Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan: The Major Photojournalism Event

The Catalan Eden: The New Provence of the Pyrénées-Orientales

History
Created in 1989 by Jean-François Leroy, Visa pour l’Image has, in just a few decades, become the world’s largest international festival dedicated to photojournalism. Born from the desire to showcase the work of photojournalists—often unknown or underestimated—the festival has established itself as a space for freedom, testimony, and dialogue around major global current events: conflicts, humanitarian crises, environment, society. Every year, it attracts photographers, editors, journalists, NGOs, and a large public to Perpignan, with nearly 300,000 visitors.

Location and Iconic Venues
Each year, the festival takes over Perpignan’s most remarkable heritage sites, offering a journey through the city and its history:

• Couvent des Minimes (the heart of the festival, hosting around fifteen exhibitions)
• Campo Santo (open-air evening screenings)
• Église des Dominicains
• Palais des Corts
• Hôtel Pams
• Palais des Congrès
• Caserne Gallieni
• Former University
• Théâtre de l’Archipel
• Atelier d’Urbanisme
• La Poudrière
• Casa Xanxo
  

These sites, often closed to the public the rest of the year, become showcases for the greatest photojournalistic reports during the festival.

Dates and Program
The 36th edition takes place from August 31 to September 15, 2024 (the 37th is already announced for August 30 to September 14, 2025).

• Exhibitions: Every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., free entry throughout the city.
• Evening Screenings: September 2–7, 2024 at 9:30 p.m. at Campo Santo (free entry), featuring a retrospective of the past year and the awards ceremony.
• School Week: September 16–27, free admission by appointment for school groups.
  

Key Features and Festival Spirit
Visa pour l’Image has established itself as a space for reflection and debate on world news, press freedom, and the power of images. Each year, the festival honors the best reports with the prestigious Visa d’Or awards in various categories:

• Visa d’Or News
• Visa d’Or Magazine
• Visa d’Or Daily Press
• Visa d’Or Humanitarian
• Visa d’Or of the City of Perpignan Rémi Ochlik
• Visa d’Or of Honor
• Visa d’Or for Digital Information (franceinfo, 9th edition in 2024, rewarding innovation in news coverage)
  

Other prizes and grants (Camille Lepage, Pierre & Alexandra Boulat, Yves Rocher Foundation, Carmignac Photojournalism Award, etc.) encourage creativity and support young talent.

Exhibitions and Recent Successes
Each edition features more than 20 free exhibitions, presenting the year’s best photojournalistic subjects, selected from hundreds of entries worldwide. The topics are diverse: armed conflicts, health crises, environment, society, struggles for human rights, as well as hope and positive initiatives.

Examples of Notable Exhibitions:

• In 2024, the report “Sahara, la soif de l’or” by Amaury Hauchard and Michele Cattani (Les Jours) received the Visa d’Or for Digital Information (franceinfo) for its investigation into the gold rush in the Sahara.
• Exhibitions on the war in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic, global social movements, and the climate crisis have marked recent editions, drawing large audiences and sparking debate and emotion.
  

A Festival Open to All
Admission is free for all exhibitions and screenings, and many exhibitions are also available as virtual tours on the official website. Visa pour l’Image remains true to its mission: to defend press freedom, support photojournalists, and raise public awareness of the complexity of the contemporary world.

Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan is, each year, a unique opportunity to dive into world news through the eyes of the greatest photographers, in a city transformed into the international capital of photojournalism.