You are here: Home / Archives for Photocrati Fund

Photocrati Fund Offers $5000 Photography Grant

January 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

photocrati-fund

It’s our favorite time of year again. Our team is pleased to announce that the fourth annual Photocrati Fund competition is now open.

The Photocrati Fund offers a $5,000 grant to one photographer each year to undertake an environmental or humanitarian photography project. At the completion of the project, the grant winner’s images will be displayed as a photo essay on Photocrati.com.

The winner and top finishers are selected by a prestigious panel of some of the world’s top environmental and cultural photographers – past judges of the grant have included Michael “Nick” Nichols, Steve McCurry, Art Wolfe and Jim Brandenburg.

We are so honored to have the chance to work with our esteemed panel of judges, and we love the chance to see so many incredible projects from photographers around the globe.

We really believe in the power of great imagery to make a difference in the world. And we are excited to be able to support one Photocrati Fund Fellow each year with a unique upfront grant. We know, from experience, how difficult it can be to secure funding and platforms for photography projects. Our fellowship is part of our commitment to help ensure that important stories get told.

Applications for the 2013 Photocrati Fund competition will be accepted from Tuesday, January 15, 2013 through Tuesday April 30, 2013 (11:59 p.m. Mountain Time). The grant winner will be announced at the end of June 2013.

Grant applicants should submit a one-page project statement (including a rough budget) and bio, along with a link to an online portfolio of 20-30 themed images to: fund@photocrati.com. Please put “2013 Photocrati Fund” in the subject of the email. For complete Photocrati Fund rules and guidelines please see visit the 2013 Photocrati Fund page at Photocrati.com.

To learn about Peter DiCampo’s winning 2012 project, Life Without Lights, please visit the 2012 Photocrati Fund blog post at Photocrati.com. To view the 2011 winner and top finishers, please visit the 2011 Photocrati Fund blog post.

 

Filed Under: Photocrati Fund Tagged With: , , , , ,

Announcing the 2012 Photocrati Fund Winner and Top Finalists

August 9, 2012 By 3 Comments

photocrati-fund

Photocrati is proud to (finally) announce the 2012 Photocrati Fund winner and top finalists. We had an incredible pool of applicants to the fund this year. We are awed by the great imagery and the important projects. We’re also very grateful to our judges for continuing to support the photography community through their efforts with Photocrati: Jim Brandenburg, Michael “Nick” Nichols and Steve McCurry. With more than 400 applicants to the grant this year, competition was fierce and judging was a challenge.

2012 PHOTOCRATI FUND RESULTS

Peter DiCampo – 2012 Photocrati Fund Fellow
Life Without Lights — Documentary photographer Peter DiCampo, the 2012 Photocrati Fund winner, focuses on energy poverty in his on-going project Life Without Lights. Around the globe, roughly 1.5 billion people lack access to electricity; almost a billion more rely on inadequate sources. Biomass, such as charcoal and wood or trash, serves as fuel for cooking and heat. Without improved access to sustainable energy, poverty is difficult to escape.

For the next phase of his project, Peter will focus on the devastating health impacts of energy poverty in the remote Bundibugyo District of Uganda. The World Health Organization estimates that less than 10 percent of Uganda’s population has access to electricity. In remote and rural areas there is almost no electricity at all. Thick smoke from cooking fires contributes to high rates of lung disease. Clinics have no refrigeration for medicines, and no lights for nighttime births and surgeries. There are no phones to communicate emergencies.

Ami Vitale – Second Place
Kashmir: Paths to Peace – This work follows the brutal conflict in Kashmir and the relatively recent wave of unarmed protests. The work illustrates the resilience of the people: how an old culture survived a war, and how a younger, globalized generation has been shaped by the conflict.

Anna Boyiazis – Third Place
AIDS Orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa- This work highlights the devastating impact of AIDS on children and families, and the hope offered by the peer education efforts of the Jane Goodall Institute, Uganda, to ‘turn the tide of HIV’.

