IMF Photo Project

In October 2026, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with the World Bank Group (WBG) will hold their Annual Meetings in Bangkok for the second time. In the decades since the 1991 Annual Meetings were held in Thailand, the Asia and the Pacific region has transformed in remarkable ways. As the world's fastest-growing region, these economies have fueled close to 40 percent of global GDP, provided a home for over half of the world’s population, and driven approximately 60 percent of recent global growth. The region has been resilient to many recent shocks, including the pandemic, regional conflicts, and the global inflation surge of 2022-23, and is once again navigating a difficult global trade policy environment. More generally. Asia stands at an exciting crossroads with opportunities and challenges posed by sweeping transformations in technological advances, climate shocks, aging populations, and changing patterns of trade and financial flows.

As part of this broader regional story, we want to hear from photojournalists and visual storytellers in Thailand who have ideas that showcase Thailand’s successes and dynamism on the global stage. The country has made impressive strides in recent decades by investing in strong policies and institutions and embracing economic reforms and innovative technologies. We encourage proposals that reflect and honor the richness of Thai culture and ways of life—highlighting how tradition and modernity can thrive together.

The Proposal will be evaluated by an expert panel of IMF staff and photographic experts. The six chosen photographers will be mentored through their commissions by the IMF’s Photo Editor. The completed work will be exhibited at the IMF-WBG Annual Meetings and at IMF Headquarters in Washington DC.

The proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Strong Narrative – Innovative proposals with compelling narratives.
• Impact – Proposals that display a strong visual resonance.
• Technique – Excellent techniques in composition and lighting.

Proposal Requirements:

• A brief synopsis of the Proposal
• Details regarding the practical aspects of the Proposal and how the funds will be used to complete the work (Word document, less than 500 words)
• A portfolio of up to 20 sample photographs that support the Proposal (JPEG files no larger than 2MB, compressed and zipped)
• A digital copy of an official ID

Eligibility and Rules:

• Applicants must be Thai residents.
• Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 34.
• IMF employees, vendors, and their immediate family members are not eligible to compete.
• Proposals should only include new and original work produced by the photographers themselves.
• Applicants represent and warrant that they have not, and undertake that they shall not, infringe any third-party intellectual property rights in performing any activities related to their Proposal.
• Applications are open to photographic lens-based artists only.
• Submissions must not include imagery generated wholly or substantially by artificial intelligence tools. All images must be captured and edited by the applicant using traditional photographic methods.

• Participants must submit their Proposal as detailed above by email to IMFThaiPhoto@IMF.org. Submissions must comply with all eligibility criteria.
• Deadline for emailed submissions is 17:00 (ET) on September 15, 2025. Selected photographers will be contacted by September 30, 2025.
• Participants may submit only one Proposal. The IMF reserves the right to disqualify any submission that does not meet eligibility requirements or includes inappropriate content.
• The IMF Communications team may reach out to you via the email you provided as part of the contest to ask for your support in participating in a voluntary survey. This survey aims to gather valuable insights about the IMF's work and communications in Asia to help improve engagement ahead of the 2026 Annual Meetings in Thailand.

Commission Details:

• The IMF will commission six emerging photographers in Thailand supporting them with a stipend of $4,000 each.
• The six chosen photographers must complete and submit the Final Work by January 7, 2026.
• The Final Work must include at least 20 images in tiff format.

IMF Picture Use:

• The Final Work will be featured in a photo exhibit at the IMF-World Bank Meetings and on IMF digital platforms.
• Participating photographers will retain intellectual property rights to their photos submitted as part of the Proposal and the Final Work (collectively, the “Submitted Photos”) and will grant the IMF the rights necessary to evaluate the Proposal, including the right to copy Submitted Photos for internal review.
• Commissioned photographers agree to grant the IMF a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, royalty free license to use, reproduce, edit, modify, adapt, publicly display and publish the Submitted Photos for non-commercial purposes, including but not limited to on its website and other public platforms.