Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellowship & Photo Essay Prize 2026
September 17, 2026
The Africa Center, New York
8am-5pm Tuesdays-Sundays
Lines of Survival: Living, adapting, imagining tomorrow.
September 17, 2026
The Africa Center, New York
8am-5pm Tuesdays-Sundays
The Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellowship & Photo Essay Prize invited young photographers aged 18–30 from Africa and the global diaspora to document the environmental shifts unfolding around them, and the ways communities are responding. Submissions for the third edition closed in July 2026.
Now in its third edition, the programme continues its mission to amplify African and diaspora perspectives within the global climate conversation, using photography as a tool for advocacy, public engagement and climate literacy.
This year’s theme, “Lines of Survival: Living, adapting, imagining tomorrow,” asked young photographers to explore how people and communities are navigating climate pressures.
At a time when adaptation finance, just transition, and the question of whose voices shape climate action are firmly on the global agenda, the programme places young African climate storytellers at the centre of the conversation.
The Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellowship & Photo Essay Prize is a flagship project under the Road to 100 Million Climate Soldiers in Africa initiative, launched by Africa Soft Power and African Women on Board.
The initiative was created to address one of the most persistent barriers to climate action on the continent: the lack of relatable, locally grounded narratives that connect climate change to everyday life – livelihoods, security, food systems, health, education, and economic opportunity.
Through photography, the Programme invites young people to document climate realities as they see and experience them.
The Climate Change Photo Essay Prize is the open call through which the Fellowship identifies each year’s cohort. Entry to the third edition was free and open to:
Entries were governed by the Terms & Conditions, which remain available in full below.
The overall winner is designated the Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellow and receives USD $2,000, alongside inclusion in the international exhibition tour and media support to promote their work.
Up to four finalists each receive a cash award and join the Fellow in the exhibition as it travels to audiences across the world.
Two editions have been exhibited across three continents. The third opens in New York this September.
To date, the programme has received more than 1,140 photographs from over 30 participating countries, with finalists exhibited across Africa, Europe and North America. Previous winners and finalists have explored themes including water scarcity, desertification, flooding, displacement, plastic pollution, environmental anxiety, resilience, and the fragile relationship between people and the natural world.
The 2026 jury unites practitioners working across photography, curation and visual storytelling from Africa and the diaspora, bringing lived and professional insight to the selection of this year’s Fellow and finalists. Judging was conducted blind, across two rounds.
The 2026 Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellow and finalists were selected through a blind judging process conducted across two rounds. Their work forms the exhibition Lines of Survival, opening at The Africa Center in New York on September 17, 2026.
South Africa
E’Plazini: A Place to Call Home for Waste Collectors
Buthelezi’s series documents the waste pickers of Dryhook informal settlement near Devland, Soweto, whose daily collection and sorting work diverts material from landfill across the city.
Uganda
The Fishermen’s Tale
At Lake Eyasi in Tanzania, Mulondo follows fishermen whose catch now depends on seasons that no longer arrive as they once did.
Kenya
Climate Realities
Made across northern Kenya’s prolonged drought, the series records the ingenuity of communities digging wells into dry riverbeds and the cost borne by children who miss school to fetch water.
Togo
Stand in the Sand
Along Togo’s eroding Atlantic coast, five frames trace a narrative from dwindling catches to the ruins left by rising water, closing with the coastal defences communities are building to hold the sea back.
Kenya
When the Water Stays
Returning repeatedly to flood-affected communities near Lake Victoria, Ongoro documents the same water that displaces families also sustaining them, and the generational persistence of those who cannot leave.
Lines of Survival opens in New York during UNGA81 and Climate Week, and continues at landmark climate, policy and cultural moments through 2027. We work with partners on exhibition support, city-level programming, production and in-kind contributions.
For the partnership deck, contact curator@africasoftpower.com.
Each edition’s winner and finalists are selected through a blind judging process conducted across two rounds, designed to ensure impartiality across a range of criteria.
Selected through a blind judging process across two rounds, Bakura’s winning series documents the increasing centrality of water and the transportation systems sustaining farming communities now surrounded by desert.
Capturing silhouetted figures carrying farming equipment through a foggy morning, Free’s series reflects the uncertainty, atmosphere, and cautious optimism of communities living through climate change.
These are the Terms & Conditions that governed entry to the 2026 edition. They are retained here for reference.
By entering the Competition, you (the “Entrant”) confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
By entering the Competition, the Entrant accepts these Competition Rules and Terms and Conditions.
By entering the Competition, you agree and acknowledge that Africa Soft Power and African Women on Board (the “Admin”) may receive and process your registration data.
All personal information will be used in accordance with applicable data protection laws and Admin’s Privacy Policy.
The Prize is free to enter.
The Prize is open to young people from Africa and the global African diaspora community who are aged between 18 and 30 years old on the closing date. The Admin reserves the right to verify eligibility.
Each image entered into the Competition (an “Entry” or “Image”) must be submitted through the designated submission platform specified by the Admin.
