Dedicated to the preservation, experimentation, and dissemination of photographic expertise, the International College of Photography is offering four research-creation grants this year with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the NeuflizeOBC Corporate Foundation for Visual Arts.
The history of photography has established itself as a field of research for contemporary photographers, but it is too often reduced to historical processes when it could extend to images, figures, practices, objects, events, and even ideas, and inspire highly diverse retrospective works that, ranging from documentary to experimental, would not be limited to pre-digital processes but could also utilize current techniques, including artificial intelligence.
Anticipating the bicentenary of Nicéphore Niépce’s invention of photography in France, to be celebrated in 2026-2027, this edition of the International College of Photography’s research-creation grant aims to encourage retrospective works that explicitly reference the pioneers and inventors of the early days (the period 1820-1850) and develop, in one way or another, a reflection on this very specific period of the French invention of photography.
Four grants will be awarded, each worth €8,000.
The recipients will receive support throughout the year.
This call for applications is open to candidates residing or working in France, including its overseas territories.
Application materials in PDF format (less than 70 MB) must be submitted before December 31, 2025, and include:
– A presentation of your artistic practice (maximum 200 words)
– Your project proposal for the research-creation grant (maximum 400 words)
– A portfolio showcasing your work
– A biography (approximately 200 words) and a CV
Any project that does not explicitly address the proposed theme will not be considered.
Applications must be sent by email with the subject line “CIP Research-Creation Grant” to the following address: [email protected]
The call for applications is launched in 2025. The jury, composed of members of the CIP, the DGCA (for the Ministry of Culture), and the Neuflize-OBC Foundation, will meet in early 2026. The winners will be announced in February 2026. The submissions are expected in January 2027, and their publication/curatorial development will take place in the summer of 2027.
October 17 – December 31, 2025
