MATCA CREATION GRANT 2025
- Deadline for submissions: 08.06.2025
- Recipients announced: 30.06.2025
- Project duration: July – December 2025
- Be a patron: If you would like to join us in nurturing independent voices in Vietnam’s photography, kindly contact hello@matca.vn.
In 2021, we launched the first Creation Grant in response to the pandemic and the ongoing precarity faced by Vietnamese photographers. The inaugural awardee, Vu Khoi Nguyen, received funding and mentorship to realize his first documentary project on the fading tradition of coal carving rooted in his hometown’s industrial heritage. After six months, he presented his work-in-progress in an open studio and has continued working in photography ever since.
Over nine years of community work, we have encountered many emerging voices like Nguyen: often self-taught, deeply curious and observant, yet lacking sustained support for professional growth. While Vietnam’s landscape is quickly evolving, opportunities to create, exhibit, and publish photography remain persistently limited. As an independent, photographer-run initiative, we have established the Creation Grant as a way to pay it forward. Our principle is simple: when each plays a part, we can spark projects that, though modest in scale, leave a lasting impact on their communities. Starting small, starting local, starting now.
The second round of the Matca Creation Grant supports the production of one photography exhibition and one series of texts from July to December 2025. This time, we are delighted to have artist, curator Trương Quế Chi (VN) and writer, researcher Zhuang Wubin (SG) who will join us as guest mentors.
What we offer:
- Two cash prizes of 10,000,000 VND each
- Artistic, editorial and logistics support from the Matca team and guest mentors
- Exhibition and publication opportunities
- Extensive promotion through all of our platforms
01. Exhibition grant
This grant supports one Vietnamese photographer or collective in exhibiting their work at Matca Space for Photography, which will run for 4-6 weeks within July-October. They receive a flat fee of 10,000,000 VND, free use of a 40m² fully equipped space in central Hanoi, artistic and logistical guidance to shape their presentation, and promotion through press and public-facing events. The awardee will work closely with the Matca team and guest mentor Trương Quế Chi.
Applicants should submit a ready-to-exhibit body of work or one near completion. Alongside images, they should include a rough proposal about the exhibition concept at our space. The proposal should specify the number of images intended for display, materials and presentation format (e.g., paper type, framing or unframed), and additional elements such as text, signage, or interactive components, if any. This information will help us understand the scope of the exhibition, but it is subject to change based on suitability and feasibility.
If based outside Hanoi, the awardee is expected to cover their own costs to attend the installation, opening, and artist talk.
Eligibility:
Open to Vietnamese nationals based in Vietnam, excluding the Vietnamese diaspora. Individuals and collectives can apply. No restrictions on the topic or genre of photography.
02. Writing grant
This grant supports one writer or collective in developing a series of writings on photography, to be published on Matca in 2025 and potentially later on Writing Foto. The grantee will receive a professional fee of 10,000,000 VND, along with editorial guidance and translation support from the Matca team and guest mentor Zhuang Wubin.
To apply, please submit a pitch for a series of 2 to 5 articles that explore photography, either historical or contemporary, in relation to Vietnam. The texts can stand alone or form part of a thematic series, and may take the form of interviews, features, reviews, or analytical essays. While the pitch should clearly express the author’s interest and approach, there will be flexibility in shaping the final outputs during the development process.
All work must be completed by 2025, with additional time allocated for translation and publication if needed. All texts published on Matca will be in both Vietnamese and English.
If based in Hanoi, the grantee will also have full access to Matca’s library for research and may propose a written response to the collection.
Eligibility:
Open to writers of all nationalities. Individuals and collectives can apply. Applicants can be based anywhere but should have a solid understanding of photography in Vietnam’s context. Writings may be in Vietnamese, English, or both.
Submission guidelines
Via the form, applicants to both grants must submit the following documents before 18.05.2025: Proposal (max. 1000 words), photography or writing portfolio (max. PDF size 25MB), biography and CV, and additional materials, if any.
There is no submission fee. Application forms and materials can be in either Vietnamese or English. The results will be announced via email by 30.06.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact hello@matca.vn.
About guest mentors
- Trương Quế Chi is a Hanoi-based artist and curator. Her practice traverses the borders of different terrains including sculptural installation, film, and theater, while remaining attentive to proportion, materials, rhythm and temporality. As abstract renderings of social, historical, and autobiographical events and structures, Quế Chi’s works delve into the spectacle of the everyday, its contrasting feelings, its enigma. Recently, Chi has been collaborating with artist Nguyen Phuong Linh, participating in the Busan Biennale 2024 and Asian Art Biennale 2024. Since 2015, she has been a curatorial board member of Nhà Sàn Collective.
- Zhuang Wubin is a writer who makes photographs, publications and exhibitions. He received his PhD by Published Work (Research–Photography) from University of Westminster, London. Zhuang is the major grantee of Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Greater China Research Grant 2018 and a recipient of the Prince Claus Fund research grant (2010). In Singapore, Zhuang is the recipient of the National Library (NL) Digital Fellowship 2023 and the Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship 2017 at the NL. He has been invited to research residency programmes at Institute Technology of Bandung (2013), Asia Art Archive (AAA), Hong Kong (2015), Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan (2017) and the Ha Bik Chuen Archive Project at AAA (2018). He is the contributing curator of the Chiang Mai Photo Festival (2015, 2017, 2020). Published by NUS Press, Photography in Southeast Asia: A Survey (2016) is his fourth book.
