2024 Opportunities
The 2024 Prism Photo Workshop grant funded by the Field Foundation of Illinois:
Thanks to support from the Field Foundation of Illinois, Prism Photo Workshop is offering a $1000 grant to a photographer or multimedia journalist to produce and publish a photography or multimedia project. The winner will be selected based on a portfolio consisting of up to 10 single images, video clips or completed videos and a description of the project. The applicant may submit separate work or visuals already produced for the project.
Applicants must be a resident of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry or Will County in Illinois or Lake County, Indiana.
Apply here. Deadline for submission is June 15th at midnight CDT.
Prism provides resources and support for young photographers of diverse backgrounds to tell the stories of underrepresented people and communities with dignity. We believe it is imperative that news organizations -- and the journalists who represent them -- are credible and diligent and that they reflect our communities accurately and faithfully.
Past recipients of Prism Photo Workshop scholarships and grants:
The 2023 Prism Photo Workshop grant:
Loren Toney (she/her) is a published fine art and portrait photographer based in Chicago. Finding her artistic footing in authentic emotion, her portraiture is featured in a wide array of spaces. Toney’s work focuses on the complexities of interpersonal relationships and identity, particularly the experiences shared between Black people. She was awarded the 2023 Prism Photo Workshop Grant based on her project “Vignettes," which honors Black men for who they are and gives them an opportunity to tell their truth through the lens of a Black woman, with images accompanied by the handwritten words of each of the men.
The 2023 Prism Photo Workshop scholarship:
Efrain Soriano (they/them) is a photojournalist based in Cicero, Illinois. Raised by Mexican immigrants, Efrain proudly identifies as Chicana and speaks Spanish and English. Their current focus includes staying civically engaged, community organizing, and utilizing their art background as a tool for change. They have worked with organizations such as Cicero Independiente, Borderless Magazine, and MuckRock over the past three years to address the information needs and language barriers in their community. Informed by the community they serve, Efrain currently works on a youth and education beat for Cicero Independiente, which aims to redefine the way that Cicero youth are portrayed in media.
The 2022 Prism Photo Workshop grant:
Carlos Khalil Guzman is a portrait and lifestyle photographer who took an interest in photography at an early age. He has a degree in commercial photography and was awarded the 2022 Prism Photo Workshop Grant based on his project “Muslims of America,” a photo series dedicated to capturing the diversity of the Muslim community in the United States and bringing to light the beauty and truthfulness of Islam while countering Islamophobia.
The 2022 Prism Photo Workshop scholarship:
Roy Cases is a student at Northeastern Illinois University studying communication, media, and theater. Growing up in a multicultural neighborhood in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago formed and cultivated his endless curiosity. He started his journey in photography with interests in fashion design. However, he found his work being driven by his love for people, the church, and an innate desire to hear and tell stories. Today you can find him serving his local communities, mentoring the youth, and adventuring the outdoors. If there’s one thing photography has taught him, it's that beauty is everywhere, even in the mundane, and especially when we slow down and pay attention to what’s around us.
The 2021 Prism Photo Workshop grant:
Beatriz Beckford is an Artist/Activist who believes that arts and culture serve as important mechanisms for stewarding critical dialogues and facilitating radical social change that is essential to moving towards the beloved communities we dream of and work to create. For over ten years her personal, professional, and academic pursuits have focused on the arts, community organizing, anti-oppression work, and community-based popular education approaches. Most significantly, much of the arts and activism work she has engaged in coupled with her own use of making/creating as a tool for personal growth has allowed her the opportunity to gain invaluable experience channeling the energy and innovative ideas of others and helping such individuals, not herself, see themselves as powerful and creative change-makers and stewards of the arts, community, and justice.
The 2021 Prism Photo Workshop scholarship:
Taylor Dominique Mason (she/they) is a photographer, producer, and astrologer based in Chicago. A California native, Taylor’s upbringing at the intersection of different cultural, political, and racial backgrounds informed and inspired her curiosity. As co-founder of Black Brown + Breathing, Taylor works with fellow community organizers, yoga teachers, and artists of color to create spaces of healing, celebration, and social connection throughout Chicago’s south and west sides. Before transitioning into film full time, Taylor spent seven years working in politics and community organizations advocating for gender justice and an end to mass incarceration. Throughout this time, she worked with film and theater organizations in London, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area.
Taylor’s written and visual work has been featured in HuffPost, ForHarriet, and Rootwork Journal, and largely centers femmes and families of color, and the ways in which we heal ourselves and our communities through nature, daily ritual, and the spiritual healing practices of our ancestors. She is currently producing several shorts and a feature documentary, and will graduate from Columbia College Chicago with her MFA in Creative Producing in 2022.
The 2021 Prism Missouri Photo Workshop scholarship:
Maryam Turaki, whose work focuses on African women, health, education and human rights, will attend the 2021 Missouri Photo Workshop as the Prism Scholarship recipient. "Photography is a tool for healing," Turaki has written. "In looking at others, we see ourselves." We're excited to see Maryam's thoughtful, moment-driven work contribute to the 73rd year of the workshop.
The 2021 Prism CatchLight grant:
Lukwaiya is an Indigenous photographer who seeks to challenge inaccurate narratives. As the recipient of the first CatchLight/Prism Grant, he will document and raise funds to address an ongoing water crisis in his community of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. "I hope to humanize and document people in ways that represent them. Journalism has a long history of not respecting and documenting Indigenous communities," he said.
The 2020 Prism Photo Workshop scholarship:
Kaleb Autman is a Chicago-based creative director, producer, educator, writer, scholar, community organizer, and political strategist. His work focuses on youth incarceration, police violence, conscience media making, and social inequities. At the age of 18, this nationally published and internationally traveled social justice scholar has contributed to over 25 political campaigns, ranging from unseating a corrupt states attorney to delivering personal goods and community to people in developing countries. Autman’s work is built upon the necessity of relationships and accountability. He has been published by outlets like Apple, BET, ABC, Truthout⠀
The 2020 Prism Photo Workshop grant:
Linghua (Lily) Qi is a multimedia journalist based in Chicago. Qi received her master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University specialized in social justice and investigative reporting. Her stories have appeared in publications such as Nikkei Asian Review, Civil Eats and the Navajo Times. She is a graduate from Kartemquin Educational Films internship program and a former fellow at Free Spirit Media.
Closed applications:
The 2023 Prism Photo Workshop grant:
Prism Photo Workshop is offering a $1000 grant to a photographer or multimedia journalist to produce and publish a photography or multimedia project. The winner will be selected based on a portfolio consisting of up to 10 single images, video clips or completed videos and a description of the project. The applicant may submit separate work or visuals already produced for the project.
Applicants must be a resident of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry or Will County in Illinois or Lake County, Indiana.
Deadline for submission is August 31st at midnight CDT. Apply here.
The 2023 Prism Photo Workshop scholarship:
Prism Photo Workshop is offering a $1000 scholarship to a high school or college student interested in pursuing photojournalism as a career. The winner will be selected based on a portfolio of up to 10 work samples and a short essay.
Applicants must have at least one year of school left to complete and be a resident of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry or Will County in Illinois or Lake County, Indiana.
Deadline for submission is August 31st at midnight CDT. Apply here.