Magnum Photos is a co-operative owned agency, run by member photographers. The agency is self-selecting, and membership is considered one of the finest accolades of a photographer’s career.

The process of becoming a full member to Magnum Photos takes a minimum of four years. New Photographers are only recruited once a year, during Magnum’s Annual General Meeting in June, where one day is set aside for considering and voting on potential new members’ portfolios.

Magnum Photos accepts portfolio submissions from all international professional photographers. If you would like to be considered for membership, submit your work in 2-3 separate projects with up to 50 images per project. Tell us a little about yourself and the projects you have submitted.

If your application is successful, you will be contacted by one of Magnum’s photographers towards the end of June and invited to become a ‘Nominee Member’ of Magnum, a category of membership which presents an opportunity for Magnum and the individual to get to know each other but where there are no binding commitments on either side.

After two years of Nominee membership, photographers then present an updated portfolio to apply for ‘Associate Membership’. If successful, the photographer then becomes bound by all the rules of the agency and enjoys all the facilities of its offices and worldwide representation.

Finally, after another two years, an Associate member wishing to apply for full membership presents a further portfolio of work for consideration by the Members. Once elected as a full member, this effectively confers membership of Magnum for life or for as long as the photographer chooses.