Laura El-Tantawy – Fourth Place
In the Shadow of the Pyramids – Tantawy explores Egypt’s identity as a nation in transition. Started in 2005, In the Shadow of the Pyramids, has followed the trials and tribulations, the hope and the violence, the time of Mubarak and the looming future. Now, post-revolution, this is a story of a nation reawakening from decades of political, social and economic repression.

 

Honorable Mentions

Ryan Roco, Attrition of the Mind: The Psychological Effects of Burma’s Kachin Conflict; Sean Gallagher, A Fragile State: Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau; Sitthixay Ditthavong, The Silent Siege (Kachin State, Myanmar); TJ Watt, Northern Vancouver Island’s Endangered Ancient Forests; Sven Zellner, Nomadic Children’s Bitter Fate (Mongolia); Stephen Boyle, After Conflict: A Hope (Mogadishu); Roberto (Bear) Guerra, La Carretera: Life Along Peru’s Inter-Oceanic Highway; Neil Ever Osborne, The Black Turtle Project (Baja California).


The Photocrati Fund, a $5000 grant to support an environmental or humanitarian photography project, is offered to one photographer each year. The aim is to invest in photographers who will have a long-term positive impact. Our goal is to identify outstanding, photographers and to provide the resources necessary to pursue projects that will have a tangible and positive effect on the world. The 2013 Photocrati Fund competition will begin in November 2012 and will run through April 2013. For more details please see the Photocrati Fund webpage.

 

Filed Under: Photocrati Fund Tagged With: , , , , ,

Update from Paul Colangelo, 2011 Photocrati Fund Winner

June 30, 2012 By 3 Comments

Here’s an update on Paul Colangelo, the 2011 Photocrati Fund winner. Here, we highlight a small selection of images from his work in the Sacred Headwaters region of British Columbia. The full photo essay is currently embargoed until publication by a major news outlet later this year. We can’t reveal anything about that just yet, but trust us, it is very exciting! Stay tuned for another update and a complete photo essay by this incredibly talented young photographer. 

 

The Stikine River flows in the Grand Canyon of the Stikine, Stikine Plateau, British Columbia © Paul Colangelo 2012

Tucked into the mountainous folds of remote northwestern British Columbia, lies Todagin Mountain, home to what is thought to be the largest lambing herd of Stone’s sheep in the world. Never leaving the windswept grassy plateau of Todagin, the herd shifts between seasonal ranges across the mountain. Todagin has been the sheep’s sanctuary since the local Tahltan people can remember. Todagin falls within the Sacred Headwaters, a region that members of the Tahltan have been fighting to protect since coming under threat of numerous mining proposals.

Recognizing the value of the herd, the government of British Columbia protected its winter range via the creation of the Todagin South Slope Provincial Park in 2001. Since then, however, it has issued drilling permits for nearly the entire plateau, encompassing the herd’s spring, summer and fall ranges. If this land is mined, the herd will lose the majority of its habitat and could be forced off the only home it has known.

A small boat on Ealue Lake after sunset, Stikine Plateau, British Columbia © Paul Colangelo 2012

Graveyard overlooking the Stikine River, Telegraph Creek, Tahltan First Nation, British Columbia © Paul Colangelo 2012

Mountain goats, Grand Canyon of the Stikine, British Columbia, © Paul Colangelo 2010

Tributaries of the upper Klappan River, Skeena Mountains, British Columbia © Paul Colangelo 2012

While working on Sacred Headwaters, a book by Wade Davis aimed at raising awareness of the region, I initially camped on Todagin for a week to photograph the herd. I witnessed first-hand that the mining tenure squarely overlaps the herd’s habitat. Two issues needed to be addressed: a lack of scientific knowledge on the herd, and a lack of public awareness of land use plans on this remote plateau.

Teaming up with Dr. Wes Sechrest, Chief Scientist at Global Wildlife Conservation, and Wade Davis, we launched a two-pronged project: gain knowledge of the herd by mapping its movements across the plateau, and raise awareness of the issue through popular media.

