12th Edition of the Carmignac Photojournalism Award

• Eligibility: all photographers, of all nationalities; Participation can be individual or collaborative (not necessary to have a press card to participate).
• Type of funding: Award
• Target country: Venezuela
• Application languages: English & French

In 2009, the Carmignac Photojournalism Award was created in order to support photographers working in the field. It annually funds the production of an investigative photo reportage into human rights violations globally and the related geostrategic issues. Selected by an international jury, the laureate receives a grant of €50,000 enabling them to carry out a reportage on the ground for 6 months with the support of the Carmignac Foundation which presents a travelling exhibition and the publication of a monographic book upon their return.

Objectives

Twenty years after the Bolivarian revolution—led by Hugo Chavez and his radical socialist reforms—the country is struggling to extricate itself from a deep economic crisis, marked by the plummeting price of oil, endemic corruption and hyperinflation (3000% in 2020). In under seven years, its GDP has fallen by 80% and importing has been slashed tenfold. In the face of this unrelenting recession, an informal shadow economy is growing. While the results of the latest elections have gone unrecognized by the international community, the power struggle between the ruling Chavista regime under Nicolás Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido is dividing Venezuelan society. These institutional blockages, as well as accusations of electoral fraud or political imprisonment, generate frequent demonstrations and clashes. These tensions, combined with problems of instability, only worsen the living conditions of Venezuelans, 80% of whom live in extreme poverty and suffer from severe shortages of running water, food and medicine. To date, 5.4 million Venezuelans (one in six inhabitants) live in exile.

The Carmignac Photojournalism Award will provide support for a photojournalistic project that documents this volatile social crisis.

See here to learn more and apply.