Could your photography take you to a marine conservation project somewhere in the world, with travel expenses covered and a professional daily fee?

The Save Our Seas Foundation is offering two emerging photographers the chance to document ocean research and conservation projects in 2027. Each winner will receive a US$2,000 cash prize, a paid photographic assignment at US$350 per day, and covered assignment expenses. Underwater photography is not required. But the opportunity is highly competitive, and applications close on 15 November 2026.

Information reviewed: 12 November 2026. This article concerns the 2026 Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant, with assignments scheduled for 2027. The application deadline is 15 November 2026 at 18:00 Central European Time (CET).

A fishing community preparing for another day at sea. A scientist studying threatened sharks. Families whose livelihoods depend on healthy coastal ecosystems. Or a small marine conservation team working to protect a species that few people have ever seen. These are the kinds of stories that photography can bring to a wider audience.

For two emerging photographers, the opportunity to document marine conservation work could become a paid international assignment in 2027. The Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) has opened applications for its Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant 2026, an international programme designed to support photographers at an early stage of their professional careers. Selected photographers will receive financial support, professional mentoring, and the opportunity to travel to a foundation-supported conservation project.

Unlike a typical photography competition, this grant doesn’t just award money for existing photographs; it also gives winners a commissioned assignment to create a new photographic story.

What is the Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant?

The Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant is an initiative of the Save Our Seas Foundation, an international non-profit organisation based in Switzerland.

The foundation supports research, conservation and education projects focused on protecting marine wildlife and ecosystems, with particular attention to threatened sharks, rays and their habitats. Since its establishment, SOSF has funded hundreds of marine research and conservation projects worldwide. Photographers are encouraged to go beyond individual spectacular images and develop narratives that help people understand the relationship between marine wildlife, scientific research, conservation and human communities.

The 2026 programme will select two photographers.

Each will document a project supported by SOSF during 2027, working under the guidance of an experienced editorial and photographic mentoring team. The foundation’s programme determines the specific assignment location. Applicants should not assume they will be able to choose their destination or propose an independent travel itinerary.

How much will the winning photographers receive?

The financial package is one of the most interesting aspects of the opportunity. According to the official announcement and funding guidelines, each successful photographer receives:

• US$2,000 cash prize for winning the grant.
• US$350 per day as the professional fee for the photographic assignment.
• Covered assignment expenses, including the travel necessary to carry out the project.
• Professional mentoring throughout the assignment.
• An opportunity to present the resulting work at an international conference or photographic exhibition.
• Publication of the photographic story by the Save Our Seas Foundation.

It is important to distinguish the cash prize from the professional assignment fee. The US$2,000 is a separate prize awarded to each winner, while the US$350 daily payment compensates the photographer for work carried out during the assignment. The total professional fee will depend on the agreed assignment schedule and the number of payable days. The published documents do not establish a single fixed total payment for every winner.

How long does the assignment last?

The public recruitment announcement describes a three-week photographic assignment. However, the more detailed funding guidelines require winners to document an assigned marine conservation project for three to four weeks during 2027. Prospective applicants should therefore treat the exact duration and working schedule as matters to be confirmed with the foundation if selected. The foundation covers expenses associated with the assignment according to the published guidelines, but participants should clarify practical arrangements such as travel, accommodation, insurance, equipment needs, and any contractual or tax obligations before signing the grant agreement.

Do you need to be an underwater photographer?

No. Underwater photography experience is not required.

Although the programme focuses on the ocean, the Save Our Seas Foundation specifically encourages photographers to think beyond traditional underwater wildlife imagery. Conservation photography can document the people, places, and activities connected to marine environments.

Possible subjects include:

• Marine wildlife and threatened species.
• Coastal communities and their relationship with the sea.
• Fishing activities and the challenges of sustainable fisheries.
• Scientists and conservation workers conducting research.
• Marine habitats and the pressures affecting them.
• Community-led conservation and environmental education.

For example, a strong photographic story might follow researchers studying a threatened marine species or explore how a fishing community is responding to environmental change. The key is combining visual quality with a meaningful narrative. This makes the programme relevant not only to wildlife photographers, but also to emerging documentary and photojournalism professionals who are interested in environmental subjects.

Who can apply for the 2026 photography grant?

The grant is specifically intended for emerging professional photographers. It is not open to anyone who enjoys taking photographs while travelling. According to the official funding guidelines, applicants must meet several requirements:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Have no more than five years of professional experience in a photography-related discipline.
• Have earned income from photography-related work within the last five years.
• Submit a photographic portfolio and a complete photo story.
• Complete the online application in English.
• Follow the competition’s rules regarding image authenticity, photographic ethics and submission requirements.

The requirement to have earned money from photography is particularly important. The foundation is looking for photographers who have already begun developing a professional career but are still early in it. Applicants with extensive professional experience may therefore be ineligible, even if they are new to marine conservation photography. Likewise, someone who has never undertaken paid photography-related work may not meet the published eligibility criteria.

Applicants should read the official guidelines carefully before preparing their submissions.

Is the grant open internationally?

The programme welcomes applications from photographers from different countries and backgrounds. The Save Our Seas Foundation particularly encourages applications from women, gender-diverse photographers, people from the Global South and communities historically underrepresented in conservation storytelling.

This emphasis is intended to broaden the perspectives represented in environmental photography. The application is available in English, but the foundation states that it will not judge non-native English speakers on the quality of their English. International applicants should nevertheless consider their ability to travel for an assignment in 2027 and clarify any immigration, insurance or professional documentation requirements if selected.

