Mission
Funding
TruePicture supports young and committed photojournalists. Our nomination committee proposes candidates to the jury for the TruePicture grant with mentoring programme. To take part in the competition, applicants need a fully developed project idea for a long-term reportage of social relevance and a convincing portfolio. The TruePicture expert jury decides who receives funding. The selected photojournalists each receive a project grant of CHF 15,000 to realise their long-term reportage; they are mentored throughout, receive technical support and are introduced to the professional network.
Support
TruePicture helps young photojournalists consolidate their training and professional careers and produce photo reportages of social relevance.
Stance
TruePicture is committed to concerned photojournalism: photojournalists take a clear position and understand their photography as a contribution to public debate and to greater justice in the world. TruePicture regards photojournalism as an important contribution to strengthening democracy. TruePicture is open to new visual forms. TruePicture stands for greater diversity – among photojournalists as well as in subject matter.
Awareness
TruePicture is aware of the debates around the notion of truth and the Eurocentric gaze, and takes them into account when coaching photojournalists.
Guidelines
TruePicture follows the ethical guidelines of the International Federation of Journalists and the ethical guidelines and rules on image manipulation of the World Press Photo Foundation. Where scenes are staged or images altered after the fact, the manipulation must be justified and declared openly and clearly.
Rights
TruePicture respects the rights of photojournalists. Copyright and usage rights in the images always remain with them. TruePicture receives only the right to publish the finished work on the TruePicture website and in communications directly connected with TruePicture. This always happens in consultation with the photojournalists.
Strengthening democracy
The world needs independent and critical journalism – in democratic states to safeguard democracy, in autocratic ones to promote it.
Photojournalism
Like written journalism, photojournalism has faced existential change since the 1990s. The funding of well-researched, committed photo reportages and their publication through traditional channels – such as multi-page editorial features in national and international publications – has largely collapsed.
Press freedom
At the same time, state and corporate influence on independent journalists and media keeps intensifying, leading to less press freedom worldwide.
Public debate
Photojournalism makes an important contribution to public opinion. Think of the impact of the images from the Vietnam War and the Iraq wars, or on issues such as climate change and the refugee crisis. Like written journalism, which is increasingly funded by foundations and patrons, photojournalism needs new funding instruments.
Entry opportunities
Basic photographic skills can be learnt at universities of applied sciences or self-taught. For advanced training and for young photojournalists entering the profession, today’s editorial environment offers few openings.
Networks
Experience shows that TruePicture photographers stay connected after completing the programme, supporting one another with advice and practical help, or founding collectives, agencies or research teams. In this way TruePicture strengthens photojournalism as a profession.
Social documentary focus
Through their social documentary focus, TruePicture reportages bring greater attention to committed and timely subjects. TruePicture supports a new generation of photojournalists who will continue to take part in public discourse with critical work.
Urgency
Programme
Nomination
Application
Selection
TruePicture grants are awarded to photojournalists selected by our nomination committee. Eligible are people living in Germany, Austria or Switzerland, or nationals of these three countries. An application is based on a fully developed project idea for a journalistically sound, socially relevant long-term reportage and a convincing portfolio.
Each year our jury selects three photojournalists from the submissions. The project idea is central to the selection. From 2024, the «Walo Kamm Award for Human Rights» is awarded in addition.
During the project, the selected photojournalists are supervised by Manuel Bauer, by the professors and lecturers of the Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography programme at Hochschule Hannover, and by other experts. They are trained and mentored in editorial, organisational, strategic, photographic and journalistic matters.
To realise their long-term project, the selected photojournalists each receive CHF 15,000. The project must be completed within one and a half years.
The jury may also award two Honorable Mentions of CHF 2,500 each for outstanding applications that could not be included in the programme.
After 18 months, the photojournalists present their finished reportages in the press, in a joint exhibition, in talks, in a publication, online and on social media. For this they receive a publication fee and a budget for producing the exhibition in addition to the project grant.
Grant
Mentoring
Coaching
Entering the profession
TruePicture connects the photojournalists with editorial teams and clients to ease their entry into the profession. They are also encouraged to publish in new formats alongside traditional media, or to develop new publishing platforms themselves. TruePicture helps the photographers find new funding instruments for well-researched photo reportages.