NATURE IN THE TIME OF WAR
2026 SCHOLARSHIP
FOR YOUNG DOCUMENTARY
PHOTOGRAPHERS
APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED UNTIL JULY 10
OPEN CALL
Living the War supports young Ukrainian documentary photographers who document the consequences of the Russian war in Ukraine. The 2026 scholarship program combines financial support, one-on-one mentorship, in-depth research into the topic, and an exhibition project as a final result.
The theme of the second open call is "Nature in the time of War." Over the course of several months, participants will shoot, research, and develop their ideas under the mentorship of an experienced photographer, who will guide the process through regular one-on-one sessions. At the same time, online meetings will be held with guest international documentary photographers, curators, and environmental experts.
WHAT PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE
- 01A scholarship grant of 60,000 UAH
- 02Mentorship and curatorial guidance throughout the entire program
- 03A series of online meetings with international experts and documentary photographers
- 04A space to research their chosen topic and develop a documentary project
- 05Preparation for and participation in the final exhibition at the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden
TERMS OF PARTICIPATION
The program is open to participants up to and including 30 years of age.
The main requirement is that you must be working in Ukraine. To apply, you need to provide a description of your photo project idea along with a tentative implementation plan, and attach a portfolio in PDF format (up to 10 MB). APPLY NOW
TEAM
KATERYNA RADCHENKO
Curator
MYKHAYLO PALINCHAK
Mentor
ANNA VOITENKO
Mentor
ELENA SUBACH
Mentor
UMBERTO DIECINOVE
Guest lecturer
In the application, you may indicate your preferred mentor to work with; however, the final selection and assignment of participants remain at the mentors' discretion.
PROJECT TIMELINE
- June 15 – July 10 — Open Call
- July 20 — Announcement of results
- July 27 — Program launch
- August – September — Research and mentorship program
- October — Preparation of projects for presentation
- TBD — Opening of the exhibition at the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden
If you have any questions, please contact us at
livingthewar@gmail.com
Media Partners:
Odesa Photo Days, Frontliner, Zbirka
The program is implemented with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
2025 PROGRAM: RESULTS OF THE FIRST OPEN CALL
The first open call in 2025 received 150 applications, from which six participants were selected. Ruslana Kliuchko, Mykyta Bezus, Valya Polishchuk, Ivan Samoilov, Rehina Bukvych, and Mykyta Abramov explored the impact of war on the ecology: from land mining and the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant to the death of dolphins in the Black Sea and the disappearance of insects due to pesticide use.
In March 2026, the completed works were presented at an exhibition in the Greenhouse of the M.M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden in Kyiv.READ THE REVIEW ON ARTSLOOKER
Projects featured on The Ukrainians:
