World Press Photo in Cairo: Open Studio and Public Program
07 November 2026
Access Art Space, Cairo, Egypt
Special Event
Cairo, Egypt
The 2026 Joop Swart Masterclass marks its 30th edition with program in Cairo for the first time
This is the 30th edition of World Press Photo’s Joop Swart Masterclass (JSM), where 13 participants were selected from 11 countries. On Saturday 7 November, World Press Photo will present a special open studio and public program. The event will create opportunities for learning and exchange through presentations, portfolio reviews, conversations and an open studio.
Participants:Bashar Taleb (Palestine), Cam Juárez (Guatemala), Faiz Abubakr Mohammed (Sudan), Farhana Satu (Bangladesh), Guerchom Ndebo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Hadeer Mahmoud (Egypt), Haitham Imad (Palestine), Lisa Bukreyeva (Ukraine), Nathalia Angarita (Colombia), Parisa Azadi (Iran), Riska Munawarah (Indonesia), Ruba Alfaraouna (Palestine), and Zohreh Sabagh Nejad (Iran). Mentors: Maye-E Wong, Nariman El-Mofty, Tanvi Mishra, and Yael Martinez.
Event information
The public program will be a day of cultural exchange and mutual learning with the Cairo based photography community, the participants, and mentors. You can expect talks, presentations and portfolio reviews. This program is free to attend.
The Joop Swart Masterclass reflects World Press Photo’s commitment to investing in education and creating opportunities for photographers to develop their work, connect with peers and contribute to the future of visual journalism. For the third year, it focused on photographers from the Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region. Established in 1994, this educational program supports emerging documentary photographers and photojournalists with 5 to 10 years of experience through mentorship, practice development, and professional networking. For the first time, the in-person segment of the program, which began remotely in July 2026, will be hosted in Cairo, Egypt. Following the masterclass, participants will organize presentations for their local photography communities, sharing their work and learnings from the program and extending the exchange beyond the week in Cairo. It is funded by the Porticus Foundation and Stichting Maanwater.
