The Tender Photo Editorial Fellowship 2025
Applications are due on February 7, 2025
Writers who are based in an African country are invited to apply for the second edition of the Tender Photo Editorial Fellowship.
Tender Photo has championed the work of over 145 photographers in the last three years, publishing a well-received weekly newsletter and collaborative archive of African photography. The Tender Photo Editorial Fellowship will draw from extensive dialogues on photography to support writers with interest in arts writing and arts journalism, specifically those who do not have a significant publication history.
The fellowship is targeted at early to mid-career individuals who are based on the African continent, who write in English, and are interested in deepening their engagement with photography. Preference will be given to those with little to no formal training in the visual arts or art criticism. A demonstrable commitment to writing is assumed, as well as a grasp of the newsletter’s ethos and format. Five (5) successful applicants will be awarded the fellowship. The overall experience is intended to help the fellows pursue independent projects at the intersections of photography, literature, and art criticism.
Main Features of the Fellowship:
Fellows will participate in two masterclasses, facilitated by Emmanuel Iduma and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀. The first masterclass is focused on critical responses to photographs, and the second on how photographs can inspire the writing of fiction.
The fellowship is designed to support fellows through the process of creating four micro-essays about photography and one longer piece of prose which could be fiction or nonfiction.
The micro-essays will be published in the Tender Photo newsletter. The process of working on them will include initiating and facilitating correspondence with photographers, writing short narrative captions of approximately 150 words, and readying the newsletter for publication.
Each fellow will be supported to develop a longer piece of writing over the course of the Fellowship. Emmanuel Iduma and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ will provide feedback on up to two drafts of whatever longer piece each fellow chooses to develop.
A stipend of ₦500,000 will be paid to each fellow in two equal tranches, at the beginning of the fellowship and at the end.
Key Dates:
Applications are open from Wednesday 15 January 2025 until Friday 7 February 2025.
Successful candidates will be notified by Wednesday 12 February, 2025.
The fellowship will last from March–July, 2025. It will be preceded by a virtual bootcamp in February, and a close-out session in August.
To apply, complete this form.
FAQs
I am not based on the African continent. Can I apply? No, you’ll have to be based in an African country to participate in the fellowship. However, we will announce other opportunities that are open to African writers in the diaspora this year. Subscribe to the newsletter and follow us on Instagram to stay informed.
I am not of “African descent,” but based in an African country. Can I apply? Yes. However, we might review this criteria on a case by case basis.
What do you mean by “early to mid-career writers”? This is a loosely defined term. It is an all-inclusive phrase for writers who believe they need opportunities to share their photography-related writing with a wider audience.
My writing has been published mainly online/on a blog/newsletter. Can I apply? Yes.
Does my writing sample have to be connected to photography or visual art? No, although we favour nonfiction writing. However, do note that fellows are required to write micro-essays during the fellowship.
What are you looking for in an application? Applicants will be evaluated based on the quality of their writing style, familiarity with the work of the Tender Photo newsletter, and their track record as writers. We welcome applications from every kind of writer: journalists, critics, academics or creative writers.
Kindly address other questions to the project assistant via editorial@tender.photo.
What 2024 fellows say about the Fellowship:
“I would say that my looking at photographs has improved, in that I strive now to look even longer and closer at an image, which makes for better appraisal of an image. Where writing is concerned, it’s been a rewarding experience exercising my muscle for brevity.”
— moshood
“My writing about photographs immensely improved in the period of the fellowship… During the course of the fellowship I learnt, (quite satisfactorily) and in a deeper sense, that every viewer has their own interpretation of an image, but taking the time to study an image and simply describing it makes for a more universal read of the image.”
— Onotu David Onimisi
“It allowed me to see the operations of a platform that engages with visual arts. The whole process – from seeking out photographers to filing a text for publication – was impactful…”
— Zenas Ubere
“It allowed me to articulate why it is that a particular image is appealing to me. It also exercised that part of my brain regularly which is essential towards the work I do.”
— Sana Ginwalla
“I am less intimidated by the idea of writing literally, and more excited by the joy and challenge of finding more creative and different ways of expressing the literal - and seeing how far I can stretch this. I am no longer overwhelmed by capturing the visual, I take my time with as many parts of an image as I can.”
— Sibongakonke Mama
This is a great opportunity. I'll be happy to share it in The Open Call List!
Restacking for reach - and excited for the diaspora opportunities to come!