OPEN FOR APPLICATION! 2025 PIERRE & ALEXANDRA BOULAT AWARD     
On Victory Day in May 2008, young men in the Pankisi Gorge of Georgia gather to participate in war games using toy guns. Pankisi has no jobs for the young men, and without money, they cannot leave the area. In any case, the Georgian government has not yet provided them with any legal status, so it is impossible for them to search for jobs in the city. © Daro Sulakauri / VII Mentor Program.
© Jędrzej Nowicki / VII Mentor Program.
Previous slide
Next slide

vii mentor program

The VII Mentor Program provides a structured professional environment for emerging new talents in the industry, focusing on those from the Majority World and underrepresented communities.

The first-of-its-kind program was launched by VII Photo Agency in 2008 and is now managed by The VII Foundation. This 12-month program pairs selected visual journalists with experienced the foundation’s contributing photographers.

2025 cohort

This year’s VII Mentor Program welcomes six young professional photojournalists who create immersive long-term personal projects and regularly complete assignments for major media and NGOs. The 2025 cohort is:

Roger Anis, Egypt
Mihaela Aroyo, Bulgaria
Jean Bizimana, Rwanda
Amina Kadous, Egypt
Jedrzej Nowicki, Poland
Daro Sulakauri, Georgia

The VII Mentor Program guides professionals to enhance their practice as solo business owners, gain confidence in their work, forge new connections, and leverage their network. Through monthly meetings and frequent contact with mentors, the mentees are encouraged to conceive a new long-term project, polish an existing one, or leverage a completed one with new outcomes.

The group meets every few weeks for a guest lecture and to discuss topics including grant writing, editing, story pitching, and entrepreneurship; they also receive support through regular virtual meetings and occasional in-person meetings with their mentors. All mentees become part of VII Community, The VII Foundation’s alumni network, where they advise others in the industry and take part in VII Community educational initiatives and outreach. VII Community is a program of The VII Foundation in partnership with PhotoWings.

This year’s mentors, all contributing photographers to The VII Foundation, are Ashley Gilbertson, Ed Kashi, Maciek Nabrdalik, Ilvy Njiokiktjien, Sara Terry, and Adriana Zehbrauskas.

current mentees

Oh Mysterious Nile. © Roger Anis / VII Mentor Program.
Oh Mysterious Nile. © Roger Anis / VII Mentor Program.
Roger Anis →
Cairo, Egypt
Women get ready for folklore dance performance during annual meeting of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Stoyanovka, Moldova, on July 27, 2019. © Mihaela Aroyo / VII Mentor Program.
Women get ready for folklore dance performance during annual meeting of Bessarabian Bulgarians in Stoyanovka, Moldova, on July 27, 2019. © Mihaela Aroyo / VII Mentor Program.
Mihaela Aroyo →
Varna, Bulgaria
In a photo captured on November 9, 2021, Jean recounts the daunting transition as the orphanage closed its doors, leaving him without familial ties. Amidst uncertainty, a nearby family offered him a lifeline, bridging the gap between solitude and belonging. Overcoming initial challenges, Jean found solace and acceptance within their home, guided by the mother's unwavering belief in his place within their family. Despite early struggles and misunderstandings, Jean's bond with the children blossomed, evolving into a sibling-like camaraderie that transcended differences. Through patience, tolerance, and forgiveness, Jean learned invaluable lessons in love and family dynamics, witnessing the parents' unconditional care and nurturing. As time passed, Jean became an integral part of their lives, even standing as a brother during moments of grief and loss. Reflecting on his journey, Jean's heart is filled with gratitude for the love and acceptance he found, transforming strangers into cherished family members who embraced him as their own. © Bizi / VII Mentor Program.
In a photo captured on November 9, 2021, Jean recounts the daunting transition as the orphanage closed its doors, leaving him without familial ties. Amidst uncertainty, a nearby family offered him a lifeline, bridging the gap between solitude and belonging. Overcoming initial challenges, Jean found solace and acceptance within their home, guided by the mother's unwavering belief in his place within their family. Despite early struggles and misunderstandings, Jean's bond with the children blossomed, evolving into a sibling-like camaraderie that transcended differences. Through patience, tolerance, and forgiveness, Jean learned invaluable lessons in love and family dynamics, witnessing the parents' unconditional care and nurturing. As time passed, Jean became an integral part of their lives, even standing as a brother during moments of grief and loss. Reflecting on his journey, Jean's heart is filled with gratitude for the love and acceptance he found, transforming strangers into cherished family members who embraced him as their own. © Bizi / VII Mentor Program.
Jean Bizimana →
Kigali, Rwanda
A self-portrait of the photographer standing and holding a bouquet of cotton flowers while covered by a veil in their grandmother’s old kitchen at their family’s home in El Mehalla El Kobra, Egypt, on Jan. 20, 2021. © Amina Kadous / VII Mentor Program.
A self-portrait of the photographer standing and holding a bouquet of cotton flowers while covered by a veil in their grandmother’s old kitchen at their family’s home in El Mehalla El Kobra, Egypt, on Jan. 20, 2021. © Amina Kadous / VII Mentor Program.
Amina Kadous →
Cairo, Egypt
© Jędrzej Nowicki / VII Mentor Program.
© Jędrzej Nowicki / VII Mentor Program.
Jędrzej Nowicki →
Kyiv, Ukraine
On Victory Day in May 2008, young men in the Pankisi Gorge of Georgia gather to participate in war games using toy guns. Pankisi has no jobs for the young men, and without money, they cannot leave the area. In any case, the Georgian government has not yet provided them with any legal status, so it is impossible for them to search for jobs in the city. © Daro Sulakauri / VII Mentor Program.
On Victory Day in May 2008, young men in the Pankisi Gorge of Georgia gather to participate in war games using toy guns. Pankisi has no jobs for the young men, and without money, they cannot leave the area. In any case, the Georgian government has not yet provided them with any legal status, so it is impossible for them to search for jobs in the city. © Daro Sulakauri / VII Mentor Program.
Daro Sulakauri →
Tbilisi, Georgia

