El Gouna Photo Week has opened applications for “Sard: Upper Egypt Stories,” a photography initiative dedicated to visual stories created around Upper Egypt, with submissions open until August 31, 2026.
The project builds on El Gouna Photo Week and Photopia’s earlier Sard exhibitions, which were created to give photographers from Upper Egypt more space to document their own communities, people and everyday experiences through a local lens rather than through outside interpretations.
What Is “Sard”?
“Sard,” meaning “narrative” in Arabic, is a long-running visual storytelling platform developed around documentary photography and personal storytelling.
Previous editions have focused on contemporary life in Egypt and North Africa, with photographers exploring subjects including public space, youth, social change, women, coexistence, economic realities and generational conflict. The format typically combines images with written narratives, allowing photographers to present complete stories rather than isolated photographs.
The Upper Egypt edition places particular emphasis on photographers who can tell stories rooted in the region’s own communities.
Giving Upper Egyptian Photographers Their Own Voice
One of the central ideas behind Sard: Upper Egypt is representation.
When the initiative appeared at El Gouna Photo Week in 2022, organisers stressed the importance of giving photographers from Upper Egypt the opportunity to portray their own villages, families, traditions and social realities rather than having those stories repeatedly interpreted by photographers visiting from Cairo or elsewhere.
The approach aims to challenge romanticised or stereotypical images of Upper Egypt and replace them with more personal, nuanced perspectives created by people who understand those environments from within.
Building on the 2022 Upper Egypt Edition
Sard was a major part of the first El Gouna Photo Week in 2022.
That edition supported nine photographers from Upper Egypt, exhibiting their work at TU Berlin’s El Gouna campus and purchasing one photograph from each of their visual stories. The programme also featured exhibitions including Mahmoud Hawary’s Humans of Upper Egypt.
The initiative became one of the event’s most socially focused programmes, alongside workshops, talks, photo walks, exhibitions and live demonstrations led by photographers and visual artists from across Egypt.
More Than a Photography Competition
The value of Sard lies less in simply selecting strong individual images and more in encouraging photographers to think in terms of storytelling.
Previous open calls have accepted documentary photo stories and short documentary videos, with applicants asked to submit coherent projects supported by written context. This has allowed photographers to explore subjects over time and build narratives around people, communities and social issues.
That documentary approach makes the platform particularly relevant for Upper Egypt, where everyday stories and contemporary experiences often receive less visibility in mainstream visual culture.
El Gouna Photo Week’s Role in Egypt’s Photography Scene
El Gouna Photo Week was launched by Photopia in partnership with El Gouna as an extension of the photography community built around Cairo Photo Week.
Its first edition featured dozens of talks, workshops, exhibitions, live demonstrations and photo walks covering areas ranging from documentary photography and cinematography to fashion, architecture, food and commercial image-making.
By hosting Sard alongside those industry-focused activities, the event created a space where emerging photographers and socially driven documentary work could appear alongside established professionals.
Applications Open Until August 31
Photographers interested in participating in the 2026 edition of “Sard: Upper Egypt Stories” have until August 31 to submit their work.
The new open call continues a project built around one simple idea: people should have the opportunity to tell the stories of their own communities.
For photographers working in or around Upper Egypt, Sard offers a chance to turn personal observations into visual narratives—and to bring stories from Egypt’s south to a wider audience.