In summer 2011, I was dropped off by helicopter with enough gear and supplies to live with the herd for four months. Completely isolated, I plotted the herd’s movements with specialized camera equipment and photographed the sheep with the aim of telling their story. By three weeks I was immersed in the rhythms of the herd and awoke to the subtleties of the plateau.

Weather proved to be the main challenge. It was officially the worst summer of weather in 50 years in British Columbia. The first windstorm sent tents and gear flying a mile down a valley and crashing into cliffs. The second windstorm occurred in late September, when there was half a foot of snow on the ground. It was so violent that it blocked highways 3,000 feet below me with felled trees and mudslides. I was evacuated by helicopter and had to finish the season a month early.

I will return to Todagin this summer and fall to complete the project, which becomes increasingly more urgent as development continues to ramp up. Images will be released upon publication of the story.

As a business student heading towards a corporate life, my life changed when I received my first camera as a graduation gift. Within months of my first picture, I left my job to pursue a life in photography. It was while working for Frans Lanting that I realized the power of storytelling and dedicated my life to telling stories of wildlife, environmental issues and the crossroads of culture and our natural world.

A grizzly bear chases salmon in a tributary of the Nass River, British Columbia © Paul Colangelo 2012

Eulachon left to decompose in front of a cabin before being processed into an oil known as “eulachon grease”, Nisga’a First Nation, Nass River, British Columbia

Salmon hanging in a Tahltan smokehouse on the Stikine River, Tahltan Nation, British Columbia © Paul Colangelo 2012

 

A young Tahltan girl beats a drum during celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Tahltan Declaration, Telegraph Creek, Tahltan Nation, British Columbia

 

Filed Under: Photocrati Fund Tagged With: , , ,

2012 Photocrati Fund Top 25 Finalists

June 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

photocrati-fund

The 2012 Photocrati Fund judging is still underway, and we don’t envy the task at hand. With more than 400 talented applicants, selecting a winner is a tough challenge. Our staff and judges have enjoyed reading about the many meaningful projects, and more than that, we’ve loved checking out the outstanding photography. It is one of our favorite times of the year — a chance to be inspired by all of the great work that so many of you are doing in the field. That said, the pool is presently whittled down to the top 25 finalists for this year’s fund. Here they are:

2012 Photocrati Fund Top 25 Finalists

AMI VITALE
Kashmir: Paths to Peace

ANNA BOYIAZIS
AIDS Orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa

CAROL ALLEN STOREY
The RED Badges of Courage (Tanzania)

DAN GIANNOPOULOS
The Orphaned Elderly of Kathmandu

EDUARDO DIAZ
The Timber Mafia (Pakistan)


EMILIANO J. THIBAUT
The Written-Off  Future (Jalisco, Mexico)


JAMES VYBIRAL
Where Have All the Hunters Gone? (Peruvian Amazon)

KASPER NYBO
Borderline Living. Refugees in Lebanon

KHALED HASAN

Terror Beat of Acid (Bangladesh)

LAURA EL-TANTAWY

In the Shadow of the Pyramids (Egypt)


LIANNE MILTON
Social Impact of Post-Civil War Violence in Guatemala

MALIN FEZEHAI

Invisible Women (Beruit, Lebanon)


NEIL EVER OSBORNE
The Black Turtle Project (Baja California)

PETER DiCAMPO
Life Without Lights (Uganda)

ROBERTO (BEAR) GUERRA
La Carretera: Life Along Peru’s Inter-Oceanic Highway


RYAN ROCO

Attrition of the Mind: They Psychological Effects of Burma’s Kachin Conflict

SANDRA ELENA TEN ZIJTHOFF

Columbian Urban Refugees in Ecuador

SEAN GALLAGHER

A Fragile State: Climate Change on the Tibetan Plateau


SITTHIXAY DITTHAVONG
The Silent Siege (Kachin State, Myanmar)

STEPHEN BOYLE
After Conflict: A Hope (Mogadishu)

SVEN ZELLNER
Nomadic Children’s Bitter Fate (Mongolia)