2023-2024 mentees

A man trying to revive Dariush Shukri, a 22-year-old man who was caught in an avalanche on a path in Koolbari. Efforts to revive him did not work. In the winter, avalanches are one of the main causes of death in Koolbari. © Ebrahim Alipoor for the VII Mentor Program.
A man trying to revive Dariush Shukri, a 22-year-old man who was caught in an avalanche on a path in Koolbari. Efforts to revive him did not work. In the winter, avalanches are one of the main causes of death in Koolbari. © Ebrahim Alipoor for the VII Mentor Program.
Ebrahim Alipoor →
Kurdistan, Iran
View of a group of residents from the Wardian district going to the local party at Masr station, one of the main stations. It takes about 15 minutes to load the passengers. Alexandria, Egypt, April 2, 2019. © Fatma Fahmy for VII Mentor Program.
View of a group of residents from the Wardian district going to the local party at Masr station, one of the main stations. It takes about 15 minutes to load the passengers. Alexandria, Egypt, April 2, 2019. © Fatma Fahmy for VII Mentor Program.
Fatma Fahmy →
Cairo, Egypt
Ina, from Ochamchire, looks through the window of her room at the former Soviet Sanatorium “Megobroba” in Tskaltubo, Georgia, on July 7, 2021. She fled to the Imereti region at age 18 during the 1992 war, was bride-kidnapped upon arrival, and raised three children alone. She is now awaiting an apartment. © Tako Robakidze for the VII Mentor Program.
Ina, from Ochamchire, looks through the window of her room at the former Soviet Sanatorium “Megobroba” in Tskaltubo, Georgia, on July 7, 2021. She fled to the Imereti region at age 18 during the 1992 war, was bride-kidnapped upon arrival, and raised three children alone. She is now awaiting an apartment. © Tako Robakidze for the VII Mentor Program.
Tako Robakidze →
Tbilisi, Georgia
Folk holiday Malanka celebration in Bukovyna, Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine, 2015. © Oleksandr Rupeta for the VII Mentor Program.
Folk holiday Malanka celebration in Bukovyna, Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine, 2015. © Oleksandr Rupeta for the VII Mentor Program.
Oleksandr Rupeta →
Ukraine
In the summer of 1998, India conducted a series of underground nuclear test codenamed Operation Shakti, which involved five nuclear bomb detonations. Khaju Khan, a shepherd, was out in the desert pastures with his flock on that day. “I saw a gigantic cloud of dust coming from the Pokhran firing range. At first I believed it to be a storm till I returned to Chacha village which had a large number of army deployed to evacuate the villagers,” shared Khaju Khan. © Chinky Shukla for the VII Mentor Program.
In the summer of 1998, India conducted a series of underground nuclear test codenamed Operation Shakti, which involved five nuclear bomb detonations. Khaju Khan, a shepherd, was out in the desert pastures with his flock on that day. “I saw a gigantic cloud of dust coming from the Pokhran firing range. At first I believed it to be a storm till I returned to Chacha village which had a large number of army deployed to evacuate the villagers,” shared Khaju Khan. © Chinky Shukla for the VII Mentor Program.
Chinky Shukla →
New Delhi, India
The place on the river Janja where I learned to swim. My journey along its course is part of a continuing project that explores, depicts and exposes the complex cultural, physical, economic and ecological situation along this relatively small river long 53 kilometers. © Mitar Simikic for the VII Mentor Program.
The place on the river Janja where I learned to swim. My journey along its course is part of a continuing project that explores, depicts and exposes the complex cultural, physical, economic and ecological situation along this relatively small river long 53 kilometers. © Mitar Simikic for the VII Mentor Program.
Mitar Simikic →
Bosnia-Herzegovina
A Ukrainian internally displaced person (IDP) who escaped from Irpin, a Kyiv suburb heavily affected by fighting and shelling, arrives with her dog and family at a location before the destroyed bridge leading into the city. The scene was captured in the third week of the Russian invasion on March 12, 2022. © Byron Smith for the VII Mentor Program.
A Ukrainian internally displaced person (IDP) who escaped from Irpin, a Kyiv suburb heavily affected by fighting and shelling, arrives with her dog and family at a location before the destroyed bridge leading into the city. The scene was captured in the third week of the Russian invasion on March 12, 2022. © Byron Smith for the VII Mentor Program.
Byron Smith →
Athens, Greece

