Welcome to VID Foundation for Photography - VID Foundation for Photography

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The 2023 VID Grant Call for Aplications is now open:

Deadline to apply is Friday, 8 September 2023 at 17:00h CET. Apply here!!!

In the media:

VID Foundation in the Calvert Journal. Read here!

VID Grant Winners in Vogue Italia. Read here!

VID Foundation showcase at 2021 Photo Vogue Festival in Milan here!

The VID Foundation for Photography is committed to untold visual stories from the Balkans through a grantmaking scheme and mentorship programmes. We support visual storytellers that expose often unseen, relevant, social issues from the Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia). The VID Foundation aims to bring excellent and compelling visual stories from the Balkans closer within the Netherlands and broader European contexts.

Photography and visual storytelling shed light on important neglected or unknown narratives. However, in the Balkans photography remains an under-developed genre. This is because there is little to no opportunities or financial support for photography in the Balkan region. Although a new generation of photographers and artists is emerging, encouraged by shifts in regional politics and access to affordable technologies, the photography sector remains dominated by the mainstream media that does not necessarily reflect independent and alternative points of view. Under such conditions it is increasingly difficult for independent photographers to show alternative perspectives. This means there is little opportunity for independent visual storytellers and artists to explore creative, personal, long-term, and analytical approaches to their work. The VID Foundation for Photography aims to facilitate a vibrant regional photography community in the Balkans, where photography and visual storytelling is a vibrant career option for young and emerging artists.

The name of the Foundation comes from the Latin root ‘Vid‘ meaning “to see” and in Slavic meaning “sight”. The VID Foundation for Photography seeks to broaden perceptions of the Balkan region through the medium of visual storytelling and photography. We want to open the eyes of the world to see the accomplishments of the visual photography scene in the Balkans, but also the challenges that emerging photographers there face.

Our Activities

–The VID Grants

The VID Grant is an annual prize given by the VID Foundation for Photography. It seeks to support and promote the best emerging visual storytellers in the region. The VID Grant helps emerging photographers to develop their skills and practice. Support is given to visual storytellers, photographers and artists that show new, untold perspectives and representations of the social, cultural, environmental and physical landscape in the Balkans.

–Webinars

We regularly organise online, live webinars. The purpose of the webinars is to give insight to all those interested to apply for the VID Grant. At the Webinars we present the ins and outs of application writing, tips on how to write up a successful project proposal, and how to present best your work to a broader public. Please follow us on Instagram to see all our webinars to date.

–Interviews/Conversations

We regularly organise online, live interviews/conversations with leading photography experts from throughout the world. The purpose of these conversations is to create a direct link to photographers from the Balkans to top-lever professionals. As well as to create more connection for the photography industry with the Balkans. Please follow us on Instagram to see all our interviews/conversations to date.

–Curated Online Presence

As part of our mission to promote emerging photographers from the Balkans, we showcase Balkan related visual work on our website and social media to expand exposure, create opportunity and connect photographers working on Balkan-related issues with our broader network.

–Exhibitions

In addition to their online promotion, we will showcase the winners of the VID Grant through exhibitions that take place in both the Netherlands as well as countries in the Balkans. The purpose is to show the winning works to a broader international public in order to promote new, untold perspectives and representations of the social, cultural and physical landscape in the Balkans.

–Local Partnerships

In order to expand our network in the Balkans and to keep up to date with developments in the photography scene in the region, the VID Foundation for Photography engages in partnerships with local organisations, as well as with organisations that are based in the Netherlands.

The VID Foundation for Photography is a Dutch organisation operating under Dutch Law and based in Amsterdam. Our mission is to support visual storytellers, photographers and artists that expose often unseen, relevant social issues affecting communities in the Balkans.
KVK-nummer: 80865089

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