TJ WATT
Northern Vancouver Island’s Endangered Ancient Forests

TUDOR VINTILOIU
Huaorani – Forest People of Ecuador

VIVEK SINGH
The Brus – Displaced and Desolate (India)


WENDY MARIJNISSEN

The Dai’


 

Filed Under: Photocrati Fund Tagged With:

Announcing the 2010 Photocrati Fund Fellow and Top Finalists

June 19, 2010 By 4 Comments

We’re just getting back into the swing of things here at Photocrati after an incredible weekend at the LookBetween Festival in White Hall, Virginia. What an amazing experience! Two full days of interacting with industry leaders and top-notch emerging photographers was just fantastic.

We’d like to extend a very special thanks to our three judges who are all committed to giving back to the photography community – Steve McCurry, Michael “Nick” Nichols and Art Wolfe.

We’d also like to thank the organizers and sponsors of the LookBetween Festival: Michael “Nick” Nichols, the LookBetween Board and staff, Jessica Nagel (host at Deep Rock Farm), National Geographic and BD, for including us in this year’s event. It really was an honor.

And now, the Photocrati Fund Board and staff are pleased to announce the results of the first-ever Photocrati Fund competition.

The 2010 Photocrati Fund Fellow: Mark J. Davis

Project Title: Fishing For Leftovers

Mark will receive a $5,000 grant to pursue his on-going, environmentally-focused project Fishing For Leftovers, which highlights the impact of commercial over-fishing on small-scale subsistence fishermen in Southern Chile.

About Mark’s project:

A 2006 study by an international group of ecologists and economists projected the collapse of the world’s fishing stocks by the year 2048—due mainly to overfishing. While consumers will be the last to feel the effects –there are tens of millions of people worldwide who live in small fishing communities that depend on the sea for subsistence who are already reaping the consequences.

This project documents life in one such community in Southern Chile where due to a lack of other opportunities, small-scale fishing operations are the main source of income. Recent increases in large-scale commercial fishing enterprises that use controversial fishing practices have led to both the depletion of the fishing stock and the destruction of much marine habitat. Mark hopes that this project highlights the disparity between the lives of the subsistence fishermen and those who operate large-scale fishing operations.

© Mark J. Davis

© Mark J. Davis

© Mark J. Davis

“I am honored and am extremely grateful that through this grant I will be able to continue to tell this important story,” Mark says.

Mark’s project was selected from a competitive pool of more than 400 applicants by our prestigious panel that included some of the world’s best-known environmental and cultural photographers. The judges had a very difficult task—we (happily) received a large number of outstanding and meaningful project proposals by some very talented emerging photographers.

To that end, we would like to recognize the top finalists.

Second Place: Bharat Choudhary

Title: IS THIS HOME?

Location: Mizoram, India

This project seeks to document the humanitarian concerns of Burmese Chin refugees and asylum seekers in India. Around 85,000 Burmese Chin refugees live in India, mainly in India’s northeastern state of Mizoram – at the India-Burma border. They live in cramped, unhygienic, unsafe neighborhoods, and earn as little as $35 (US) a month. They are reduced to scouring the garbage left at the night market for food. This project aims to strengthen the existing advocacy efforts for human rights of the Burmese Chin refugees.

Third Place: Anna Beeke

Title: UNTANGLING THREADS

Location: Morocco

The photojournalism project, Untangling Threads: Female Artisans in Morocco’s Rug Weaving Industry, seeks to document the environment and culture of female weavers who have recently begun to participate in local and global markets. The project also plans to track the rural-to-urban journey of the carpets that are produced. While the carpets are generally sold for high-dollar amounts, the female artisans receive a very small percentage of the profits – which perpetuates the cycle of poverty and child labor in rural Morocco. This project aims to highlight the faces behind the production and the market forces that bring these products to the world.

