dutch talent project grants

Rotterdam Photo, in collaboration with Amarte Fonds, presents the Dutch Talent Project Grants 2026. This initiative offers emerging photographers the opportunity to develop new work around the festival theme "Echoes of Silence – War in the Artist's Soul." Selected artists will receive financial support, curatorial guidance, and a platform to exhibit their projects during Rotterdam Photo 2026.

At a time when images of war and conflict flood our screens, this theme calls for a different, more introspective approach. Instead of documenting violence or producing straightforward reportage, "Echoes of Silence" invites photographers to turn the lens inward – to explore how conflict, collective trauma, and displacement resonate within the artist's inner world.

This edition focuses on the emotional and psychological aftermath of war: the invisible traces of trauma that echo in memory, family stories, and the subconscious. These works might express silence, emptiness, repetition, alienation, or symbolic gestures, offering a poetic and subjective counterpoint to the sensationalism of mainstream imagery.

Rotterdam, a city marked by its own history of trauma, bombing, migration, and reconstruction, provides the perfect backdrop for this exploration. Here, the invisible scars of conflict form part of the city's identity, making it a fitting stage for artists who are willing to reflect on how war – even from a distance – shapes their imagination, emotions, and artistic voice.