The Erna and Victor Hasselblad Foundation is pleased to announce the second stipend for a nature photographer. This stipend is being made available in collaboration with the Vårgårda Photo Club, Sweden. The purpose of the stipend, recalling Victor Hasselblad's interest in nature, is to promote nature photography in the Nordic region.

The sum of SEK 100,000 (approx EUR 10,000) will be awarded to a single recipient. Tax consequences are to be borne by the recipient.

Application for the stipend in nature photography

Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of a Nordic country. The stipend is intended primarily for talented nature photographers, to be used to finance or contribute to financing, a creative artistic or documentary nature photography project.

The project must be well-defined and limited, with a time span of approximately 1 - 3 years from start to completion. When the projects are assessed, major emphasis will be placed on the creative level of the proposals.  Priority will be given to younger applicants.

The application and the portfolio must have been received by the Hasselblad Foundation no later than March 1, 2010.

Instructions for applicants

Application form

Daniel Månsson - 2010 recipient

Daniel Månsson from Åkersberga has been selected to receive the 2010 Hasselblad Foundation stipend for nature photography. He has been awarded the sum of SEK 100,000 for his planned project, entitled ‟Waves".

In this project, Daniel Månsson aims to portray a world that is invisible to many people. Using an analog underwater camera,  and in a wetsuit and diving flippers, he takes photographs at the point of refraction of the surface of the water, where he captures the transient beauty of the wide seas and the waves, as reflected in Nordic light. Using this unusual perspective, he has previously immortalized surfers in the water and the adjacent landscapes in many places all over the world.   Daniel Månsson has refined his techniques and approaches over the past decade. ‟Waves" will be a continued deepening of this project in which he studies the seas.

The Hasselblad Foundation has selected him for his unique methods, his exciting project, and in recognition of his previous work, which conveys the magnificence and the magic of Nature. In awarding the 2010 nature photography stipend to Daniel Månsson, the Foundation strives to encourage nature photography and its development in the Nordic region. 

Marcus Elmerstad - 2008 recipient

Marcus Elmerstad from Stockholm has been awarded the 2008 stipend in nature photography. He received SEK 100,000 for his project The Pilgrim Road to Nidaros. Elmerstad plans to document the pilgrims' journey and encounter with the sacred in a poetic photo narrative that intertwines nature, faith and history. Elmerstad further develops his base in nature photography by including human presence in nature. He achieves this through a personal, clear imagery.

Karolina Tillman from Lindesberg has been awarded the Hasselblad Foundation's Honourable Mention and the sum of SEK 10,000 for her project Fairyland - Nordic Legends.