A commissioning program for photographers and writers.
The Tender Visions open call is now closed. We received 677 applications from 42 countries. Thank you to the 399 writers and 278 photographers who applied. Applicants will be notified about outcomes by August 20. In the meantime, you can keep an eye out for other opportunities by subscribing to our Substack newsletter here, and following @tender.photo on Instagram.
Tender Photos is pleased to announce a call for applications to Tender Visions, a new cross-disciplinary commissioning program for photographers and writers based on the African continent, supported by funding from the Open Society Foundation. Eight photographers will be selected through this open call and commissioned to produce new work within their communities, guided by predefined themes. Sixteen writers will also be selected from this call to write original creative or critical responses to the photographic projects.
This program will provide photographers with the opportunity to develop new, theme-based projects rooted in their local communities, while fostering collaborative engagements with writers who will produce creative and critical texts that contextualize the visual work. Our aim is to create space for deepened engagement with visual storytelling in Africa, and to bring new narratives to local and international audiences in insightful and thought-provoking ways.
Overview
— Photographers based anywhere on the African continent are invited to apply for funding to create a new body of work.
— Only photographers based on the African continent are eligible to apply, as the work created will be location-specific.
— If their applications are successful, photographers will be required to deliver a portfolio of 40 to 50 images out of which 20 or 30 will be selected.
— Each photographer will be paid a total sum of £1000 or its equivalent in local currency.
— Writers based anywhere on the African continent are invited to apply for participation in the project.
— Preference will be given to writers residing in Africa due to their historically limited opportunities, though applications from the African diaspora are also welcome.
— If their applications are successful, writers will be paired with a photographer to create either a critical or creative response of between 3000 to 4000 words in response to that photographer’s new series of images.
— Each writer will be paid a total fee of £750 or its equivalent in local currency.
— While travel expenses are included in the photographer’s fee, successful writers may apply for a travel stipend—assessed on a case-by-case basis—to help cover any costs incurred in producing their commissioned piece. This stipend is paid in addition to the writer’s fee and only if travel expenses are actually incurred.
— We welcome submissions by photographers and writers working anywhere in Africa, provided the application material is submitted in English.
— Photographers can apply here. Writers can apply here.
— We held an information session on Saturday 28 June, 2025. If you missed it, watch a replay here.
Terms and Eligibility
— To apply as a photographer, you must be based on the African continent.
— You can apply as a writer if you are based outside the African continent.
— As a photographer, the project you apply to produce must be completely new, and not an extension of an existing body of work. However, the project might be connected to larger lines of enquiry you have been developing over the course of your practice. The work must solely consist of images made on the African continent.
— As a writer, you should demonstrate a high degree of skill with criticism, arts journalism, creative nonfiction, or fiction. Your publication history should be clearly documented in your application.
Themes
1. Inner Lives
How can photographs show the interiors as a locale for expressing broad ideas of belonging and intimacy? Proposals can range from projects that explore the workaday lives of individuals, to photographs of historic buildings. We seek projects that adeptly utilize interior settings, not as mere superficial backdrops, but as fundamental and indispensable elements that serve to eloquently communicate and articulate broader, more universal concepts.
2. The Aftermath
What is the character of a tragic, violent, or traumatic event, after it has passed? Inviting proposals by photographers working in places with a history of conflict, this theme is meant to introduce images that explore the aftermath of conflicts, allowing an open-ended interpretation in form or approach. We are seeking photographic projects that consider tangible and intangible traces, imprints, and residues left behind in the aftermath of calamitous events. Photographers who are actively working in regions with histories of conflict are especially encouraged to submit proposals that reflect on the enduring impact of these events on the physical landscape, the built environment, and the lives of individuals. The overriding aim is to foster a constructive and thought-provoking visual dialogue about the processes of recovery, the incredible capacity for resilience, and the ongoing challenges that inevitably follow periods of upheaval.
3. In Community
Photographers working with this theme should explore the multifaceted nature of community within a richly diverse African context. We are interested in African communities that do not fit any easy model of how people can live and work together. ‘Community’ can be amply defined as inclusive of a place and the individuals within it. We want visual narratives that illuminate the myriad ways in which people live, work, interact, and form bonds within various social groups. The very concept of 'community' is deliberately and intentionally defined in a broad and inclusive manner, encompassing not only physical spaces and geographical locations but also, and perhaps more importantly, the complex web of relationships, connections, and interactions that define and sustain them.
4. Faces
Portraiture, a well-explored photographic genre, continues to hold immense potential for the profound examination of human identity. We wish to see how photographers may expand what is possible with portraits, we are interested in how they might push and transcend the established boundaries of the genre with innovative, and groundbreaking methods of representation. Proposals can challenge conventional and preconceived ideas of what constitutes portraiture, experiment with unorthodox photographic techniques, or choose to focus on specific communities, demographics, or subcultures. The overarching goal is to discover images that truly speak to the vast diversity of human experience and offer profound glimpses into the lives, stories, and souls of others.
5. General
If your idea diverges from the suggested themes, we encourage you to define yours. Just be sure to present your unique vision with clarity and compelling detail. We're open to unexpected proposals.
Timeline
Consider the following dates when applying:
June 14, 2025 to July 15, 2025, 11.59pm GMT: Application window.
June 28: Virtual information session. Follow @tender.photo on Instagram for more details. Watch a replay.
August 20: Applicants informed of decisions.
August–October 2025: Delivery of photographs and texts.
November 2025 onwards: Phased publication of projects on the Tender Photos' web platform.
Apply by July 15, 2025. Photographers apply here. Writers apply here.
tender photos
Tender Photos supports photographers and visual storytellers on the African continent.
projects@tender.photo