blog single

Swim Safe Kenya is pleased to highlight an exciting global opportunity for storytellers passionate about oceans, conservation, and impactful visual narratives — the Ocean Storytelling Film Grant by the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF).

This prestigious grant is designed to support early-career and emerging filmmakers who are eager to tell powerful conservation stories about our oceans. The initiative aligns closely with Swim Safe Kenya’s mission of promoting aquatic safety, ocean awareness, and responsible engagement with water environments.

Who Should Apply

The Ocean Storytelling Film Grant is open to filmmakers and storytellers with no more than five years of professional experience in any film-related discipline. Applicants do not need a formal marine background; however, they should demonstrate a strong interest in telling meaningful stories that highlight ocean conservation issues.

The program particularly encourages applications from women and individuals from underrepresented communities, ensuring diverse voices are represented in global ocean storytelling.

Grant Benefits and Prizes

Each selected winner will receive:

• USD 2,000 cash prize
• USD 50,000 production budget to complete their film project

In addition, grantees will benefit from world-class mentorship by renowned industry professionals, including:

• Pippa Ehrlich – Oscar-winning director (My Octopus Teacher)
• Sreya Biswas – BBC Natural History Unit
• Daniel Beecham – Cinematographer (Blue Planet II)

The judging panel also includes leading conservation and storytelling experts such as Thomas Peschak, Dr. James Lea, and Jade Schultz, ensuring strong creative and scientific guidance throughout the process.

Why This Matters

Storytelling is a powerful tool in conservation. Through film, complex environmental challenges can be transformed into compelling human stories that inspire awareness, action, and policy change. For organizations like Swim Safe Kenya, such initiatives reinforce the importance of education, safety, and stewardship of aquatic environments.

All winning filmmakers will have the opportunity to showcase their marine conservation stories on international platforms, amplifying their impact and reach.

How to Apply

Applications are now open for projects beginning in 2026.

🔗 Apply online: https://grants.saveourseas.com/
📅 Application Deadline: 30 January 2026
📧 Inquiries: contact@saveourseas.com

A Call to Action

Swim Safe Kenya encourages Kenyan and African storytellers, filmmakers, and creatives with a passion for water, oceans, and conservation to seize this opportunity. Your story could help shape how the world understands and protects our oceans — while contributing to safer, more informed aquatic communities.

Together, through storytelling, we can inspire a safer and more sustainable relationship with our waters.