Deadline: Sunday, September 20, 2026 by 11:59 EDT
CONTACT invites grant applications from Canadian or Canada-based photographic artists who are at the advanced stages of developing a cohesive, rigorous body of work presented in book form.
Established by photographer Edward Burtynsky and CONTACT, the Burtynsky Grant is a $5,000 annual grant to support a lens-based artist in the creation of a photobook.
Please provide the following in one (1) PDF via file-sharing service such as Dropbox, Smash, or Google Drive to photobook@contactphoto.com:
Minimum 10 spreads (two pages side-by-side, like an open book) of your book dummy that best communicate your project and vision for publication. Full book submissions are also welcome, either digitally or as a hardcopy.
Project statement about your photobook
Rough outline of how you would use the grant funding (ie. budget details regarding printing, distribution, design, etc)
CV and/or artist statement
Expressions of interest from publishers, if available (this is not mandatory, as you may be self-publishing)
Since its inception in 2016, The Burtynsky Grant has supported a range of exceptional photobooks.
2025
Matthew Poburyny, Divided Heart
Honourable Mentions:
Romane Bladou, Pins and Needles
Ethan Murphy, No Guts, No Glory
2024
Simon Emond, Say My Name (Dis Mon Nom). Forthcoming 2026 from Sternthal Books.
Honourable Mentions:
Josh Aronson - Florida Boys
Pengkuei Ben Huang - The Memory Shore
Ruth Kaplan - Crossing. Available for pre-order now, shipping Spring 2026 from Kehrer Verlag.
2023
Morris Lum, Chinatowns: Tong Yan Gaai. Published 2025 by DelMonico Books/DAP with WORK BOOK Editions.
Honourable Mentions:
Cindy Blazevic, The Stink of Motherhood
Sandra Brewster, Blur. Published 2025 by Free Pony Press.
Chris M Forsyth, Montana Road Wreck. Published 2024 by Push Pull Editions.
2022
Fatine-Violette Sabiri, Kiss Landing. Published 2024 by Éditions VU.
Honourable Mentions:
Oumayma Ben Tanfous, Intertwined
Bertrand Carrière, Une poignée d’étoiles (A Handful of Stars). Published 2023 by Éditons Loco Paris.
Tommy Keith, Don’t Forget to Wave. Self-published in 2023.
Julie Pasila, As Above
2021
Cristian Ordóñez, Frequency. Self-published in 2023.
Honourable Mentions
Sara Knelman, Lady Readers. Published 2024 by Ottoby Press.
Jon Laytner, Normal and Boring
Rehab Nazzal, Driving in Palestine. Published 2023 by Fernwood Press.
Kyler Zeleny, Bury Me in the Back Forty. Published 2024 by The Velvet Cell.
2020
Pamila Matharu, Index: Some of All Parts. Forthcoming.
Honourable Mentions
Leyla Godfrey, Four Walls With No Entrance
Esmond Lee, Below the City
Laurence Philomene, Puberty. Published 2022 by Yoffy Press.
2019
Teresa Eng, China Dream. Published 2019 by Skinnerboox.
Honourable Mentions
Valerian Mazataud, Liwa Mairin. Self-published in 2021.
Luis Mora, Say it with Flowers. Self-published in 2019.
Heather Rattray, 98 Ways to Say Very Good
2018
Birthe Piontek, Abendlied. Published 2019 by Gnomic Book.
Honourable Mentions
Eve Tagny, Lost Love
Ian Willms, We Shall See
2017
The Broadbent Sisters, A Telepathic Book. Self-published in 2018.
2016
Aaron Friend Lettner, Doorways. Published 2017 by Anchorless Press.