The Through Southern Lenses Photography Award has opened its 2026 call for entries, inviting photographers to visually document scientific realities across developing countries in the global South.
Award theme
The 2026 theme—Glaciers and Deserts—challenges photographers to explore extreme landscapes shaped by climate pressures.
Organisers encourage entrants to capture contrasts such as ice and sand and water and aridity and to show how these environments reflect both vulnerability and resilience.
Submissions should illustrate how climate, ecology and human life intersect in ways that define lived realities across the global South.
Funding details
The competition awards 20,000 USD to the top Photo Essay, recognising both artistic excellence and scientific relevance. The winning work may be adapted for future exhibitions, publications, and outreach initiatives by the organising partners.
Selected photographers will gain global visibility through TWAS and FCW platforms, as well as wider science and policy networks.
Who can apply
The award is open exclusively to photographers—both individuals and groups—from developing countries in the global South.
Eligibility requirements include:
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All authors must be nationals of developing countries in the global South.
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Only one entry per individual or group.
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All photographs must have been created within the last five years.
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Proof of production date must be available on request.
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No participant may appear in more than one Photo Essay.
Entry requirements
- Each submission must consist of a ten-photo essay that tells a coherent visual story without accompanying text.
- Images must be original, technically sound and free from any form of AI generation or AI-assisted manipulation.
- Any identifiable individual featured in a photograph must have provided informed consent.
- Incomplete or incorrectly submitted entries will be automatically disqualified.
Deadline
The deadline is February 15, 2026. Interested candidates can submit their photographs on the application portal.
Discover more art and culture awards on our Opportunities page.
Summary not available at this time.
