In 2020, the Serendipity Arts Foundation and Les Rencontres d’Arles announced the biggest lens-based media grant, supported by the Institut français en Inde, with the shared purpose of promoting cultural practices in the South Asian region. The winner of the previous two editions of the grant, Sathish Kumar (2022) and Paribartana Mohanty (2024) were awarded the grant to develop and showcase their respective projects Town Boy (2022) and A Fate’s Brief Memoir (2024) at Les Rencontres d’Arles.

Applications are open for the third edition of the Serendipity Arles Grant 2025-26, inviting project proposals from South Asia, stemming from photography, video, new media and other lens based explorations. The initiative seeks not only to empower artists from the region, but also further a spirit of regional cooperation and representation.

The Serendipity Arles Grant will be awarded in two phases:

Phase 1: 5 shortlisted projects will be selected and awarded INR 70,000/- (€800 approx.) each to showcase the proposed projects as a work in progress display at the upcoming edition of Serendipity Arts Festival 2025. One winner would be selected out of the 5 projects, marking Phase 2 of the grant.

Phase 2: the selected winner will be awarded a total of €15,000 (INR 13,50,000/- approx) out of which €7500 (approx INR 6,70,000/-) to be given to the artist to develop the grant project, and €7500 (approx INR 6,70,000/-) extended to support the production, travel, logistics and accommodation costs for it to be showcased as a final presentation at Les Rencontres d’Arles in July 2026. Production costs include production of the works (prints, collage, framing) and also wallpaper, lettering, translation / subtitle (if there is a video), shipment of the works and insurance.

The grant will cover development, research, production, logistics costs for the winning project, break up details given below:
€7500 – Project Development Grant & Artist Fee
€7000 – Production costs to be dispersed by Rencontres d’Arles
€500 – Accommodation costs at Rencontres d’Arles 2024 to be dispersed by Arles

Duration: 12 months

Deadline: April 18, 2025 at 11:59 pm IST.

Eligibility : Submissions are open to all lens-based South Asian practitioners from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka.