MCS @ Fresh A.I.R. #11 – »FUTURE VISIONS: Artistic Approaches to Peace«

Apply now: The MARTHA COOPER SCHOLARSHIP (MCS) for Documentary Photography Enters Its Second Round!

The Martha Cooper Scholarship (MCS) offers a unique opportunity for one individual from Africa or Latin America to dedicate themselves for ten months to an artistic project through the medium of photography. With the newly announced MCS, the Foundation Berliner Leben acknowledges the importance of documentary photography and purposefully offers a production scholarship for professional photographers who use the medium in an effort to promote positive impact on the world. The scholarship is based on the annual topic of Fresh A.I.R., the scholarship programme of Stiftung Berliner Leben. It addresses social and political developments that affect us in the present, and highlights the diversity of human experience and perception of the world.

The chosen photographer will be invited to live and work in one of our Fresh A.I.R. residencies in Berlin Schöneberg. The current call is for the 11th class starting in February 2026 and ending in November 2026.

Thematic Call:

We are facing complex challenges that jeopardize sustainable and peaceful coexistence. Questions about security, peace and future-proof social models are dominating social discourse. How can art contribute to a more optimistic view of the future, promote awareness of a peaceful future and inspire people to stand up for a peaceful co-existence? What artistic means are suitable for furthering the discourse on the greatest challenges for peace now and in the future? And what new, interdisciplinary collaborations between art and science, technology or activism are conceivable in order to imagine forward-looking ideas and solutions?

We invite documentary photographers to apply with innovative projects that look optimistically towards the future and in which future-oriented and forward-looking narratives, scenarios and concepts are developed.

Funding will be provided for:

  • Projects that take a critical look at the present and develop ideas for new political and social structures and propose alternative models.
  • Projects that contribute to promoting self-involvement and/or strengthening personal self-efficacy, resilience and frustration tolerance as well as social support.
  • Projects that address complex, multinodal relationships between security structures and the conditions for long-term peace and stabilization and develop possible scenarios for the further development of the security architecture to meet future challenges.
  • Projects that involve actors from science, technology and social movements and promote and demand open dialog on global issues.

The MCS special scholarship offers:

  • a 10-month stay in the vibrant city of Berlin, Germany, in 2026
  • full coverage of costs (travel (arrival, departure), visa, living expenses and a fixed lump sum for materials)
  • free accommodation in an artist residence in Berlin
  • regular consultation with an artistic mentor on site
  • close exchange with artists from various disciplines on site
  • opportunity to contribute to and participate in other projects of the foundation and their cooperation partners

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Application deadline: Friday, 28 February, 2025
Applications are only accepted via Email: FreshAIR-office@stiftung-berliner-leben.de
For a succesful application please hand in the following documents as separate PDF files:

  • project cost plan (budget plan, project budget max. 3,600 €)
  • artistic curriculum vitae (CV form: complete contact details, information on education and overview of the current artistic career)
  • project proposal (detailed explanation of the project idea and implementation)

You can find further relevant information about Fresh A.I.R. at https://urban-nation.com/artist-in-residence-scholarships/

Project entries must be in German or English. Applicants must be aged 18 and over and from Africa or Latin America, working in the field of documentary photography. Technical equipment is to be organised by the artist and cannot be provided on site.

We welcome project ideas that aim to actively involve the active involvement of local participants and organizations. Potential partners (institution, organization, association, public figure) should therefore be researched and named as part of the project application. If the project is approved by the foundation, these partners should be contacted immediately regarding cooperation. In addition, a backup should always be considered to replace any missing cooperation partners.

For project ideas that can only be realized in cooperation with a project partner (institution, organization, association, public figure), written proof of this partner’s willingness to cooperate must be submitted by e-mail at the time of application, stating the applicant ID. The same applies to applications from people who belong to a network (e.g. artists, scientists, cultural workers, etc.) or who are associated with such a network and plan to involve this network as external partners in their project. In addition, a backup should always be considered in order to replace missing cooperation partners if necessary.

For questions please write to FreshAIR-office@stiftung-berliner-leben.de. We look forward to receiving your entries!