photo competition
an invitation to see the world as it truly is, to capture not just images but relationships, to frame the echoes of land, people, and spirit in a way that honors their story, and to offer these moments back in reciprocity – fueling community, conservation, and the fire of storytelling that refuses to fade.
Welcome to the fire.
Before the world was carved into borders, before the land was renamed, before stories were locked in books and images were taken instead of given – there was the fire. The place where truth was shared, where memory lived in the breath of the storyteller, where the land itself spoke in the tongues of those who knew how to listen.
The One Fire Photo Competition is a return to that fire. A call to those who see the world not as a collection of objects, but as a living, breathing story – written in the lines of a face, in the curve of a river, in the hands that weave, carve, and create. It is an invitation to photographers, visionaries, and truth-keepers to capture not just what is seen, but what is felt – to honor the spirit behind the image, the knowledge embedded within it, and the responsibility of carrying it forward.
These photographs are more than snapshots in time. They are embers, carried from all corners of the world, igniting new understandings, rekindling old ways, bringing us back to relation. Each image is a story given, not taken. A gift to be received, not consumed.
And like all sacred exchanges, what is given must be returned.
This is more than a competition. This is an act of storytelling in right relation. A fire that continues to burn.
Competition Details
Photography is more than just capturing a moment – it is a way of seeing, remembering, and honoring the world. This competition invites photographers of all backgrounds to explore themes of custodianship, resilience, and cultural identity, sharing powerful visual narratives that challenge, inspire, and reconnect us with the land and its people.
From the voices of Indigenous knowledge keepers to the landscapes that have shaped humanity for generations, this competition is an opportunity to document, celebrate, and protect what matters most. Through storytelling and reciprocity, we give back—because photography should not only reflect the world but help heal it.
Prizes for this competition are not just awards – they are catalysts for change, tools to empower storytellers, and direct contributions to the communities and lands that these stories emerge from. Winning isn’t just about recognition – it’s about what happens next. The funds generated from this competition do not disappear into bureaucracy; they are returned to the people, the lands, and the cultures that shaped these images. Every photograph sold contributes directly to tangible, long-term impact – supporting community projects, cultural preservation, and conservation initiatives that keep these stories alive for generations to come.
Dates
Open for submissions: [Start Date]
• Submission deadline: [End Date]
• Judging period: [Dates]
• Winners announced: [Date]
Custodian Award
Grand Prize
$10,000 Grant
To fund a storytelling project, photographic journey, or initiative that continues the work of sharing the untold stories of the world.
Feature Exhibition – The winning work will be the centerpiece of the One Fire Festival, displayed in a touring exhibition across multiple countries.
Published & Featured – The winning images will be published across the VA Network, featured in our digital and print publications, and shared globally.
Guardians of Story
Category Winners
$3,000 Prize
To support their ongoing work as a visual storyteller.
Exhibition Inclusion – Their work displayed at the One Fire Festival and online in the VA Network’s Story Archive.
Featured Spot in VA Network Media – A dedicated showcase of their story and process.
The Firekeeper’s Choice
People’s Choice Award
$5,000 Prize – Awarded to the photographer whose image ignites the most engagement and connection, as chosen by the global community.
All Finalists Receive:
A Place in the Exhibition & Print Sale – Every finalist’s work will be part of the One Fire Exhibition, with prints sold to raise funds for Indigenous-led community projects.
Revenue Share from Print Sales – 33.3% goes to the photographer, 33.3% supports community initiatives where the images were taken, and 33.3% funds land conservation efforts.
Global Recognition – Featured on the VA Network’s platforms, ensuring their work reaches audiences worldwide.
Guardians of the Fire
Categories
Our competition spans several categories, each designed to capture a different facet of the rich, diverse, and enduring connection between people, culture, and the land. Each category offers a unique opportunity to showcase your vision and bring to light the stories that need to be heard.
The Faces of Fire
Portraits of people who embody wisdom, resilience, and change-makers who are keeping traditions and futures alive.
