WHO WE ARE
We are a small team who are passionate about photography and photographs. We’re based in Kampala, Uganda, where we move between lots of different spaces to host exhibitions, talks, and workshops. Despite our small size and diverse educational backgrounds, we’ve seen great success in helping friends and alumni to gain exposure, get published, and forge careers in international media. Our list of previous winners is a testament to the amazing community we’re lucky to be part of.
MISSION
To offer a truly supportive platform for photographers in East Africa, creating opportunities for people to connect, learn, and grow. We provide photographic and visual literacy education and organize competitions, exhibitions, and other related activities.
VISION
Our vision is to make photography and photographic education accessible to everyone, to ensure that they have the rights and tools to tell their own stories.
OUR HISTORY
The Uganda Press Photo Award (UPPA) was originally developed in 2012. It began as a competition for Ugandan photojournalists and photographers who strive to keep the public informed of the daily news, sometimes at great risk to themselves.
Over the years we’ve grown into a platform that not only promotes the best of today’s photojournalism and documentary photography in Uganda but also supports a broad programme of visual literacy and a visual education. We also seek to remind the viewing public of the importance of creativity, freedom of expression, and vibrant press for democratic development.
The award soon became just one small part of a much larger organization, and in 2016 we established the FOTEA Foundation to support the growing scale of the award and our other activities.
FOTEA aims to bring together photographers and other visual storytellers, to encourage and champion viewpoints that document and engage with social change in Uganda and East Africa.
Activities now under the purview of FOTEA include the Awards, the Emerging Photographer Mentorship Programme; workshops, photography talks and panel discussions, film screenings, portfolio reviews, and exhibitions.