Organizer Information
The Deloitte Photo Grant, established in 2023 by Deloitte Italy S.p.A. S.B. under the patronage of Fondazione Deloitte ETS, is an elite international photography program developed in association with Still Love srl. Fondazione Deloitte, founded in 2016, centers its public mission on three core pillars: Culture, Education, and Emergency Relief. Collaborating structurally with the world-renowned cultural institution Triennale Milano and steered by Artistic Director and Jury President Denis Curti, the grant is engineered to provide concrete support to contemporary cultural production. The initiative positions itself as an active global observatory of the emerging lens-based landscape, using photographic language to stimulate intellectual awareness, advocate for human rights, and reject all forms of discrimination.
Title & Description
The Deloitte Photo Grant 2026.
Submissions are officially open for this premier international award, offering two distinct grants totaling €75,000 to celebrate and document the contemporary art arena. The 2026 edition centers around the overarching theme, "Proximities." The prompt serves as a creative invitation for photographers to explore the social, economic, and relational dimensions of proximity, charting the complex ties that persist despite the fractures of contemporary life.
The 2026 Curatorial Framework: Proximities
The award aims to visually narrate and dissect the shifting forms of distance defining modern life. This encompasses not only physical separation, but the systemic distances produced by extreme economic polarization, technological mediation, and increasing social fragmentation. Photography acts as a vital tool to expose these divides, observing how human bodies inhabit spaces and how communities increasingly withdraw behind glowing screens—yielding rhythms that systematically erode attention and connection. Conversely, the theme urges deep reflection on what still holds human communities together despite contemporary pressures, capturing the micro-relations of daily life and rendering the dynamics of closeness legible. It provides a free space for dialogue, using images to give a voice to those who are often unheard.
The Two Operational Tracking Modules:
The award architecture bifurcates applications into two separate sections, matching different professional career brackets:
- 1. The Nominations Section (Curated Track): This elite category is closed to public applications. Instead, ten prominent international figures drawn from the field of global cultural production act as nominators, with each referring two exceptional professional photographers. The final single winner is chosen by the international jury from this pre-selected pool.
- 2. The Open Call Section (Public Track): A completely open, international competition welcoming submissions from both amateur and professional image makers under the age of 35. Applicants must pitch an original project idea aligning with the theme "Proximities," which can either be a brand-new concept or an ongoing body of work requiring financial support to be successfully completed or expanded.
Categories
Photography / Lens-Based Media,
Eligibility
- Global Boundary: Open to international and domestic photographers worldwide.
- Age Restriction (Open Call Only): Applicants must be strictly under the age of 35 at the time of entry.
- Project Suitability: Proposals must demonstrate technical skill and a rigorous conceptual alignment with the "Proximities" thematic prompt.
Program Benefits and Financial Support
The grant provides significant, non-dilutive capital alongside major institutional exposure at one of Europe's most prestigious design museums:
- The Nominations Recipient Prizes:
- A massive €50,000 cash production prize to fully fund contemporary artwork creation and studio overheads.
- A major solo exhibition mounted physically at the Triennale Milano in Italy.
- A high-level, accompanying monographic exhibition catalogue published and distributed by a major Italian publishing house.
- The Open Call Recipient Prizes:
- A €25,000 cash grant awarded directly to execute, expand, or finalize the proposed project idea.
- A prominent featured mention and showcase within the current Triennale Milano exhibition alongside the Nominations winner.
- A dedicated solo exhibition produced during the subsequent next edition of the Deloitte Photo Grant.
Fees
- Application Fee: None (Completely free to enter the Open Call).
Application Requirements
Dossiers must be compiled in English and submitted through the official electronic gateway. The evaluation panel scores folders on visual clarity, thematic alignment, and production feasibility. Open Call entries require:
- Project Description Document: Detailing the core narrative, conceptual focus, and visual strategies of the proposal.
- Detailed Budget Estimate: An itemized financial sheet outlining the projected costs required to materialistically realize the work.
- Technical Portfolio: A curated selection of up to 10 high-quality images. These files can either serve as preliminary visual impressions of the proposed project or act as examples of past representative work illustrating your technical style.
- Professional Curriculum Vitae (CV): Summarizing academic training, past group shows, and exhibition milestones.
- Profile Photo: A clear portrait of the artist for press and publication cataloging.
- Signed Reference Letter: A formal, validated letter of recommendation authored and signed by a recognized industry professional (e.g., an independent curator, museum director, photojournalistic author, or institutional photo editor) detailing your practice's caliber.
How to Apply?
Access the main application gateway on the official award domain, select the Open Call module, populate your artist background metrics, upload your project budget layout and portfolio images, attach your signed professional reference letter, and lock your dossier. Apply to the Deloitte Photo Grant 2026 Open Call.
Key Dates
- Application Launch Date: March 11, 2026.
- Application Submission Deadline: Sunday, June 14, 2026.
- Jury Decision Review Window: Commencing no earlier than the end of June 2026.
Location
Online / Virtual Application with international physical exhibitions and book launches hosted on-site at Triennale Milano, Milan, Italy.
Additional Details
The prestigious 2026 selection committee brings together an elite roster of photojournalists, curators, museum directors, and image theorists. Led by Fondazione Deloitte Chairman Guido Borsani and Jury President Denis Curti, the panel includes Alec Soth (American photographer and Magnum Photos member), Alec Soth's colleague Bruce Gilden (Street photographer and Magnum Photos member since 1998), Barbara Čeferin (Owner of Galerija Fotografija in Ljubljana), Suzanne Cotter (Contemporary art curator and Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia), Bernardino Guedes de Castro (Historian and specialist in documentary studies), Katarzyna Sagatowska (Jednostka Gallery in Warsaw), Sunyoung KIM (Senior Curator at the Hanmi Museum in Seoul), and Carlos Idun-Tawiah (Ghanaian photographer, filmmaker, and winner of the 2025 Deloitte Photo Grant edition with his project Hero, Father, Friend).
The jury's internal deliberations remain strictly confidential, and all final selections are absolute and not subject to appeal or legal recourse. Due to the immense volume of global portfolios processed, individual feedback sheets cannot be dispatched to unselected applicants.