Eugene Smith Grant 2025

The W. Eugene Smith Grant is designed to encourage and support visual storytellers whose photographic work renews the tradition of W. Eugene Smith’s dedicated compassion as evidenced during his 45-year career as a photographic essayist. Special consideration will be given to work that promotes social change, that embraces new technologies and image distribution, and that seeks to integrate the tradition of photography and social change with contemporary practice. The judges will be looking for a photographer and project that seem most likely to use exemplary and compelling photojournalism and documentary photography (possibly supplemented by or incorporating multi-media) to address an issue of import and impact related to the human condition: social change, humanitarian concern, armed conflict, or other topics of interpersonal, psychological, cultural, social, environmental, scientific, medical and/or political significance, ideally expressing an underlying acknowledgement of our common humanity.

The Fund’s Board of Trustees impanels a three-member international jury. The jury meets twice. At the first session the jury reviews the required materials: applications, proposals, and photographs. They select finalists based on the substantive and intellectual merits of their projects. Finalists will be given the opportunity over a short period of time to refine their proposals and to answer specific questions from the jury about their project. At the second session the jury will review all new material and select the W. Eugene Smith Grant recipient, the W. Eugene Smith Grant Fellowship recipient, and the W. Eugene Smith Grant Finalist.