Portraits of Place
Not just landscapes, but land as a living entity. Places with story, places that hold memory, places that speak.
Tradition in Motion
Capturing the hands that weave, carve, hunt, dance – expressions of knowledge passed through generations.
Elements of Life
Water, earth, fire, air – photographs that capture the elements as more than resources, but as kin, as spirits, as forces that shape all things.
Threads of Connection
The relationships that bind us, the gestures of care, the unspoken bonds between people, place, and time.
Giving Back
Impact
All proceeds from the competition go towards supporting Indigenous photography programs, funding community-led storytelling projects, and restoring lands through conservation partnerships. Winning images will be exhibited in a traveling gallery, amplifying the voices and perspectives that need to be seen and heard.
Projects
33.3% to grassroots community projects, ensuring these stories are living, breathing acts of survival and resilience.
Peoples
33.3% to the people and places behind the images, honoring their role as the true keepers of these stories.
Places
33.3% to conservation and land protection initiatives, ensuring the places that hold these memories remain for the generations yet to come.
A panel of leading Indigenous and non-Indigenous photographers, activists, and storytellers, including:
Judges
Our esteemed panel of judges represents a diverse group of professionals, each with a deep commitment to storytelling, cultural preservation, and environmental justice. They bring with them a wealth of experience in both the creative and cultural spheres, ensuring that the stories captured through your lens are given the platform and recognition they deserve. The judges will evaluate submissions based on artistic merit, cultural relevance, and impact, with a focus on authenticity and the power of the story.
Andrew D Flanagan
$10,000 Grant
To fund a storytelling project, photographic journey, or initiative that continues the work of sharing the untold stories of the world.
Feature Exhibition – The winning work will be the centerpiece of the One Fire Festival, displayed in a touring exhibition across multiple countries.
Published & Featured – The winning images will be published across the VA Network, featured in our digital and print publications, and shared globally.
Guardians of Story
Category Winners
$3,000 Prize
To support their ongoing work as a visual storyteller.
Exhibition Inclusion – Their work displayed at the One Fire Festival and online in the VA Network’s Story Archive.
Featured Spot in VA Network Media – A dedicated showcase of their story and process.
The Firekeeper’s Choice
People’s Choice Award
$5,000 Prize – Awarded to the photographer whose image ignites the most engagement and connection, as chosen by the global community.
All Finalists Receive:
A Place in the Exhibition & Print Sale – Every finalist’s work will be part of the One Fire Exhibition, with prints sold to raise funds for Indigenous-led community projects.
Revenue Share from Print Sales – 33.3% goes to the photographer, 33.3% supports community initiatives where the images were taken, and 33.3% funds land conservation efforts.
Global Recognition – Featured on the VA Network’s platforms, ensuring their work reaches audiences worldwide.
fuelling a Fire That Never Goes Out
The images captured here will not fade into archives, will not be buried in forgotten folders. They will move, like flame leaping from log to log, carried into new hands, new hearts, new lands. They will be displayed at the One Fire Film Festival, where they will stand as living testimony to the beauty, resilience, and wisdom held in every place, every face, every tradition.
They will be carried across the VA Network, a permanent digital campfire where these stories will continue to be told, seen, and honored. And through prints, they will find their way into homes, into spaces where their presence will be a reminder—a call to remember, to listen, to act.
This is more than a competition. It is a ceremony. A return to story. A call to bring back what was lost and to ensure that the fire keeps burning for those yet to come.This is your invitation to step into the fire. To share what you see, to let your lens become a vessel for story, for truth, for connection. Every image holds power – power to witness, to honor, to ignite, and to make a difference.
Guardians of the Fire
Major Partners
For those who walk beside us, carrying the weight of shared vision and responsibility. These partners provide core funding, infrastructure, and strategic support, ensuring the VA Network thrives and expands. They are woven into the very foundation of this work, shaping the stories that are told and the impact that is made.
