The Finalists of the W. Eugene Smith Fund’s $40,000 Photography Grant

Sep 09, 2022

W. Eugene Smith Fund's $40,000 Photography Grant

The W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund has announced the list of finalists for the 43rd annual W. Eugene Smith Grant for Humanistic Photography which awards one photographer with a $40,000 grant.

Finalists have also been named in the Smith Fund’s 5th annual Student category and 26th annual Howard Chapnick Grant, which is awarded to encourage leadership in any field ancillary to photojournalism, such as picture editing, research, education, and management.

The W. Eugene Smith Grant for Humanistic Photography, one of PetaPixel’s recommended grants and scholarships for photographers, has awarded more than $1.3 million to photographers since its inception in 1979. The organization says that despite “economic headwinds” and continued challenges due to the pandemic, it received several hundred entries from 72 countries this year.

Below are the finalists for each of the grants along with examples from their entries.

2022 W. Eugene Smith Memorial Grant Finalists

Mary F. Calvert: “Left Behind: Military Sexual Assault and Suicide” (United States)

Mary Calvert — Sgt. Sophie Champoux committed suicide after being repeatedly raped while serving in the U.S. Army. Army officials sent her mother redacted documents of what happened to her.

Matthieu Chazal: “The Ghosts of Ararat” (France)

Matthieu Chazal

Maxim Dondyuk: “Ukraine 2014/22” (Ukraine)

Russell Frederick: “A Love Letter to Bed Stuy” (United States)

Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn, NY. Summer 2006 — Supernova Slom, an author, rapper, community activist and health & wellness coach shows off his tribute to the ancestors of Egypt with his tatoos and his Native American heritage with the feathers arrangement. The red and blue beads in hair represent unity and peace between the Bloods and Crips gangs.

Earlie Hudnall: “Metamorphosis: Photographing a Community in Change” (United States)

Amit Madheshiya: “Untitled” (India)

No images of Madheshiya’s work were provided for publication, but they can be viewed on his website.

Ta Mwe: “Uprising in Myanmar” (Myanmar/Burma)

Ei Thinzar Maung, political activist is seen protesting along with labour union in Yangon, Myanmar on 6 february 2021.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters demand free all political leaders as police blocks the road during the anti-coup protest in Yangon, Myanmar on 9 February 2021.

Protesters pose three-finger salute during the anti-coup rally in Yangon, Myanmar on 28 February 2021.

Murat Yazar: “Shadows of Kurdistan. A Photographic Research of a Cultural Identity” (Eastern Turkey, living in Italy)

Grant recipients will be announced in October, however the Smith Fund Board of Trustees confirmed that a formal, in-person award presentation is not planned for this year.

More examples from all finalists as well as the names and selected works of the 2022 Howard Chapnick Grant and 2022 W. Eugene Smith Student Grant finalists can be found on the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund’s website.

Image credits: All images individually credited and provided courtesy of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund.