The musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac is a museum, cultural centre, research centre and teaching centre all in one, celebrating non-European cultures in the heart of Paris. The museum has a collection of 370,000 objects, a considerable graphic arts collection and a collection of almost 800,000 old and contemporary photographs, covering all the geographical areas represented at the museum, as well as the entire history of the medium, from 1842 to the present day.

The musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac launches its 2025 Call for Applications Photography Awards.The musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Photography Award is open to non-European photographic artists (from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania) of any age. It aims to promote the diversity of photographic practices and forms in international contemporary creation.
The award has no theme. Preference will be given to projects that demonstrate an original artistic approach and are not limited to traditional forms of documentary or reportage.

Although this call for entries does not require a recommendation, it is not aimed at novice photographers. Particular attention will be paid to the quality of references and experience.

The three winning projects will be chosen in June 2025 by an international jury made up of leading figures from the world of art and photography.

Each winning project will receive €30,000. This is a lump sum to cover expenses incurred in carrying out the project (travel, accommodation, technical costs, etc.) as well as the transfer of rights granted by the author for the photographic work to be included in the museum’s collections.

Timetable

Opening of the applications call: Monday December, 16th 2024
Opening of the applications deposit: from Friday January 31st 2025
Closing of the applications call: Monday March 17th, midnight (Paris time ; UTC +1)
Preselection committee: May 2025
Selection committee: June 2025
Announcement of the new laureates : end of June 2025

The dates of the pre-selection and announcement of the new laureates are given for information only and can be subject to change. The names of the 2025 laureates will be announced on the museum’s website.

Program Rules

Terms of participation
The musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Photography Award is open to non-European photographic artists from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania., without any age limite.

Details on the conditions of participation:

• European citizens resident on the European continent are not eligible for the program;
• European citizens resident in overseas countries and territories and the outermost regions
  are eligible for the program;
• European citizens with dual non-European nationality are eligible for the program;
• Individual or collective photographers are eligible for the programme. In this case, the grant
  is shared between the different members of the collective who have submitted a joint
  project;
• Winners of previous editions of the Award cannot reapply for the program;
• Candidates are not allowed to submit more than one project per application.

Commitment of the laureate
Each selected laureate commit to:

•  Produce a photographic work that will be delivered to the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in very high-definition digital files (or any other format). This work will be kept confidential to the public until their entrance in the museum collections.
• Produce a multimedia program or making of  of the residency (between 3 and 12 minutes) illustrating and explaining the field process and giving keys to understand the work.
• Travel to Paris for a maximum period of 12 days to carry out the physical production of their photographic work, during the periods indicated in this call for applications.
• Accept that a set of signed and numbered photographic items, selected from the photographic work financed, may enter the collections of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. Entry into the museum’s collections will be subject to a decision by the museum’s Acquisitions Committee.
• Grant to the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, on a non-exclusive basis, the rights to reproduce and represent these photographic pieces, which may be used within the framework of the activities and missions of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and its partners, on a non-commercial basis.

*Submission of an application implies unreserved acceptance by the candidate of all the conditions set out in the rules.

Timetable
Each laureate will commit to the following timetable:

• June 2025: designation and contractualization of the new laureates;
• Between July 2025 and April 2026: period of conception of the photographic work and of
  the « making of »;
• 30 April 2026: deadline for submitting the photographic work and the « making of » to the
  museum;
• Between June and November 2026: stay in Paris to carry out the physical production of the
  photographic work.

Grant

Each laureate will receive €30,000 to carry out their project. This fixed rate aims to cover all expenses incurred during the carry out the project (travel, accommodation, technical costs, etc.) as well as the transfer of rights granted by the author to the museum for the photographic work to be included in the museum’s collections.

The costs associated with the laureate’s stay in Paris for the printing of its photographic work (transport, daily allowance and accommodation) as well as the costs associated with the physical production of the said photographic work will be covered by the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.

Selection of the laureates

All the applications will first be examined by a pre-selection panel internal to the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac.
The final selection panel, made up of various figures from the world of art and photography, will then selects the laureates.
The laureates are contacted directly, and their names are published on the website(s) published or co- published by the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, as well as on any communication medium that the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac deems appropriate.

These different stages are organised according to the following schedule:

• Opening of the call for applications: 16 December 2024  Closing of the call for applications: 17 March 2025
• Pre-selection committee: May 2025
• Selection committee: June 2025
• Announcement of the new laureates: end of June 2025

The dates of the pre-selection and announcement of the new laureates are given for information only and can be subject to change.
The names of the 2025 laureates will be announced on the museum’s website.

Apply

Composing your application
All application files must be composed of the following elements:

1. Brief summary of the project; Maximum 1500 characters (ANG or FR)
2. Note of intent of the project written by the candidate; Maximum 2 typewritten pages (ANG or FR)
3. Visuals of the project (if available at that stage); Maximum 15 visuals
4. Written biography relating the essential points of the candidate’s professional training and activities; Maximum 2000 characters (ANG or FR)
5. Candidate’s CV listing exhibitions, agents and/or galleries, publications, and mentioning any grants or prizes already awarded; Maximum 2 typewritten pages (ANG or FR)
6. Digital portfolio illustrating his previous work;
7. Additional documentation may be requested from candidates in order to examine their application.

Submitting your application

The submission of applications will be opened from 31 January 2025 until 17 March 2025, midnight (French time; UTC+1), the closing date for the 2025 call for applications.

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