The Photography Book Grant offers an emerging, Greater New Orleans photographer the opportunity to publish an initial book. This grant provides financial support and offers mentorship from established professionals who assist in transforming the artist’s portfolio into a polished, professional book.
Purpose: To guide photographers through the entire process of editing, writing, and publishing their works, offering both creative and practical mentorship as they navigate their journeys from concept to finished book.
The 2023 grant recipient, Bruce Q. Williams created a book entitled “CONDUIT: New Orleans Photographs by Bruce Q. Williams” which featured text by distinguished international curators and local photographers from Louisiana, California, and Pennsylvania. An exhibition that included color photographs featured in his book, and book- signing was hosted by Travelers Hotel, a boutique, artist-powered hotel in the Lower Garden District.
Photography Book Grant Application:
One grant will be awarded to deserving photographer annually> Applicants can be an emerging photographer (students are encouraged to apply), or an established photographer who has not been previously published. Photographer Binh Danh will be on the selection committee this year.
https://binhdanh.com
Eligibility – The ASN Photography Book Grant is open to all photographers over the age of 18 living in Louisiana. All photographic media welcome.
Submission Fee – There is a $30 application and administration fee (if this is a financial hardship, please contact Art Span Nola). Once you pay the submission fee, you will receive instructions via email about uploading your materials.
Entry deadline: September 30, 2026
*Please note that the ASN Photo Book Grant does not include an exhibition.
How to Apply: Biographies, resumes, and artist statements must be submitted for each artist. If the project has not already begun, please submit sample pieces, even if they are on a small scale, as part of your image submissions.
- Please submit one PDF file including all text and images. A PDF can efficiently include photographs imported in JPEG format plus all the written material. We do not permit submissions that include multiple PDF files, or PDF files in combination with other file types.
Quick checklist for program application:
- 10 – 20 images
- Image list: this annotated image list should include image title, size of original piece, year of completion, and medium
- Letter of Intent (Description of Project)
- Bio
- CV/resume
- Artist Statement
All of these materials should be included in one PDF, submitted via the form below.
ASN Photography Book Grant 2026 Details
Theme: Nature and Memory
Art Span NOLA (ASN) invites applications for the 2026 ASN Photography Book Grant, an annual award supporting the creation and publication of a first photography book by an emerging photographer from the Greater New Orleans region.
The 2026 theme, Nature and Memory, encourages photographers to explore the evolving relationships between landscape, ecology, memory, and place. As coastlines shift, habitats disappear, and communities adapt to environmental change, photography becomes both witness and archive. Images have the power to preserve what is fading, reveal what often goes unseen, and imagine new ways of understanding our connection to the natural world.
While inspired by the distinctive landscapes of New Orleans, coastal Louisiana, and the greater Gulf Coast, the grant welcomes a broad range of interpretations. We encourage projects that consider nature not simply as scenery, but as history, home, inheritance, and living ecosystem. Whether documentary, conceptual, poetic, or experimental, strong proposals will demonstrate a thoughtful engagement with the theme while presenting a cohesive body of work suited to publication as a photobook.
All photographic approaches are welcome, including traditional photography, documentary practice, conceptual work, experimental and alternative processes, historical techniques, camera-less photography, mixed media incorporating photographic elements, and interdisciplinary practices rooted in photography. We are interested in artists who expand the language of photography while maintaining a meaningful engagement with the natural world.
The ASN Photography Book Grant provides financial support toward the production of a professionally designed photography book, along with individualized editorial mentorship throughout the process of editing, sequencing, writing, design, and publication.
The 2026 selection committee includes internationally recognized photographers Binh Danh, whose work explores landscape, history, memory, ecology, and the human experience through innovative photographic practices.
Grant Award
One photographer will receive:
Financial support toward the production of a professionally designed and published photography book.
Individual editing and publishing mentorship with photographer Binh Danh.
Professional guidance through the complete book-making process, including editing, sequencing, writing, design, and publication.
Previous Recipient
The 2023 ASN Photography Book Grant recipient, Bruce Q. Williams, published CONDUIT: New Orleans Photographs by Bruce Q. Williams, featuring essays by distinguished curators and photographers from Louisiana, California, and Pennsylvania.
https://youtu.be/VAA5Fx2hok4?si=f5Kz49Sbe4YhdCPc
Eligibility
Open to photographers 18 years of age or older.
Applicants must reside in Louisiana, with preference given to photographers living in the Greater New Orleans region.
Emerging photographers, including students, are especially encouraged to apply.
Established photographers who have not previously published a photography book are also eligible.
All photographic media, processes, and styles are welcome.
Application Fee
A $30 application and administration fee is required.
If the application fee presents a financial hardship, please contact Art Span NOLA prior to applying.
Deadline
September 30, 2026
Application Requirements
Submit one PDF containing all application materials.
The PDF should include:
10–20 images from the proposed project or work in progress.
An annotated image list including title, year, dimensions, and photographic medium.
A Letter of Intent describing the project and explaining how grant funds will support its completion.
Artist Statement.
Biography.
Curriculum Vitae or Résumé.
Applicants whose projects are in the early stages may submit sample work that reflects the direction and vision of the proposed publication.
Only one PDF will be accepted. Applications containing multiple PDFs or additional file types will not be considered.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated on:
Artistic vision and originality.
Strength and cohesion of the proposed body of work.
Engagement with the 2026 theme, Nature and Memory.
Readiness of the project for book development.
Quality of the submitted photographs.
Potential for the project to evolve into a compelling and thoughtfully realized photobook.