All entries must be submitted by 12:00pm WAT, Monday July 20th, 2026. The Admin reserves the right to extend, amend or modify any timeline at its discretion.
By entering the Prize, the Entrant agrees to participate in the Competition and its evaluation process.
The Admin will not use, publish, exhibit or promote submitted works or Entrant information for publicity or promotional purposes unless the Entrant is shortlisted as a finalist or selected as a winner.
For finalists and winners, the Entrant grants the Admin the right to use their name, likeness, biographical information and submitted materials in connection with the Prize, including for editorial, promotional and publicity purposes across all media.
This may include use across exhibitions, media features, Prize communications, partner platforms, educational activities, climate-action campaigns and associated programming directly related to the Prize.
The Entrant acknowledges that the Prize and its related events may be documented through photography, video and other media, and agrees that finalists’ and winners’ work and participation may be included in such documentation.
To enter, Entrants must submit three (3) to five (5) photographs that collectively form a cohesive photo essay through the designated entry form and upload platform.
Entrants warrant that all submitted work is original and does not infringe the rights of any third party.
Once submitted, entries cannot be edited, replaced or amended.
Images must:
Entrants must retain full-resolution originals and provide them upon request. Entrants should include the title of their photo essay in the submission form.
Judges will assess the photographic work itself and are not required to consider supporting descriptions or explanations.
The Africa Soft Power Climate Change Photo Essay Prize recognises and supports visual storytellers whose work contributes to public understanding of climate change and its impacts across Africa and the African diaspora.
Subject to eligibility and compliance with these Terms, the Prize encompasses the following:
Climate Storytelling Fellow:
The Overall Winner shall be designated the Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellow for the relevant Prize year.
Finalists:
Climate Storytelling Fellows Cohort:
The Overall Winner and Finalists may be recognised collectively as the relevant year’s Climate Storytelling Fellows Cohort.
In addition to any cash award, Fellows and Finalists may be offered opportunities for:
All such opportunities are offered solely at the discretion of the Admin.
The Fellowship and associated opportunities are honorary and developmental in nature and do not create any employment, consultancy, agency, partnership or contractual relationship with the Admin.
The Admin reserves the right to substitute, modify, withhold or withdraw any award, Fellowship designation or associated opportunity where an Entrant is found to be in breach of these Terms, is ineligible or where exceptional circumstances make such action necessary.
The decisions of the Judges and the Admin are final.
The Showcase features established photographers, documentary photographers, visual artists, environmental storytellers, photojournalists, and members of the African diaspora.
In addition to the Competition, the Admin may invite selected photographers, visual artists, documentary practitioners, photojournalists and other visual storytellers to participate in the Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Showcase.
Participation in the Showcase is by invitation only and is not subject to the Competition judging process.
Showcase participants are not eligible for Competition awards unless otherwise determined by the Admin.
The Admin may exhibit, publish, promote and present Showcase works alongside selected Competition entries as part of the Prize exhibition and related programming.
The purpose of the Showcase is to highlight excellence in climate storytelling, foster dialogue between emerging and established practitioners, support mentorship and exchange, and encourage public engagement with climate issues across Africa and the global African diaspora.
All Images must be the sole and exclusive property of the Entrant and must not infringe any copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, moral or other legal rights.
Entrants retain full copyright ownership of all submitted Images.
By entering the Prize, the Entrant grants the Admin a limited, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use submitted Images solely for administering, reviewing, judging and operating the Competition.
No promotional, publicity, exhibition, fundraising, publication or commercial use shall be made of non-finalist Images without the Entrant’s prior written consent.
For finalists and winners, the Entrant grants the Admin a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to reproduce, publish, display, communicate, distribute and promote
selected Images in connection with:
The Admin may share finalist and winning Images with media, exhibition, publishing, sponsorship and programme partners directly involved in the Prize.
Any commercial licensing unrelated to the Prize shall require the Entrant’s prior written consent.
Selected Images may be retained indefinitely for archival, educational, historical and record-keeping purposes as part of the permanent legacy of the Prize.
The Admin may continue to reference and display selected works indefinitely in connection with previous editions of the Prize.
Entrants selected for exhibition will be required to provide high-resolution files, including TIFF files, for use in the exhibition catalogue and marketing campaign. TIFF files provided for exhibition purposes will not be shared with third parties for unrelated purposes and will be securely deleted upon written request after the conclusion of the relevant exhibition cycle.
The Admin shall use reasonable efforts to credit the Entrant whenever practicable.
The Entrant warrants that:
The Admin may require evidence of releases, permissions or licences at any stage.
The Prize is intended to recognise photographic storytelling based on images created through the Entrant’s own photographic practice and observation of the world. Images that are wholly or substantially generated using artificial intelligence tools are not eligible.
Entrants may not use artificial intelligence, generative image systems, synthetic image generation tools, generative fill technologies, or similar technologies to create, add, remove, replace, fabricate, or materially alter any subject matter, person, object, landscape, event, or visual element within a submitted Image.
