Objectifs Documentary Award seeks photography projects [Southeast Asia]

Southeast Asian photographers can submit new or ongoing projects to compete for these awards.

The Objectifs Documentary Award 2025 is inviting Southeast Asian photographers to submit new or ongoing projects that explore their native communities through diverse non-fiction storytelling methods, including social documentary, portraiture, conceptual and art photography. Projects can be presented as still images or multimedia and must be completed by January 2026.

The award has two categories. The Open Category offers one recipient SGD8,000 to support their project. The recipient will collaborate with curator Goh Sze Ying to curate and present a solo exhibition at Objectifs in May 2026. Applicants should have more than five years of professional photography experience.

The Emerging Category supports two recipients with SGD3,000 each. They will engage in a six-month mentorship with Jessica Lim, director of Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops, and present their final works at Objectifs in May 2026. Applicants should have less than five years of professional photography experience.

The award is open to Southeast Asian photographers, including those not currently residing in the region.

Apply by May 27.

An illustration showing a Bahraini fisherman on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, tending to his fishing net.

Uncovering the hidden costs of desalination in the Arabian Gulf

At a scientific conference, I found myself among researchers proudly presenting the Arabian Gulf’s dominance in global desalination capacity. To many in the room, it was a story of success—proof that technology could overcome nature’s limits in a thirsty region. But as an investigative journalist, I left

In Sri Lanka, The Examiner embraces a new vision for journalism

For years, journalists and newsrooms in Sri Lanka have had to navigate a host of problems. Media capture, repression, and unsustainable business models have been all too common – and impunity for violence against journalists remains a longstanding issue. “Journalism is still in danger,” Reporters Without Borders notes, and “the media

A map of Latin America and a person holding a magnifying glass over Argentina.

From Latin America, emerging models for AI in media

Media outlets across Latin America are finding novel ways to navigate the tsunami of change unleashed by fast-evolving AI. Among these players are innovative organisations that were working with AI long before the wave set off by ChatGPT in 2022, as well as new adopters of the technology, and those

Talita standing at a table full of workshop attendees.

A journalist in Brazil is showing seniors how to outsmart misinformation, one WhatsApp message at a time

The International Center for Journalists’ (ICFJ) Disarming Disinformation initiative is a three-year programme, supported by the Scripps Howard Foundation, that aims to slow the spread of disinformation through multiple programmes such as investigative journalism, capacity building and media literacy education. ICFJ partnered with MediaWise from the Poynter Institute to develop

Read more

Uncovering the hidden costs of desalination in the Arabian Gulf

In Sri Lanka, The Examiner embraces a new vision for journalism

From Latin America, emerging models for AI in media

A journalist in Brazil is showing seniors how to outsmart misinformation, one WhatsApp message at a time