About

The Act On Your Future Foundation (AOYF), in partnership with the Centre de la photographie Genève (CPG), invites artists from around the world to apply for the 7th AOYF Human Rights Photography Prize, under the theme “Post-Truth: Reality in Question.”

Launched in 2015, the Prize brings together artistic creation and reflection on contemporary human rights issues. For its first fully international open call, it welcomes artists from diverse backgrounds and encourages a wide range of perspectives and approaches to photography and image-based practices.

Five Finalists will be selected by an interdisciplinary Jury to develop and present their work in a collective exhibition at the CPG in Geneva, Switzerland, from 16 June to 21 August 2027. The Winner will receive a CHF 10,000 Award, while the four other Finalists will each receive CHF 1,000. All five will benefit from production and curatorial support, as well as assistance with travel and accommodation to participate in the programme in Geneva.

Applications are free of charge and open to artists aged 18 and over, regardless of nationality or country of residence.

About the Prize & 2027 Theme

The AOYF Human Rights Photography Prize supports artistic creation while encouraging critical reflection on some of the most pressing issues facing contemporary societies. Beyond recognising artistic achievement, it offers artists opportunities to develop their practice, gain visibility and engage audiences in meaningful dialogue around human rights.

Post-Truth: Reality in Question

Facts have never been easier to verify, and never easier to dismiss. Images circulate instantly, algorithms shape what reaches us, and artificial intelligence can generate content increasingly difficult to distinguish from reality. At the same time, authentic images, established facts and victims' testimonies can themselves be dismissed as fabricated.

Yet questioning a dominant narrative is not disinformation. Doubt, contradiction and different points of view remain essential to a free society. Photography lies at the heart of this tension: it can document, reveal and bear witness, but also frame, transform and manipulate.

At a time when reality itself is increasingly contested, what can we believe, and who shapes the reality we see? What can artists reveal, challenge or imagine within this uncertainty?

The Prize invites artists to explore these questions through documentary, conceptual, experimental and interdisciplinary approaches. Projects may engage with evidence and testimony, manipulated or AI-generated imagery, contested histories, propaganda, the circulation of images, or personal experiences of realities that others dispute.

These are possible starting points, not prescribed categories. We welcome diverse, personal and critical perspectives shaped by different geographies, cultures and lived experiences. AI-assisted practices are eligible, provided the methods used are disclosed in accordance with the Prize's Terms and Conditions.

Beyond the exhibition, a programme of talks, guided visits and public discussions will bring the artists' work into dialogue with wider audiences, encouraging critical thinking and raising awareness of contemporary human rights issues.

Awards & Opportunities

The Prize offers five selected Finalists the opportunity to develop and exhibit their work in a professional setting, with dedicated financial, curatorial and production support.

Winner's Award - CHF 10,000
The Winner will receive:

• CHF 7,000 unrestricted cash prize
• CHF 3,000 project development grant, to support the further development, production or presentation of the awarded project or a directly related continuation of the work

Four other Finalists - CHF 1,000 each
Each of the four other Finalists will receive a CHF 1,000 award.

All five Finalists will also benefit from:

• Curatorial support: Guidance from the CPG curatorial team to develop their projects for exhibition.
• Production support: Up to CHF 1,500 per project, with production in Geneva under the supervision of the CPG team.
• Exhibition: Participation in a collective exhibition at the Centre de la photographie Genève, from 16 June to 21 August 2027.
• Travel and accommodation: Support to attend the final Jury round, Award Ceremony and exhibition opening in Geneva, from 14 to 16 June 2027, subject to prior agreement and available budgets.
• Public engagement: Opportunities to participate in talks, guided visits and other activities bringing their work into dialogue with audiences and professionals from the arts, media, research and human rights fields.
• Visibility: Exposure through the Foundation's and its partners' communication channels and professional networks.

AOYF Collection
As part of the Prize's artistic legacy, each Finalist contributes two works produced with the Prize's production support to the AOYF Collection, selected by mutual agreement with the artist. Copyright remains with the artist.

About the Organizers

Act On Your Future Foundation (AOYF)
Founded in Geneva in 2014, Act On Your Future is a Swiss non-profit, tax-exempt foundation dedicated to promoting human rights among younger generations and empowering them through innovative cultural and social initiatives.

Through its programmes, the Foundation seeks to encourage critical thinking, creativity and civic engagement, while providing young people with opportunities to express themselves, develop their potential and contribute to positive social change.

The AOYF Human Rights Photography Prize is one of the Foundation's flagship initiatives.

Centre de la photographie Genève (CPG)
The Centre de la photographie Genève is a Geneva-based institution dedicated to photography and contemporary image-making.

As the exhibition partner of the 7th AOYF Human Rights Photography Prize, the CPG will host the Finalists' collective exhibition and provide curatorial and production support, helping artists develop and present their work to a wider audience.

Websites

www.actonyourfuture.org

www.centrephotogeneve.ch

How to Enter

Applications must be submitted exclusively through Picter by 20 December 2026, 23:59 CET (22:59 UTC).

Participation is free of charge. The Prize welcomes artists aged 18 and over working with photography and image-based practices, with no restrictions based on nationality, country of residence or formal artistic education. Individual artists and collectives may apply.

Each applicant or collective may submit one project only.

Application requirements

Each application must include:

1. Project title.
2. Portfolio: 8 to 25 images presenting a coherent selection from the proposed project. For moving-image works, a video or excerpt of up to 10 minutes may be submitted; if the complete work is longer, its full duration must be indicated.
3. Project statement: Up to 300 words describing the project, its artistic approach and its relationship to the theme.
4. Artist biography: Up to 150 words, including contact details.
5. Captions and technical information relevant to the submitted works.

Projects may be new, ongoing, previously completed, exhibited or published, provided they meaningfully engage with the theme.

Generated, composited, staged, appropriated and archival material may be included, provided the methods used are clearly disclosed in the project statement. Deliberate misrepresentation of manipulated or generated material as documentary evidence may result in disqualification.

All applications must comply with the official Terms and Conditions, available on this platform.

Selection & Judging Criteria

Applications will be assessed through a three-round selection process by an interdisciplinary Jury appointed by AOYF and CPG, bringing together expertise in photography, contemporary art, visual culture and human rights.

The Jury will evaluate projects according to the following criteria:

• Artistic quality and originality: The strength, creativity and distinctiveness of the artistic approach.
• Relevance to the theme: The project's engagement with “Post-Truth: Reality in Question” and the human rights questions it raises.
• Strength of visual language: The coherence and effectiveness of the visual approach in communicating the project's artistic vision.
• Conceptual depth and critical reflection: The project's ability to explore meaningful questions, challenge assumptions and stimulate reflection.
• Potential for exhibition and public engagement: The project's capacity to develop into a compelling exhibition and engage diverse audiences.

The Jury welcomes a diversity of artistic practices, perspectives and interpretations of the theme. No particular photographic style or technique will be privileged.

Following two online selection rounds in January and February 2027, five Finalists will be selected and notified in February. The final Jury deliberations will take place in Geneva on 14 June 2027, with the Winner publicly announced during the Award Ceremony and exhibition opening on 16 June 2027.