From Wednesday, November 25 to Saturday, November 28, 2026, the Kasbah Museum hosts the Face à la mer Academy, marking the opening of the 8th edition of the Rencontres Photo de Tanger. Over four intensive days, fourteen selected participants immerse themselves in an environment of creative exchange and inspiration, where contemporary documentary approaches engage with one another, assert themselves, and reinvent themselves.
THE 2026 FACE À LA MER ACADEMY
Venue: Museum of Mediterranean Cultures, Tangier Kasbah
A true incubator for contemporary documentary storytelling, the Face à la mer Academy will host 14 emerging photographers selected through an application process.
Over four intensive days, they will benefit from professional methodological workshops, dual high-level mentorship (artistic critique and hands-on image editing), and a public presentation on Saturday, followed by the Awards Ceremony and the Closing Party.
The reception and the ecosystem
From day one, the Academy lays the foundations of the profession: aesthetic reference points and lineages with Maureen Auriol (studio William Klein) and Dimitri Beck (Polka), IPTC indexing and workflow with Hans Lucas; monitoring and traceability with Pixtrakk, and the legal framework of copyright with SAIF.
The documentary approach will also be enriched by field methodologies introduced by the Yzza Slaoui Foundation. An official inauguration at the Kasbah Museum will conclude this opening day.
The core of the program: cross-mentoring
Following a joint critical review of the fourteen portfolios, two days of immersion bring together two complementary approaches. Artist and researcher Tania Bohórquez guides each creator through a critical deconstruction of their intent and the personal resonance of their subject matter, while Antoine d’Agata (Magnum Photos) tests contact sheets on the editing table to refine their sequencing and visual narrative.
A highlight of the closing phase, Saturday’s session gives each laureate a ten-minute platform to present their photographic project—in the form of a visual pitch—to an audience of industry influencers, curators, gallerists, and specialized media.
Following the deliberations of the jury, which met behind closed doors, the awards ceremony will celebrate the excellence and boldness of four distinctive approaches: the Grand Prix, the Prix Révélation, the Magnum Learn Mentorship Grant, and the Prix Lumière.
Face à la mer Photo Meetings of Tangier – Prize Awards:
GRAND PRIX (Total value: €12,000)
The ultimate accolade recognizing the most accomplished artistic project.
Professional support program:
• Transmission certification training
• Coverage of two trips to France (Visa pour l’Image festival + professional seminar)
• One year of support and distribution via Hans Lucas
• One-year subscription to the Pixtrakk monitoring and tracking platform
PRIX REVELATION (Total value: €3,000)
Spotlighting a particularly bold emerging artistic voice.
Comprehensive program:
• Professional support via the FALM Academy (1 year) & FALM Network: Ongoing editorial mentoring, pitch coaching, and permanent integration into the FALM platform. • Direct cash award for the winner: A grant paid directly to the artist to support their creative practice.
• International mobility & logistics: Visa, insurance, round-trip tickets (Morocco-France), accommodation, and per diem.
• Artistic production & exhibition: Exhibition prints, exhibition design/framing, or editing/color grading for large-screen projection.
MAGNUM LEARN GRANT (Total value: $17,450)
High-level educational guidance and dedicated mentorship to support the development and completion of a long-term documentary project. The grant (see details) covers all training costs, visa, travel, and accommodation.
Participants must cover their own expenses during the third in-person workshop in Paris in November 2027.
PRIX “LUMIÈRE” (Total value: €1,000)
An award recognizing technical virtuosity, sensitivity to light, and the aesthetic and visual commitment of the submitted body of work.
A direct cash award provided by Dar Nour (Tangier) through its photography fund.
PORTFOLIO REVIEWS
Venue: Institut Français de Tanger
The professional days are dedicated to photographers—whether emerging or established—who wish to have their work evaluated by experts from the art market, the press, and cultural institutions.
One-on-one sessions with 11 renowned mentors will take place on Thursday the 26th and Friday the 27th, from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
These 20-minute meetings allow photographers to receive in-depth critical feedback on their work, refine their editing, and develop concrete opportunities for showcasing their work and advancing their careers.
A panel of eleven experts
Photo editors, gallerists, picture researchers, publishers, exhibition curators, and fine-art photographers—Maureen Auriol, Marie Andrieu, Olivier Culmann, Jean-Christophe Milhet, Isabelle Habert, Dimitri Beck, Abla Ababou, Christophe Ralite, Stéphanie Gaou, Stéphane Kossmann, Khalil Nammaoui—take turns over the course of these two days.
• APPLICATION DETAILS
• Target audience: photographers in the process of becoming professionals
• Visual portfolio: a single PDF file containing one or two photo stories (maximum of 30 images in total).
• Cover letter: written in French or English, detailing the candidate’s motivations and the impact of this opportunity on their practice.
• Conditions: applications are entirely free, with no registration fees.
Application opening date:
October 10, 2026
Application closing date:
November 10, 2026
• APPLICATION FORM
