Announcement of “GFX Challenge Grant Program 2026”
TOKYO, June 16, 2026 – FUJIFILM Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the ‘GFX Challenge Grant Program 2026’.
The GFX Challenge Grant Program, sponsored by Fujifilm, is a grant program designed to support aspiring creatives bring their imaging projects to life. It is designed to nurture and develop the skills of emerging/promising content creators, giving them the opportunity to create content on topics that have significant meaning to them, while gaining experience using FUJIFILM GFX System gear including “FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55” the filmmaking camera that was launched last year.
Proposed projects may be submitted as still photography or in a movie format. Submit a project proposal for a chance to receive a $10,000 Global Grant Award, or a $5,000 Regional Grant Award, and take the first step in turning your creative idea into reality!
Award Details
Global Grant Award
- Complimentary use of a GFX System camera body including “FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55” and two GF lenses for the duration of their project
- Mentoring and technical assistance from Fujifilm technicians / product experts
- US $10,000 Grant
Regional Grant Award
- Complimentary use of a GFX System camera body including “FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55” and two GF lenses for the duration of their project
- Mentoring and technical assistance from Fujifilm technicians / product experts
- US $5,000 Grant
* No purchase necessary to enter or win.
* A total approximate retail value of all grant awards offered in connection with this program is USD $229,500.e after refreshing this page.
Application Period
June 16, 2026 (Tue) – August 17, 2026 (Mon)
Eligibility
- The program is only open to individuals who are a resident of the countries / region listed in the section of “Entry Submission” at the GFX Challenge Grant Program 2026 landing page.
- The Program is open to both amateur and professional photographers and videographers.
- This Program is not open to employees or officers of FUJIFILM and its subsidiaries.
Selection Criteria
The project proposal will be reviewed based on the following criteria, each equally weighted (at 20% each):
- Relevance of the Project to the Program Objectives, and Applicant’s Adherence to the Submission Criteria
- Appropriateness of the Project story to be told using GFX System Products
- Creativity and Uniqueness of the described Project
- Achievability/Execution (Feasibility of the Project, overall budget size, likelihood the Project will be able to be completed as outlined)
- Applicant background and photography / videography experience and abilities
Selection Process
The process will follow as per below.
Submission Period
June 16 – August 17, 2026
Prepare your project proposal and submit it via the entry form below. Remember that your submission must include English and saved as a PDF file format.
1st Round
August 18 – September 6, 2026
Fujifilm will review the submissions and select 15 project proposals from 3 geographical regions, 45 submissions total, that will be evaluated in the 2nd round. By September 14, 2026, each selected Regional finalists will be informed via email and the necessary Zoom (or equivalent) interviews will be scheduled.
2nd Round
September 15 – September 29, 2026
Candidates will be asked for an interview with Fujifilm. The interview may be conducted in the language of your choice, if Fujifilm can accomodate. 5 finalists from each geographical region, 15 total, will be selected to proceed to the final round.
Final Round
October 3 – October 24, 2026
Global Grant Award judging team will review each candidate and select the 5 global grant award recipients, with the remaining 10 finalists receiving regional grant awards. The award recipients will be announced in January 2027.
*The first and second screenings are conducted by region.
Regions: 1. Americas, 2. Europe, Middle East & Africa, 3. Asia-Pacific
*The 1st and 2nd Round selection will be conducted regionally. These regions are 1. The Americas, 2. Europe / Middle East / Africa, 3. Asia Pacific
*The written project proposals will be reviewed in English. However, the interview in the 2nd round may be conducted in the applicant’s preferred language, if Fujifilm can accommodate.
*Language proficiency is not part of the judging criteria.
*Only candidates advancing in the selection process will be notified of their progress. An annoucement of the final grant recipients will be made at the conclusion of the final round.
*The Shooting Project is expected to be completed, and all created image and/or video are provided to Fujifilm by May 17, 2027.
Judges
Brendan Embser
Senior Editor (Aperture)
Brendan Embser is a senior editor at Aperture. He is the editor of Aperture books by David Alekhuogie, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Chloe Dewe Mathews, Ethan James Green, Deana Lawson, Philip Montgomery, Ming Smith, and Wendy Red Star. Brendan has served on the jury for the Addis Foto Fest, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Foto Tallinn, Tallinn, Estonia; Sony World Photography Awards; and WMA Masters, Hong Kong. He is also the cocurator of the exhibition Tyler Mitchell: Wish This Was Real. Formerly director of exhibitions at The Walther Collection, New York, his writing has appeared in Apartamento, n+1, and The New York Times.
Amanda Maddox
Curator and Arts Consultant
Amanda Maddox is an independent curator. She previously worked as lead curator at World Press Photo, and as an associate curator of photography at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. She has organized or co-organized numerous exhibitions, including Dora Maar (2020); Gordon Parks: The Flávio Story (2019); Now Then: Chris Killip and the Making of In Flagrante (2017); and Ishiuchi Miyako: Postwar Shadows (2015). She serves on the advisory council of the Josef Koudelka Foundation.
Lesley A. Martin
Executive Director of Printed Matter, Inc.
Lesley A. Martin is Executive director of Printed Matter, Inc. and founding publisher of The PhotoBook Review. Her writing on photography has been published in Aperture, IMA magazine, and FOAM, among other publications, and she has edited more than 150 books of photography, including On the Beach by Richard Misrach; Illuminance by Rinko Kawauchi; The New Black Vanguard by Antwaun Sargent; and, with Pauline Vermare, is the co-editor of I’m So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s Until Now.” Martin co-founded the Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards in 2012, and received the Royal Photographic Society award for outstanding achievement in Photographic Publishing in 2020. She is teaches at the Yale University Graduate School of Art.
Masako Sato
Curator & Founder Contact. Co., Ltd.
Masako Sato graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo. Organized the exhibition of photography in Pacific Press Service (PPS) in Tokyo. After leaving PPS, studied French in Paris. She has worked as a freelance coordinator whilst organizing various photography exhibitions. Founded Contact. Co., Ltd. in 2013, and has since organized and curated many travelling exhibitions such as Robert Doisneau, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Shoji Ueda, Shigeo Gocho, and the first retrospective of Saul Leiter’s works in Japan.
Pauline Vermare
Phillip and Edith Leonian Curator of Photography, Brooklyn Museum, New York
Pauline Vermare is the curator of photography at the Brooklyn Museum, New York. She was formerly the cultural director of Magnum Photos NY, and a curator at the International Center of Photography (ICP). She previously held positions at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, in Paris. She is the author of numerous publications on photography. She sits on the boards of the Saul Leiter Foundation and the Catherine Leroy Fund.
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