2022-2023 mentees

Haleema, a disabled Kashmiri woman stands near the window of a mosque in old city Srinagar.The two decades of Kashmir conflict has left almost a 100,000 people dead. Most of them bread-earning young men who left behind their mothers, wives, sisters, and children. Thousands of women live in extreme poverty and depression. There are around 800,000 people in Kashmir who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and most include women who witnessed someone dying in their immediate or extended families
Haleema, a disabled Kashmiri woman stands near the window of a mosque in old city Srinagar.The two decades of Kashmir conflict has left almost a 100,000 people dead. Most of them bread-earning young men who left behind their mothers, wives, sisters, and children. Thousands of women live in extreme poverty and depression. There are around 800,000 people in Kashmir who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and most include women who witnessed someone dying in their immediate or extended families
sharafat Ali →
Kashmir, India
Photo by Juan Pablo Ampudia / VII Mentor Program. A girl plays with soap bubbles outside her hut in a Quilombo, a remote settlement originally founded as a refuge for runaway slaves and their descendants, near Cachoeira, Brazil, on February 19, 2017.
Photo by Juan Pablo Ampudia / VII Mentor Program. A girl plays with soap bubbles outside her hut in a Quilombo, a remote settlement originally founded as a refuge for runaway slaves and their descendants, near Cachoeira, Brazil, on February 19, 2017.
Juan Pablo Ampudia →
Mexico City, Mexico
083-D _ Belonging-00277736 1
Debsuddha →
Kolkata, India
KD_7 web
Kimberly dela Cruz →
Manila, Philippines
grace-ekpu-portfolio-web
Grace Ekpu →
Lagos, Nigeria
harib webb
Nada Harib →
Tripoli, Iran
01-joshua-irwandi-vii-01-pgqv40hoqxda31se5bg9kg47wyx30s36l3vf9g4w74
Joshua Irwandi  →
Jakarta, Indonesia
22.08.2015. Gevgelija, Macedonia (North Macedonia today). A refugee from Syria stares through barbed wire during a heavy downpour on no man's land between Greece and Macedonia. Thousands of refugees have been trapped for days and weeks in the open, exposed to extreme weather conditions, while waiting for a chance to continue their journey to Western Europe. ©Marko Risovic for the VII Mentor Program
22.08.2015. Gevgelija, Macedonia (North Macedonia today). A refugee from Syria stares through barbed wire during a heavy downpour on no man's land between Greece and Macedonia. Thousands of refugees have been trapped for days and weeks in the open, exposed to extreme weather conditions, while waiting for a chance to continue their journey to Western Europe. ©Marko Risovic for the VII Mentor Program
Marko Risovic →
Belgrade, Serbia
Farshid_01
Farshid Tighehsaz →
Tabriz, Iran