Fourth Place: Malin Fezehai

Title: VANISHING NATION

Location: Kiribati

Due to global climate change, the small, but highly-populated island – home to roughly 100,000 people – is in danger of disappearing beneath the rising waves of the sea levels. Mass evacuation is now in the initial stages. Malin’s project seeks to document how the rising sea levels are affecting daily life of these “climate refugees” – an entire nation forced to migrate.

Fifth Place: Anna Maria Barry-Jester

Title: BORN INTO A SAFE PLACE

Location: India

India has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, just behind war torn African countries like the Sudan. Two thirds of women do not give birth at a health facility; aside from the danger to the mother, there is a greatly increased risk of complications and mortality for the infant. Most home births are overseen by untrained birth attendants, with limited ability to recognize problems early enough to seek proper treatment or to get to a facility in time. This project seeks to raise awareness about the complications and dangers related to giving birth in unsanitary conditions and to improve access to services and outreach offered by the Indian government. Trained in both photography and Public Health, Anna Maria Barry-Jester uses her lens to help develop important health outreach and education campaigns.

Other top finishers:

Oliver Michael Edwards (sensory impairment), Laura El-Tantawy (suicide among male Indian farmers), Andrew Cullen (winter disaster in Mongolia), David Belluz (self immolation in Afghanistan), and Ryan Gauvin (depleted uranium/Balkan states).

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Mark J. Davis and to all of our finalists. We’re looking forward to following your work and we can’t wait to feature a photo essay from Mark’s project next summer.

Filed Under: Photocrati Fund Tagged With: , , , ,

Announcing the 2010 Photocrati Fund Winner at LookBetween

June 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A contingent from Photocrati will traveling to Virginia this weekend to attend LookBetween, and awesome event for some of the world’s most promising emerging photographers.

We’ll be taking the occasion to announce the winner of the 2010 Photocrati Fund competition! We had over 400 applications for this year’s competition, the first ever. There were a lot of great photographers, amazing images, and innovative projects. We want to thank Steve McCurry, Nick Nichols, and Art Wolfe for their time reviewing and voting over the last two months. We’ll be announcing the winner on Saturday night at LookBetween, and we’ll post an announcement here early next week!

For those who have not heard of it, LookBetween promises to be an amazing event. It’s a spin-off of LOOK3: Festival of the Photograph. LOOK3 is hosting an experimental two night event to present the work of 90 innovative photographers on a farm 30 minutes west of Charlottesville. The 90 artists showing work were asked to participate by experts in this field such as PDN, Burn Magazine, Humble Arts, Getty Images, VII, and others. This initiative is designed to showcase early-career talent and engage the presenting artists with media professionals on practices and trends influencing the direction of photography today.

Each night will feature outdoor projections of work by the invited emerging photographers in attendance. Showcasing the work of these talented photographers is a main focus of the weekend. However, LOOKbetween is also designed to create networking opportunities and be a forum for the exchange of ideas between professionals and those early in their career. Saturday daytime will be devoted to discussion about important issues in photography. Thank you to BD and National Geographic for supporting LOOKbetween.

Filed Under: Photocrati Fund Tagged With: , , , ,

Announcing $5000 Photocrati Fund Grants for Photographers

January 25, 2010 By 13 Comments

Hello Photocrati Readers,

We’re proud to announce the formal opening of our first Photocrati Fund Grant Competition. The Fund will give away one $5000 grant this year for a non-professional photographer to undertake a an important humanitarian, environmental, or social photography project. Photocrati is excited to have some of the most celebrated environmental and cultural photographers in the world acting as board members and judges for the competition:

Steve McCurry
Michael “Nick” Nichols
Art Wolfe

The Need for Photography of Important Humanitarian, Environmental, and Social Issues

I’ve interacted with a lot of photographers over the years, and I’ve come to believe that photographers, as a group, are more inclined than the average population to want to harness their hobby/profession (depending on your status) to promote important causes. Like most photographers, I also believe in the profound impact that great photography can have by creating awareness and motivating others to take action.

Unfortunately, the most important stories and causes are often the ones that are least likely to provide compensation, so they often go uncovered, unphotographed, untold. [Read more...]

Filed Under: News and Commentary Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,