The Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant

Benefits & funding

• £10,000 towards the recipient’s chosen project, paid in two equal instalments of £5,000. The first is paid when the grant is announced, the second after a six-month review of how the project is progressing.
• Loan of Canon equipment for one year, to complete the proposed project.
• A year-long personal mentorship, including an assignment, with photojournalist Giles Duley, founder and CEO of the Legacy of War Foundation.
• Eligibility for inclusion in the Hamburg Portfolio Review.
• One recipient also receives the Gentex Corp Personal Safety Award: protective equipment plus a four-day hostile environment training course in the UK.
• Save the Children selects one long-listed entrant for a professional photography commission, covering the full fee, travel and expenses, with mentoring from its Head of Creative Content and Photography Lead.
• Each year the judging panel spotlights the work of a selection of long-listed entrants, who are also promoted through the grant’s own channels.
• Entry is free every year, with no submission fee of any kind.

Eligibility

• Entrants must be no older than 24 at the time of entry, or enrolled in a full-time photographic course.
• Anyone who turns 25 or younger during the year of entry may apply regardless of educational status. From 25 upwards, current enrolment on a full-time photographic course is required, evidenced by proof of student status including a letter from a tutor.
• Open to entrants from every country. The organisers state that international submissions are welcome and that there are no geographical limits.
• No degree is required, and no minimum number of years of professional experience is set.
• The work must be the entrant’s own. Staged or digitally manipulated photographs are not accepted.
• One project per submission, with a portfolio of 12 images. The images may come from a single series, and there is no limit on when they were taken.
• A project proposal is compulsory. A submission without one is not accepted.
• Proof of age and, where relevant, proof of enrolment on a photographic course must be supplied.
• Shortlisted entrants may be asked to name a guarantor, such as a tutor or a photographer who knows their work.

Application process

1. 1
   Check the entry condition: 24 or under at the time of entry, or enrolled full time on a photographic course.
2. 2
   Assemble a portfolio of 12 photographs, either a photo essay or individual images, as 300dpi RGB JPGs at least 2500px on the long edge. The organisers ask for files of at least 15MB uncompressed, in sRGB or Adobe RGB (1998), because winning work is reproduced in print.
3. 3
   Write a title, description and extended captions. An extended caption runs to one to three sentences and covers what, where, when and who.
4. 4
   Write the project proposal setting out the new work the grant would fund. The proposal does not have to be about the same subject as the portfolio; the money must go towards new work or towards advancing an existing project.
5. 5
   Prepare proof of age, or, for entrants of 25 and over, proof of full-time enrolment including a letter from a tutor.
6. 6
   Submit through the Picter entry portal before the closing date. The portal shows a cut-off of 10:59pm on 31 August 2026. Entry is free.
7. 7
   The panel reviews all entries that meet the criteria remotely and puts forward its top ten, then meets online or in person to agree a list of ten finalists. Finalists are contacted and may be asked for further information and for a guarantor. The judges then meet again to select the recipients. Only shortlisted and winning photographers are contacted.

Program timeline

1. Call for entries opens

   May 1, 2026

2. Call for entries closes

   Aug 31, 2026

3. Recipient announced

   Oct 30, 2026