Leica Women Foto Project mentees

©Brooklynn Kascel for the VII Mentor Program
©Brooklynn Kascel for the VII Mentor Program
Brooklynn T. Kascel →
Minneapolis, USA
©Jackie Molloy for the VII Mentor Program
©Jackie Molloy for the VII Mentor Program
Jackie Molloy →
New York City, USA
Natalia Neuhaus/VII Mentor Program. “I am a very creative woman who is confident and uninhibited with a sweet and compassionate soul.”
Natalia Neuhaus/VII Mentor Program. “I am a very creative woman who is confident and uninhibited with a sweet and compassionate soul.”
Natalia Neuhaus →
New York City, USA

2008-2023 mentees

Agnes Dherbeys (2008-2011),
Benedicte Kurzen (2008-2010),
Adam Ferguson (2009-2010),
Anastasia Taylor-Lind (2009-2011),
Don McNeill Healy (2009-2011),
Giulio di Sturco (2009-2011),
Erin Trieb (2010-2013),
Giovanni Cocco (2010-2013),
Ilana Panich-Linsman (2010-2011),
Peter DiCampo (2010-2011),
Tanyth Berkeley (2010-2011),
Amanda Rivkin (2011-2013),
Chi Yin Sim (2011-2013),
Jost Franko (2011-2013),
Laura El Tantawy (2011-2013),
Mikolaj Nowacki (2011-2013),
Nafis Ahmed (2011-2013),
Arthur Bondar (2014-2016),
Cristobal Olivares (2014-2016),
Maika Elan (2014-2016),
Poulomi Basu (2014-2016),
Arnau Bach (2016-2018),
Esa Ylijaasko (2016-2018),
Luisa Dörr (2016-2018),
Mojgan Ghanbari (2016-2018),
Chris Lee (2018-2020),
Esther Ruth Mbabazi (2018-2020),
Fabiola Ferrero (2018-2020),
Hector Guerrero (2018-2020),
Line Ørnes Søndergaard (2018-2020),
Mathias Svold (2018-2020),
Sharon Castellanos (2018-2020),
Valentina Sinis (2018-2020),
Forough Alaei (2019-2022),
Fred Ramos (2019-2022),
Nolan Ryan Trowe (2019-2022),
Prin Rodriguez (2019-2022),
Swarat Ghosh (2019-2022),
Taha Ahmad (2019-2022),
Zinyange Auntony (2019-2022),
Debsuddha (2021-2023),
Farshid Tighehsaz (2021-2023),
Grace Ekpu (2021-2023),
Joshua Irwandi (2021-2023),
Juan Pablo Ampudia (2021-2023),
Kimberly dela Cruz (2021-2023),
Marko Risovic (2021-2023),
M’hammed Kilito (2021-2023)*,
Nada Harib (2021-2023),
Sharafat Ali (2021-2023),
Brooklyn Kascel (Leica Women Foto Project x VII Mentor Program 2022-2023),
Jackie Molloy (Leica Women Foto Project x VII Mentor Program 2022-2023),
Natalie Neuhaus (Leica Women Foto Project x VII Mentor Program 2022-2023).

in the press

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Join our newsletter to keep up-to-date on events, education programs, exhibitions, and more.

Subscribe here
The VII Foundation
VII Mentor Program

Educate

Programs

Training and workshops

Community

Nature Through her Eyes

Educators

Report

The Stringer

Contributing photographers

Imagine: Reflections on Peace

Millennium Villages Project

Dispatches in Exile

Lost Rolls America

Exhibitions

Nonprofit collaborations

The VII Foundation Films

Campaign

Online events

Video collection

In-person events

Dispatches blog

About

Support us

Newsroom

Staff

Board

Partners

Contact

© The VII Foundation
Privacy statement
Subscribe
Instagram Linkedin-in Facebook Bookmark
Santa Cruz del Islote, the only artificial island among the 10 in the San Bernardo archipelago. With 700 people on one hectare, it is considered the most densely populated island in the world. Oct. 13, 2018. © Charlie Cordero.

Subscribe to stay informed about our upcoming educational opportunities.

* indicates required
I am interested in
Are you member of our alumni?

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletters and updates from us. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Photo: Santa Cruz del Islote, the only artificial island among the 10 in the San Bernardo archipelago. With 700 people on one hectare, it is considered the most densely populated island in the world. Oct. 13, 2018. © Charlie Cordero.