CatchLight invites visual storytellers worldwide to apply for 2026 Global Fellowship

Three visual practitioners to receive $30,000 awards and opportunities to strengthen their impact.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, November 15, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The San Francisco-based visual media organization CatchLight has opened the call for submissions for the 2026 CatchLight Global Fellowship. The application will be open from November 15 through December 15, 2025. Each year, the Fellowship awards $30,000 grants to three innovative visual storytellers whose work is a tool for information, connection and transformation in their communities.

The Fellowship supports innovative visual storytellers who seek to cultivate meaningful audience engagement and amplify the impact of their work through inventive distribution strategies. Acting as an incubator, the program provides financial support, fosters professional development, and builds networks that empower creative leaders to influence the future of visual storytelling.

The 2026 Fellows will be selected by an international jury and announced at the CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit in May 2026. Applications are free and open to all nationalities. More information at catchlight.io/global.

“In a moment when division so often dominates the headlines, CatchLight stands firm in our belief in the unifying power of images. Through the CatchLight Global Fellowship, we are supporting visual storytellers around the world who are deeply connected to their communities — photographers who are building bridges across lines of experience, geography, and perspective. Their work fosters dialogue, empathy, and a renewed sense of shared humanity,” said Elodie Mailliet Storm, CEO of CatchLight.

The 2025 CatchLight Global Fellows continue to redefine documentary storytelling by centering community voices. Cairo-based Rehab Eldalil has been engaging SWANA war survivors through photography and mixed media to highlight resilience and global solidarity; Uruguayan Federico Estol collaborates with La Paz shoeshiner communities, now training participants as storytellers to amplify visibility and break stigmas; and central California-based Adam/n Perez partners with farmworker communities to document labor, land, and climate challenges, sharing their stories through photography, video, and public installations. Since May 2025, each has expanded their work, gaining new platforms and community-driven initiatives that extend the impact of their original projects.

“As an independent photographer and filmmaker working alongside migrant farmworkers during a time of mass deportation, the CatchLight community has been an anchor in the chaos,” said Adam/n Perez. “Their support has gone far beyond professional guidance — it has been a source of care, understanding, and solidarity. Through their mentorship, I’ve discovered new ways to gather stories with greater tenderness and thoughtfulness. CatchLight has given me the space to sit with the grief and trauma that surround this work, and to transform that pain into stories that honor the resilience of my community.”

For Federico Estol, “CatchLight is the only platform in photography that lets me expand my practice through long-term community projects with freedom, guidance, and new ways of connecting with people as visual storytellers, always in a non-extractive way. Their support has been precious, because so few platforms allow for sustained projects that combine education with street-level action to address social challenges like marginalization, discrimination, and polarization. CatchLight prioritizes people and civic engagement over marketing or commercial success.”

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TIMELINE

November 15, 2025: Applications open
December 15, 2025: Applications close
May 2026: Announcement of the Global Fellows at CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit in San Francisco

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Night of Photojournalism in Austin, TX
Saturday, November 15, 2025, 7:30 - 9:30pm CST
800 Congress, 800 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701

The Night of Photojournalism in Austin, presented as part of the Texas Tribune Festival, will feature conversations with leading journalists—including award-winning photographers John Moore, Adriana Loureiro Fernández, Ilana Panich-Linsman, and reporter Perla Trevizo. Large-scale projections of photo essays by local and international journalists will be accompanied by live music by Gary Jules and Kyle King.

Night of Photojournalism in Paris, France
Saturday, November 15, 2025 - 7:30 - 8:30pm CET
Gaîté Lyrique, 3bis Rue Papin, 75003 Paris, France

Presented in partnership with Dysturb as part of Reporters Without Borders’ 40th anniversary celebrations, the Night of Photojournalism in Paris will feature a 360° immersive experience combining large-scale projections, live DJ sets, and conversations with leading voices in visual journalism. Through powerful imagery and sound, the evening explores urgent global issues—from democracy and women’s rights to the environment and sport—through the lens of photojournalists from around the world. This night celebrates the power of photojournalism as a force for truth, connection, and social engagement.

Night of Photojournalism is presented by CatchLight in partnership with Dysturb, the Enlight Foundation and education partner, PhotoWings.

Myrtille Beauvert
Sisters Communications for CatchLight
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