Administered by The RPS in partnership with The Guardian. The Joan Wakelin Bursary offers £2000 for the production of a photographic essay on an overseas social documentary issue.

The Bursary was established in 2005 in memory of distinguished documentary photographer and Honorary Fellow of The Society, Joan Wakelin. The Bursary funds new projects only. We do not support on-going projects. The Bursary does not support projects requiring travel to or within war zones. 

Closing date 6 July 2026, to get started or access an existing application go to the application portal and use your RPS Account credentials to login or create an account.