The Arab Documentary Photography Program (ADPP) has launched its 12th cycle with 10 emerging photographers from seven Arab countries to participate in its 2026-2027 mentorship and support program.
Amid escalating conflicts across the region, documentary photography’s role in safeguarding collective memory and identity from destruction and erasure takes on renewed urgency. Working within these contexts, the selected photographers explore varied forms of loss — physical ability, heritage and identity, and loved ones— while bringing forward underrepresented narratives of exile, motherhood, youth and gender-based violence. From Sudan’s only migration route, to a Moroccan city marked by mass exile, across truck routes in Algeria and buzzing urban landscapes of Iraq, these image-makers navigate between intimate huis clos and the public sphere, amplifying the voices of their subjects.
This year’s jurors — photographer, curator and educator Ala Kheir (Sudan), photographer and director of Qatar Photo Festival Tasweer Khalifa Al Obaidly (Qatar) and Magnum Foundation’s Director of Programs Emma Raynes (USA) — commended the photographers’ works, created during turbulent circumstances.
Following the deliberations, the jurors selected 10 photographers from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and issued the statement below:
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“Congratulations to those who were selected as grantees! We are hoping your experience in the program is a fruitful time of growth and discovery.
As a jury, we were inspired by the diversity of geography and topics that we had the opportunity to learn about in the applications. We were especially amazed and humbled by the applicants’ willingness to propose new ideas and take risks both artistically and personally, all while living and working in such complex contexts.
Most importantly, we want to offer encouragement to those who were not selected for this year’s program. There were many criteria involved in the selection process and there was an overwhelming number of strong projects that deserve support. We are also conscious of how our decisions were influenced by our unique perspectives and impacted by this particularly challenging time of global conflict. For those not selected, don’t consider this as a barrier, you are very much encouraged to keep creating!
Taking part in this jury process reaffirmed our admiration for the Arab Documentary Photography Program and the role it plays to honor and nurture the passion and energy of a new generation of image-makers. We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the program’s selection process and we look forward to seeing how this year’s projects develop.”
The 10 new grantees will join an alumni network of 112 photographers who have marked the documentary photography scene in the Arab region and abroad over the past 12 years. For this 12th cycle, four alumni will serve as lead mentors: Nadia Bseiso (Jordan), Heba Khalifa (Egypt), Abdo Shanan (Algeria) and Zied Ben Romdhane (Tunisia), leveraging the role of local voices in shaping the region’s narratives.
The projects selected by the jurors
- Fly Box by Ammar Abdallah, Sudan
- A Place Called Home, by Mohanad Abbood, Iraq
- Searching for the Truth by Ali Haj Suleiman, Syria
- From the Womb by Metche Jaafar, Sudan
- When the Swallows Pass by Charaf Lahib, Morocco
- Not a Sin by Forqan Salam, Iraq
- On Wheels by Mohamed Safi, Algeria
- Speck by Ahmed Abbadi, Yemen
- Suspended Souls by Lava Ahmad, Syria
- Made of Wood by Mariam Ashraf, Egypt
The Arab Documentary Photography Program (ADPP) is implemented by AFAC in partnership with the Prince Claus Fund and the Magnum Foundation with the support of the Norwegian Royal Embassy to Lebanon and Syria.