During the festival's opening week, from Dec 15 to 17, the "Jimei Arles Discovery Award" and "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image" will announce their winners. The Discovery Award aims to identify and promote talented Chinese photographers on the international stage. The festival also introduces the Dummy Book Award this year, encouraging and supporting artists in creative pursuits related to photography books.

The 9th edition of the Jimei Arles will unveil the "Isles Project" under the theme of "Art is Never Alone", which will collaborate with local cultural, artistic and living spaces, inviting the audience to take part in an artistic city walk. During the opening week, an array of interactive activities will offer an artistic urban experience, such as lectures, workshops, artist-guided tours, performances and educational tours.