Vital Impacts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses journalism and visual storytelling to amplify and support the work of communities protecting people, wildlife, and habitats around the world. 

The Vital Impacts Environmental Photography Fellowships and Mentorships support visual storytellers undertaking long-term documentary photography projects that explore environmental and conservation challenges and, importantly, the people and communities working toward solutions. 

The program has a dual purpose: to provide financial support and mentorship to photographers developing significant bodies of work while fostering meaningful collaboration with communities and organizations engaged in environmental and wildlife conservation. We are particularly interested in stories that move beyond documenting environmental problems to illuminate the people, communities, and initiatives working toward meaningful solutions. 

In 2027, Vital Impacts will award: 

• One $20,000 fellowship to an established environmental photographer;
• Six $5,000 fellowships to emerging photographers from around the world; and
• Ten mentorships to photographers whose work demonstrates strong potential and would benefit from additional guidance and professional support.

Each fellowship supports one photographer and one documentary project over the fellowship and mentorship period, providing the time, financial support, mentorship, and creative independence needed to develop a compelling and deeply reported body of work. Fellows will receive ongoing guidance from the Vital Impacts mentorship community throughout the year. 

At the conclusion of the fellowship or mentorship, recipients will be expected to have made meaningful progress on their proposed project and developed a substantial body of work suitable for publication, exhibition, and other forms of public engagement.

DEADLINE: November 30, 2026

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND TO APPLY