About the programme
Vital Impacts, a US nonprofit using journalism and visual storytelling, offers fellowships and mentorships for 2027. Awards include one $20,000 fellowship for an established environmental photographer, six $5,000 fellowships for emerging photographers, and ten mentorships. Each recipient develops one documentary project over about 12 months with mentorship. One fellow will also be invited to exhibit at the 2027 Festival of Ethical Photography in Lodi, Italy, with the festival covering exhibition costs and travel.
Duration: About 12 months
Eligibility
- Photographer or visual storyteller working on a long-term documentary project about environmental or conservation challenges
- Meaningful, established relationship with the people, place or issue being documented, which may come from local residence, recurring travel, long-term collaboration, or professional or academic experience
- Agreement to comply with the Vital Impacts Code of Ethics throughout the application and award period
- Sign in to check these against your background.
What they look for
- Prior publication experience is not required
- Strong photographic ability and a distinctive visual approach
- Clear plan for developing the project over 12 months and commitment to ethical, responsible storytelling
What you will need
- Project statement
- Photographic work and project materials
How to apply
- Submission window opens 31 August 2026
- Submission deadline 1 December 2026
- Results announced 16 January 2027
- Fellowship and mentorship recipients announced January 2027
- Festival exhibition recipient selected at a later date
Applications are submitted on Vital Impacts’s own site. Open Doors helps you prepare; it is not the official application portal.
Who received it before
Past recipients are environmental and documentary photographers from many countries, including emerging and established photographers, as shown by the 2024 to 2026 fellows and mentees pictured on the page.
- Tommaso Protti, 2026 Vital Impacts Environmental Fellow
- Clea Rekhou, 2026 Vital Impacts Fellow
- Chinky Shukla, 2025 Vital Impacts Fellow
From the programme’s own pages.
From people who applied
No notes yet.
Source and verification
- Official source
- Vital Impacts · Application
- Last checked
- 10 Nov 2026, read automatically from the official page
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