The Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPP), led by Pulitzer Prize laureate Mstyslav Chernov, is launching the School of Photography and Visual Culture — a new educational space where photography will be viewed not only as a profession or craft, but as a tool for cultural expression.

The School has grown out of UAPP’s educational programs, which the association implemented between 2023 and 2025. Over this time, more than 120 Ukrainian photographers have received mentorship, participated in portfolio reviews, and taken part in micro-grant programs. This experience highlighted the need for a comprehensive, long-term educational program.

"It is important to us not just to teach someone how to take a photograph, but to help them think through photography: to understand how an image works, how to formulate one's own expression, and how to develop one's own voice within a broader cultural context. That is why we want participants with different backgrounds and practices to meet at the School — some with technical training, some with humanities or artistic backgrounds, and others with experience in documentary photography or related visual disciplines," says project lead Olha Kovalova.

The School's first program will be the "Photography as a Medium" course for 12–15 participants from various regions of Ukraine. The program combines technical training with the history of photography and art, image analysis, visual literacy, documentation ethics, and the development of an author’s project.

Throughout the training, participants will work on their own photographic series or project, take part in critical discussions, present their work, and receive professional feedback from instructors and invited experts.

The training will be held in a hybrid format: lectures will be streamed online, while practical intensives and workshops will take place offline in Kyiv. This format will allow participants from different regions of Ukraine to join the program. The School is open to both those just beginning to work with photography and authors who already have their own practice.

The course instructors include photographers, curators, researchers, and artists who are shaping the contemporary Ukrainian visual context, including KINDER ALBUM, Kseniya Malykh, Halyna Hleba, Oleh Petrasiuk, Ivan Chernichkin, Kateryna Radchenko, and others.

Upon completion of the training, participants will become part of the UAPP professional community and gain access to further educational and professional opportunities of the association.

To apply, you must submit a portfolio, a short bio, and a motivation letter. Until July 25, an Early Bird tuition fee of 25,000 UAH is available. Special conditions are provided for veterans, military personnel, university students, and 10th-11th grade students.

Applications are open until August 25. Detailed information about the program, participation conditions, and registration is available on the School’s website and its social media pages.

The School’s educational partner is The VII Foundation, and the project's main partner is Room 8 Group. The project is also supported by the Fritt Ord Foundation, Frontliner, and Studio 72.

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