Arab Documentary Photography Program

Benefits & funding

• A $7,000 production grant for artist fees, equipment, research, travel, and other project-production expenses.
• Up to 10 months to develop the project, including up to nine months of mentorship or consultation and one month for final implementation and production.
• Three mandatory workshops: two in person in Beirut or another Arab city and one online.
• Workshop travel and accommodation are paid directly by ADPP, while location per diems are covered by the grant.
• English-Arabic interpretation is provided during workshops.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be emerging photographers from the Arab region and ordinarily live and work there; people forced to leave their home countries since 2012 because of political unrest may apply from elsewhere if their project relates to the region.
• The eligible Arab countries are Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
• Applicants need technical familiarity with photography and must independently own the full copyright to the proposed project; journalists or activists without photography experience are ineligible.
• The proposed work must be documentary in nature, but applicants need not have specialized in documentary photography and may have a limited portfolio.
• Previous ADPP grantees, applicants with an open AFAC grant, and recipients of two consecutive AFAC grants who have not completed the required two-year gap are ineligible.
• No degree, age, or gender requirement is published.

Application process

1. 1
   During the open-call period, visit the AFAC program page and open the online application form.
2. 2
   Create an AFAC profile or sign in to an existing account.
3. 3
   Complete the application in English or Arabic and submit a project budget.
4. 4
   Upload 10–20 initial project images, a separate body of work showing photographic and visual-storytelling ability, and the required caption sheet and file links.
5. 5
   Submit online before the deadline and check for the confirmation email; postal and email applications are not accepted.

Program timeline

1. The most recent open call began.

   Oct 10, 2025

2. Application deadline.

   Dec 10, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. Beirut time

3. Grantees announced.

   April 2026

4. First four-day in-person workshop in Beirut or another Arab city.

   Second week of May 2026

5. Second three-day online workshop.

   First week of December 2026

6. Third five-day in-person workshop in Beirut or another Arab city.

   First week of March 2027

7. Final project output due.

   First week of May 2027