What is the Photocrati Fund?
The Photocrati Fund offers $5000 grants to non-professional photographers to undertake important humanitarian and environmental photography projects. Our goal is to identify outstanding, up-and-coming photographers and give them the resources necessary to pursue projects that will have a tangible and positive effect on the world.
We will offer one grant in 2010. The application deadline is March 15, 2010, and the award will be announced in June 2010. Awardees become Photocrati Fellows for the calendar year from the announcement of their award until the announcement of the following year’s award.
Award decisions will be made by the Photocrati Fund Board, a prestigious panel that includes some of the world’s best-known environmental and cultural photographers. The Photocrati Fund Board and judges for the competition are:
Steve McCurryThe Photocrati Fund offers $5000 grants to non-professional photographers to undertake important humanitarian and environmental photography projects. Our goal is to identify outstanding, up-and-coming photographers and give them the resources necessary to pursue projects that will have a tangible and positive effect on the world.
We will offer one grant in 2010. The application deadline is March 15, 2010, and the award will be announced in June 2010. Awardees become Photocrati Fellows for the calendar year from the announcement of their award until the announcement of the following year’s award.
Award decisions will be made by the Photocrati Fund Board, a prestigious panel that includes some of the world’s best-known environmental and cultural photographers. The Photocrati Fund Board and judges for the competition are:
Michael “Nick” Nichols
Art Wolfe
Note: The Photocrati Fund and Photocrati.com are administered by Frontier Digital Media, LLC. Photocrati and the Photocrati Fund are sometimes hereinafter referred to collectively as Photocrati.
Eligibility
Applicants must be non-professional photographers who derive less than 50% of their income from photography or photography-related activities. The grant is open to photographers over 21 years of age from any country worldwide, but applicants should have a proven ability to produce outstanding imagery, as well as the background necessary to carry out their proposed project. If you are someone who has studied photography or done paid photography work, that does not disqualify you. You are only ineligible if you are an established working professional photographer who already gain the majority of their income from photography related activities.
Application Submission Guidelines
Application Deadline: Monday, March 15, 2010 at 11pm (GMT).There are no application fees for this grant.
Each submission may contain only one project proposal. Each applicant may apply only once per submission cycle. Applications are not carried over to the following year. All applications must be submitted in English, online to the following email address: fund@photocrati.com. Please proofread to avoid typos and grammatical errors.
Only applications that meet ALL SUBMISSION CRITERIA will be judged. Once the application and proposal has been submitted, content changes are not allowed. Please double check all of your materials before submitting your application. The Photocrati Fund is not responsible for misdirected submissions. Applicants should keep copies of their application for their own records.
Only applications submitted according to grant application specifications will be considered. Applicants should not send any hard copies or printed materials (no prints, books, CDs/DVDs or transparencies). The Photocrati Fund Panel will not review any of these materials, and they cannot be returned to applicants.
The application consists of just two items: a one-page project statement and bio, and a link to your online portfolio submitted via email to: fund@photocrati.com.
Project Statement and BioOnly applications submitted according to grant application specifications will be considered. Applicants should not send any hard copies or printed materials (no prints, books, CDs/DVDs or transparencies). The Photocrati Fund Panel will not review any of these materials, and they cannot be returned to applicants.
The application consists of just two items: a one-page project statement and bio, and a link to your online portfolio submitted via email to: fund@photocrati.com.
The project statement should be a maximum of 1-page in Microsoft Word (or compatible) format. Please include the following information, in this order, in the heading:
* Applicant’s Full Name:
* Project Title:
* Project Location:
* Applicant’s Email:
* Applicant’s Phone (including country code):
* Applicant’s Home Country:
* Web Address of Online Portfolio:
The personal statement should describe the proposed project in detail, including:
* Who or what will be photographed?
* Why is this project important? Include historical, environmental, or cultural background to the project as appropriate. You should display good substantive knowledge of your subject matter.
* What positive consequences might result from this project? We are interested in projects that will have a tangible impact or contribution.
* What background and preparation do you have that will enable you to carry out the project? This should include a description of your photographic training or background as well as your knowledge or training related to the subject matter of your project (i.e., language or cultural study, previous experience in the specified country or location, environmental or biological background, and contacts with a specific local organization or experts with whom you wish to work, etc).
* If the proposed project will take place in a country other than your own, please describe your preparations for working in the proposed project location (i.e. visa preparations, local contacts, health vaccinations, language training, etc.).
* How do you plan to spend the grant funds? Please include a rough budget.
* Who or what will be photographed?
* Why is this project important? Include historical, environmental, or cultural background to the project as appropriate. You should display good substantive knowledge of your subject matter.
* What positive consequences might result from this project? We are interested in projects that will have a tangible impact or contribution.