What do applicants need to submit?

The application process consists of a single online stage. Applicants must answer the foundation’s questionnaire and submit two photographic selections:

• Best of Portfolio: exactly 20 photographs.
• Photo Story: exactly 10 photographs connected by a relevant theme.

A maximum of three photographs from the photo story may also appear in the Best of Portfolio selection. The photo story should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to develop a coherent narrative rather than simply collect attractive images. For example, photographs might document how a community depends on a particular coastal ecosystem, follow the research team’s activities, or explore a conservation issue through the people affected by it.

The storytelling quality is central to the grant.

What are the technical requirements for photographs?

The funding guidelines specify several submission standards.

Submit photographs as high-quality JPEG files, approximately 1,600 pixels wide, with an embedded ICC colour profile. The image metadata must include the date and location of the photograph and a detailed caption. The organisers accept normal photographic adjustments such as cropping, colour and tonal corrections, sharpening and sensor dust removal, provided these do not misrepresent the original scene. However, the competition does not accept composite or multiple-exposure images, added or removed objects, or visual manipulations that misrepresent nature.

Applicants must also avoid disturbing, injuring or endangering animals and their habitats in order to obtain photographs. These rules reflect the programme’s emphasis on documentary authenticity and responsible conservation photography.

Who will mentor the winning photographers?

One distinctive aspect of the Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant is the opportunity to work with experienced photography professionals. Bhomas Peschak, a National Geographic photographer and the Save Our Seas Foundation’s Director of Storytelling, leads the 2026 programme

His work has focused extensively on marine ecosystems, threatened wildlife and conservation stories in remote parts of the world.

The mentoring team also includes Kathy Moran, formerly Deputy Director of Photography at National Geographic, and Jennifer Pritheeva Samuel, a photo editor who previously worked with The Washington Post and National Geographic. For an emerging photographer, guidance from professionals with extensive experience in international environmental storytelling could be an important part of the grant.

Winning photographers will develop their assignments with support from the mentoring team and have the opportunity to present their work to wider audiences.

What happens to the photographs after the assignment?

Photographers considering this opportunity should understand the conditions attached to the images they produce. Under the official funding guidelines, the photographer retains copyright. However, the grant agreement gives the Save Our Seas Foundation exclusive usage rights to the material produced during the assignment for 12 months. After that period, the photographer may license or sell the work to other publications and clients.

SOSF nevertheless retains indefinite non-exclusive rights to use the material for specified non-commercial purposes, including conservation awareness, its publications, website, social media and promotion of the photography grant. This distinction matters for photographers who may hope to license the resulting photographs commercially after completing the assignment. Applicants should review these provisions carefully and make sure they are comfortable with the terms before accepting the award.

The foundation also expects winners to participate in related publicity and to present their work at an exhibition or conference, with the associated trip expenses covered as described in the guidelines.

Why ocean conservation needs visual storytellers

Marine conservation projects often take place far from the everyday experience of the people whose support they need. Researchers may spend years studying shark movements, monitoring coastal ecosystems, or working with fishing communities to reduce threats to marine wildlife. Much of this work is difficult to communicate through scientific reports alone. Photography can help connect audiences with the people and ecosystems involved.

A photograph of a threatened animal may spark curiosity, while a series documenting the conservation scientist’s work can explain the challenges and practical realities of protecting that species. Stories about coastal communities can also reveal how environmental changes affect human livelihoods and local traditions.

The Save Our Seas Foundation’s grant places particular value on this relationship between scientific information, visual communication and public understanding. It is not simply a search for beautiful ocean photographs. The foundation seeks photographers who can document meaningful conservation stories and communicate them through strong visual narratives.

How to apply before 15 November 2026

Submit applications through the official Save Our Seas Foundation grant portal.

Applicants must create an account, complete the written application, and upload the required photo selections. The foundation accepts only one application from each applicant. Anyone who currently holds another SOSF grant is not eligible to apply for a new grant under this programme. All submissions are reviewed by the photography grant judging panel and require final approval from the foundation’s Board of Directors.

Successful candidates must sign the SOSF grant agreement. The official rules state that this agreement cannot be modified.

The main dates are:

• 30 September 2026: applications opened.
• 15 November 2026, 18:00 CET: application deadline.
• 2027: photographic assignments for the selected winners.

The deadline is especially close for anyone discovering this opportunity in November 2026. Preparing a professional portfolio, selecting a coherent photo story and checking image metadata may require considerable time. Applicants who already have suitable work should therefore read the guidelines and start the online application promptly, rather than leaving the submission until the final hours.

Could photography become your next conservation assignment?

For emerging photographers interested in nature, people and environmental stories, the Ocean Storytelling Photography Grant offers an unusual professional opportunity. The combination of a cash prize, a paid assignment, funded travel and mentoring distinguishes it from competitions that offer only recognition or publication. It also reflects a wider idea: photography can be more than a way of documenting beautiful places. It can help people understand why protecting those places matters and introduce audiences to the communities and researchers working to preserve them.

But the grant comes with clear expectations.

Applicants must already have some professional photography experience, submit a substantial portfolio and demonstrate the ability to tell meaningful visual stories. Only two photographers will be selected, and the assignment involves professional responsibilities and specific licensing conditions. For those who meet the requirements, however, the opportunity could lead to a memorable assignment in 2027, documenting marine conservation work in a location supported by the foundation.

The chance to photograph the ocean is appealing. What makes this grant particularly interesting is the chance to be paid to tell a conservation story that might help protect it