Hello NYC photographers! Thank you for your interest in the project. We are officially live for the 2026 season! This project is a student-run venture supported by the International Center for Photography (ICP) and the Sanitation Foundation, the official non-profit partner of NYC Sanitation (DSNY). Through the lens of Next Gen New Yorkers, we will capture the dignity, complexity, and essential nature of sanitation work. We're so excited to get younger New Yorkers involved and show some love to the everyday heroes who make our city such a great place to live.
From DSNY crews at dawn to building supers sweeping sidewalks, from students cleaning their school cafeteria to neighbors picking up litter on their block, your creativity in capturing our city's cleanliness efforts is what matters most. The goal is to show the direct work of the Sanitation Department and those responsible for keeping our city clean, and you have the freedom to determine how this is best captured.
Submission Instructions:
- Must include photo/photos of sanitation work, either in progress or candid shots of the workers
- As these workers are continuously working to make our city better, we ask that you not interfere with their work
- Photographers who wish to submit their work must be high school students (set to graduate between the years 2026-2030) and currently enrolled in an NYC area school.
- All submissions must be accompanied by a written description of your photograph, where it is in NYC (You can drop a pin on the map below), and how it captures the work of the Sanitation Department
Selected winners will:
- Be showcased at ICP!
- Be featured on a dedicated Snap the Sweep webpage
- Receive a Certificate for your work
Selected photographers will be notified accordingly.
If you have any questions, please contact us at snapthesweep@gmail.com
Thank you for participating in this project and we are excited to see your submissions!