* What background and preparation do you have that will enable you to carry out the project? This should include a description of your photographic training or background as well as your knowledge or training related to the subject matter of your project (i.e., language or cultural study, previous experience in the specified country or location, environmental or biological background, and contacts with a specific local organization or experts with whom you wish to work, etc).
* If the proposed project will take place in a country other than your own, please describe your preparations for working in the proposed project location (i.e. visa preparations, local contacts, health vaccinations, language training, etc.).
* How do you plan to spend the grant funds? Please include a rough budget.
Note: In our experience, many applicants underestimate the amount of time and preparation that is required to prepare a good one-page project statement. The fact that this statement is only one page means you must work even harder to make sure that all the relevant information is included in a concise and still-readable way.
The most successful statements are those that have received a great deal of attention. Applicants think carefully about what to include, revise their statements through multiple drafts, perhaps have friends or colleagues provide feedback, and they take special care to ensure that there are absolutely no typos or grammatical errors.
This single page is all we have to evaluate you, your preparation, and your project, so please give it special care and attention.
Each applicant should include on their Project Statement and Bio a URL (web address) to an online gallery of a coherent set of 20-30 images based around a theme or project (preferably related to the project or theme/concept proposed in your application). Carrying out an effective photography project requires not just creative and technical mastery of photography, but also the ability to focus on a single project over time. You need to take time to develop knowledge about your subject matter, build any necessary relationships, and to invest the time to be present when the best photo opportunities present themselves. Your portfolio should display these qualities. We are not looking for a hodge-podge of individual photographs of sunsets, flowers, or travel scenes.
Images displayed in the online portfolio or website MUST BE TAKEN BY THE APPLICANT. Any applicant receiving a grant on the basis of images taken by someone else will be liable to repay the grant’s full amount to the Photocrati Fund.
As with the personal statement, please recognize that the images on this site are the sole basis on which we will evaluate your photographic talent. You should display your best work, and avoid displaying work that is not your best.
Images displayed in the online portfolio or website MUST BE TAKEN BY THE APPLICANT. Any applicant receiving a grant on the basis of images taken by someone else will be liable to repay the grant’s full amount to the Photocrati Fund.
As with the personal statement, please recognize that the images on this site are the sole basis on which we will evaluate your photographic talent. You should display your best work, and avoid displaying work that is not your best.
Selection Criteria
Following the application deadline (Friday March 15, 2010 at Midnight GMT), Photocrati Fund staff will compile all completed applications that adhere to all submission guidelines.
Photocrati Fund staff will screen applications and remove any that do not meet the application criteria or which are unlikely to be competitive. The remaining applications will be submitted to the Photocrati Fund Board for consideration.
* Selection of the grantee will be based on the Board’s determination, in its sole discretion, of the following:
* Photographic skill and promise of the applicant (in terms of photographic vision and technique) based on the applicant’s images in his/her web portfolio.
* The degree to which the applicant’s non-photographic background and training has prepared him/her to undertake the project.
* The environmental, cultural or humanitarian significance of the project and its potential contributions.
* The feasibility and viability of the completion of the proposed project within the projected timeframe and with the grant funding.
* The quality of the overall application packet.
Photocrati Fund staff will screen applications and remove any that do not meet the application criteria or which are unlikely to be competitive. The remaining applications will be submitted to the Photocrati Fund Board for consideration.
* Selection of the grantee will be based on the Board’s determination, in its sole discretion, of the following:
* Photographic skill and promise of the applicant (in terms of photographic vision and technique) based on the applicant’s images in his/her web portfolio.
* The degree to which the applicant’s non-photographic background and training has prepared him/her to undertake the project.
* The environmental, cultural or humanitarian significance of the project and its potential contributions.
* The feasibility and viability of the completion of the proposed project within the projected timeframe and with the grant funding.
* The quality of the overall application packet.
Notification of Award
Winners of the grant will be notified after the judging, which should be completed by mid-May. Grant winners may share the news of their winning proposal with others involved with the project, but are asked to keep news of their award confidential until the public announcement at the Look3 Festival (and on the Photocrati website) in June.
Disbursement of Funds, Project Report, Photo Essay and Deadline for Completion of Project
Photocrati Fund Grants are in the amount of $5,000. The funds are intended to cover the costs of travel, lodging, and expenses for up to one-month of full time photography. If you are doing a project close to home, then the funds do not need to be spent on travel and lodging, but a case must be made for how they will be spent. Your project may also be longer than one month – just make a case for the appropriate duration for your project.
The funds will be disbursed in two portions. Photocrati Fellows will receive $4000 up-front prior to the project. The remaining $1000 will be disbursed to the Grantee upon completion of the project and upon receipt of a Project Report and an image portfolio from the project.