Submitted Images must accurately represent the scene photographed and must not contain fabricated or synthetic visual content.
Standard photographic editing practices are permitted, including:
The Admin may request original files, RAW files, metadata, editing histories, captions, supporting documentation, or any other materials reasonably necessary to verify the authenticity of a submission.
Any Entrant found to have submitted AI-generated, materially manipulated, misleading, fabricated, or otherwise inauthentic imagery may be disqualified at any stage of the Competition.
The Admin may withdraw any award, Fellowship designation, exhibition inclusion, publication, sale opportunity, or other benefit associated with a submission that is subsequently found not to comply with this Policy.
The Admin’s determination regarding compliance with this Policy shall be final.
In consideration of receiving a cash award and the associated benefits of participation in the Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellowship & Photo Essay Prize, selected Entrants grant the Admin a worldwide, non-exclusive licence to produce, market, exhibit and sell editioned prints of selected Images, subject to the limits set out below.
The Entrant retains full copyright ownership of all Images and all rights not expressly granted under these Terms.
The licence granted under this section permits the Admin to produce and sell up to the following number of editioned prints:
The Admin may also exhibit, publish, reproduce, market, distribute and promote selected Images in accordance with the rights granted under the Image Rights and Use section. Such uses shall not count towards the edition limits above.
The Admin may determine, at its sole discretion:
The Admin shall be under no obligation to produce, market or sell any editioned prints.
Acceptance of a Fellowship award or finalist award constitutes acceptance of the licence granted under this section.
The cash award, Fellowship designation, exhibition opportunities, publicity, publication opportunities and associated benefits constitute full consideration for the licence granted under this section.
No further payment, royalty, commission, revenue share, licence fee or other compensation shall be due to the Entrant in connection with the authorised production or sale of editioned prints within the limits specified above, regardless of whether or for what amount such prints are sold.
Should the Admin wish to produce or sell editioned prints beyond the limits specified above, the Admin and the Entrant shall agree separate terms in writing before doing so.
Purchases of editioned prints contribute to the sustainability of the Prize and support its educational, cultural and climate-action initiatives.
There shall be two rounds of judging.
In the first round, entries will be reviewed based on the digital image files submitted by Entrants, and a shortlist will be put forward for consideration by the judging panel. Shortlisted Entrants may be required to provide higher-resolution files, RAW files, metadata, captions, supporting information, proof of authorship, model releases, property releases, or other materials reasonably requested by the Admin or the Judges.
The final round shall be conducted by an independent panel of judges appointed by the Admin.
Judges shall be provided with guidance regarding judging procedures, assessment criteria, and conflicts of interest.
The identities of judges may be published on the Competition website.
The decisions of the Judges and the Admin are final.
Neither the Judges nor the Admin shall be required to provide feedback on individual submissions.
The Judges and the Admin reserve the right not to make an award in any category where submissions do not meet the required standard.
The Admin reserves the right to verify the authenticity, ownership, provenance, and eligibility of any submission at any stage of the Competition and may disqualify any entry that fails to satisfy these requirements.
All photographs must be obtained ethically and lawfully.
Entrants must respect people, communities, wildlife, habitats, cultural heritage and private property.
Any submission involving unlawful conduct, trespass, harassment, exploitation, environmental damage, habitat destruction, animal cruelty, misrepresentation or unethical conduct may be disqualified.
The Admin may request additional information concerning the circumstances in which an Image was created.
The Entrant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Admin, its officers, employees, contractors, affiliates, sponsors, judges and representatives against claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses arising from:
The Admin reserves the right to reject entries, disqualify Entrants, withdraw awards, remove works from exhibition or publication and cancel sales where these Terms are breached or where participation may adversely affect the integrity, reputation or operation of the Prize.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Admin shall not be liable for indirect, consequential, incidental, punitive or economic loss.
The Admin shall not be responsible for technical failures, lost submissions, data loss, exhibition cancellations, transportation delays, third-party acts or circumstances beyond its reasonable control.
The maximum aggregate liability of the Admin to any Entrant shall not exceed the value of any monetary award actually received by that Entrant.
Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
The Admin reserves the right to amend these Terms, modify the Competition, suspend the Competition or cancel the Competition where reasonably necessary.
Selection as a finalist, exhibitor, Fellow, shortlisted Entrant, runner-up or winner does not guarantee exhibition, publication, sale, sponsorship, media coverage or future opportunities.
The Admin shall not be liable for delays, suspensions, modifications or cancellations arising from events beyond its reasonable control.
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Any dispute arising from these Terms shall first be addressed through good-faith negotiations.
Where a dispute cannot be resolved within thirty (30) days, it shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration in Lagos, Nigeria, before a single arbitrator appointed in accordance with the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023.
The language of arbitration shall be English.
The arbitral award shall be final and binding.
No failure or delay in exercising any right shall constitute a waiver of that right.
If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
For enquiries, email: curator@africasoftpower.com