Inge Morath Award

The Inge Morath Award was established by the members of Magnum Photos in memory of Inge Morath, one of the agency's longtime members and a photographer known for her commitment to encouraging women in photography. The award is administered by the Magnum Foundation in partnership with the Inge Morath Estate. Magnum Foundation is a nonprofit organization focused on supporting independent documentary photography, particularly work that expands the possibilities of visual storytelling and brings new voices and approaches into the field.

The Inge Morath Award is an annual production grant for a woman or nonbinary photographer under 30 working on a long-term documentary photography project. The award is intended to help the photographer complete or substantially advance an ongoing body of work. The award provides $7,500 in production support. There is no requirement to travel as part of the award, making the funding applicable to documentary projects taking place in a wide range of locations and circumstances.

The award has a particularly strong connection to Magnum's photographic history: the winner and finalists are selected by the full membership of Magnum Photos at its Annual General Meeting. This makes it more than a conventional open-call grant—the selection carries the recognition of one of documentary photography's most established international photographic communities. The award is specifically designed around long-term documentary work, rather than one-off assignments or general career development. Applicants therefore need a project with enough substance and direction to demonstrate where the work is going and how the funding will help bring it forward. The call is traditionally announced annually, with applications opening in the spring. Eligibility and application requirements can change from year to year, so the current call should always be checked before applying.