The Grantee is expected to provide a brief follow-up report upon completion of the project that describes how the project progressed, and which provides a detailed explanation of how funds were used. Receipts should be provided for all expenditures over $50. Grant recipients are advised to keep conscientious records of expenses.
Along with the Project Report, the Fellow should submit an Image Portfolio of 20-30 images. These can be presented in an online gallery or sent to Photocrati Fund staff via email or FTP. These images should be 800 pixels in the longest dimension and they should be accompanied by detailed captions. The resulting Photo Essay will be displayed on Photocrati.com for at least one year following the project.
The Grantee will have 12 months from the announcement of the award to complete his or her project and to provide Photocrati Fund staff with a Project Report and captioned Photo Essay of 20-30 images from the Photocrati Fund project.
The Grantee is expected to provide a brief follow-up report upon completion of the project that describes how the project progressed, and which provides a detailed explanation of how funds were used. Receipts should be provided for all expenditures over $50. Grant recipients are advised to keep conscientious records of expenses.
Along with the Project Report, the Fellow should submit an Image Portfolio of 20-30 images. These can be presented in an online gallery or sent to Photocrati Fund staff via email or FTP. These images should be 800 pixels in the longest dimension and they should be accompanied by detailed captions. The resulting Photo Essay will be displayed on Photocrati.com for at least one year following the project.
The Grantee will have 12 months from the announcement of the award to complete his or her project and to provide Photocrati Fund staff with a Project Report and captioned Photo Essay of 20-30 images from the Photocrati Fund project.
Copyright and Use of Images
The Grantee retains all copyright and ownership of images resulting from the project, including the right to sell, print, or distribute images as he or she sees fit. By accepting the grant, the Grantee also agrees to give Photocrati a worldwide, non-exclusive right to display images included in the Grantee’s Photo Essay on the Photocrati.com website. The Grantee also grants Photocrati the right to use the resulting imagery on its website, in printed materials, or in galleries for the purpose of promoting the Photocrati Fund.
The imagery produced by the grantee may be licensed (and sold) to others by Grantee, with the understanding and explicit agreement that the images may also be used by Photocrati in the manner mentioned above.
The imagery produced by the grantee may be licensed (and sold) to others by Grantee, with the understanding and explicit agreement that the images may also be used by Photocrati in the manner mentioned above.
Other Important Notes
The Photocrati Grant is considered compensation. As such, the amount of funding that the grant recipient claims for their expenses may be subject to withholding tax. American citizens or residents should be prepared to provide a US Taxpayer Identification Number shortly after their grant is awarded, before the Awardee can receive the grant.
Photocrati will provide grant recipients outside the US with information and assistance in securing this number if they do not already have such identification. Grant recipients living in the US will be supplied with appropriate reporting information in the form of a 1099. Grant recipients living in other countries will receive 1042 income reporting forms.
Privacy
Photocrati and Photocrati Fund staff along with the Photocrati Fund Panel will make every possible effort to keep applications confidential and private. Applicant names and contact information will never be shared with individuals outside of the Photocrati Fund, without expressed written permission from the grant recipients.
Materials and ideas contained within the application will not be used by Photocrati, the Photocrati Fund, or by the Photocrati Fund Panel for any purpose other than the grant review and selection process, without expressed written permission from the grant recipients. Grant recipient images may, however, be used for publicity (as outlined in this document).
Communication with Applicant
The Photocrati Fund staff and/or Photocrati Fund Panel may contact grant applicants for further communication regarding their submitted application.
Updates and Changes to the Grant
As this is the first year for offering the grant, some small changes in procedures may be necessary. Photocrati reserves the right to amend grant rules and submission guidelines for the Photocrati Fund. If amendments are made, they will be posted no later than 30 days prior to the application deadline (March 15, 2010 – 11PM GMT).
Agreement
All entrants by their participation, agree to be bound by these Official Rules. Photocrati reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who violates these rules, and any subsequent entries of the disqualified entrant. The laws of the United States apply to and govern this grant award and any claims must be raised and resolved in the United States. Additionally, entrants and the grant recipient agree to release, discharge, and hold harmless Photocrati, Photocrati Fund, and Photocrati Fund Panel, their affiliates, officers, directors and employees from any liability, claims, or damages arising out of their participation in the promotion and the acceptance, use, misuse, or possession of any grant. All grant recipients, by accepting the grant, agree to the use of their name or likeness for advertising or publicity purposes without compensation, and upon request, to provide consent to such use in writing.
Photocrati is not responsible for printing or typographical errors in any contest-related materials; for stolen, lost, late, misdirected, damaged, incomplete, illegible, or postage-due mail or entries; or for transactions that are processed late or incorrectly; or are lost due to computer or electronic malfunction. Photocrati reserves the right to cancel or modify the competition if fraud or technical failures compromise the integrity of the offer as determined by Photocrati in its sole discretion.
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