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© 2022
To bring focus to the storytelling aspect of the USk Mission we call on sketchers around the world to send us reportage project proposals.
The USk Reportage Grant Program is designed to highlight the best examples of these efforts and to inspire new artist-reporters in our community.
It is our great pleasure to announce the winners of the 2024 USK Reportage Grant. We received 52 submissions from around the globe on a wide variety of topics.
Discover the selection of winning 2024 projects here!
Urban Sketchers is now inviting applications to receive a Reportage Grant in 2025. The winning proposals will be awarded a grant of up to 400 USD to cover expenses related to the project.
Click here to download the application template and prepare your proposal
Reportage is a visual account of a cultural phenomenon, event, current history, etc., based in drawings completed from direct observation while on location. The drawings have to tell a story by capturing an event and showing context, characters, and setting. Sketches are accompanied by short pieces of narrative writing presented directly on the drawings or added separately. The narrative is informed by firsthand account, research, and interviews. A successful visual reportage gives viewers a feeling for the setting and the people.
All proposals will be evaluated by the USk selection committee. The merit of each proposal will be judged on the following criteria:
Check out the 2021 Reportage Grant winning entries and 2023 Reportage Grant recipients.
If you haven’t yet watched USk Talks, dedicated to all things Urban Sketchers visit the official USk YouTube channel.
In Season 2 we looked in depth into the practice of visual reportage and storytelling inviting artist reports, sketchers, and the winners of the Reportage proposal call to come and share their work and knowledge with the community.
Upload a PDF document (under 20Mb) containing your proposal. Please include at least five sketches that are related to your project or preliminary research. Include a short narrative along with your sketches that answers these questions:
1. What is the main idea/subject of your proposal?
2. How does it fit into the larger cultural context?
3. What other sketches you are hoping to complete in the course of your investigation?
4. Why will this story be interesting and inspiring to other urban sketchers?
As you work on your visual reportage we ask that you document your project in photos, videos, and other media as much as you can. These could include photos of you sketching on location, photos of your subject and the setting, audio files of interviews with your subjects, time lapses, and so on.
Winning proposals in 2024 will receive a grant of up to 500 USD in order to offset expenses related to the project.
The authors will have approximately 6 months to complete the proposed project including the completion of at least 12 on-location sketches that tell the story in a reportage format.
If your proposal is selected we will ask you to grant USk non-exclusive usage rights to publish your completed reportage on our channels as a condition to receiving the grant. You will retain full copyright of your images and can publish it elsewhere.
Please contact education@urbansketchers.org with any questions.
© 2022