Getty Images today announced the first recipients of the inaugural Getty Images Creative Bursary. Selected by an industry leading panel, the six recipients, from the USA, Kenya and Nigeria, have been awarded prizes ranging from $5,000 for joint first place, $3,000 for joint second place and $2,000 for joint third place.
Congratulations to the winners:
First place:
• Oriana Koren is a Florida-born photographer, writer and activist currently based in Los Angeles. Her project “If I Can Cook, You Know God Can” will be a six-month long project documenting African contributions to food culture in the Americas.
• Jeremy Dennis – Born and raised on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in Southampton New York. Dennis looks to explore the topic of indigenous history and oral stories in his project “Our Stories – Past and Present”. Through his work, Dennis uses the medium of photography to address themes of indigenous identity, assimilation and tradition.
Second place:
• Yagazie Emezi – Nigerian documentary photographer Emery aims to provoke folkloric connotations through her photographic project titled “Another Tale By Moonlight”. Emezi began her journey as a self-taught photographer in early 2015 and has since been commissioned by the likes of the New York Times and Vogue.
• Neema Githere – Film photographer and multimedia artist from Nairobi, Githere’s idea for her project “Coming of Age as a Nad in the #DigitalDiaspora” was motivated by her wanderlust and will document her return visit to Madagascar.
Third place:
• Donavon Smallwood – New York-based photographer Smallwood has been awarded for his project “Shepherdess” this is inspired by the traditional paintings of William-Adolphe Bouguereau.
• Tara Sellios – Boston-born photographer Sells mimics the style of altarpiece paintings in her project “Testimony”. The still-life photographs are created using organic matter with the purpose of showcasing the beauty of the natural world.
Founded in October 2017, the annual $40,000 Bursary was established to support emerging photographers in the creative field and enable them to realise commercial photographic projects which, without funding, they might not have otherwise been able to pursue.
The recipients, who must be 30 years or under, or have been pursuing photography as a professional career for less than three years, were asked to submit a project proposal and visual brief in support of their creative idea. Getty Images Creative Bursary is rolling, meaning recipients will be announced four times each calendar year, with the company awarding double funds for the first quarter in celebration of the launch.
Andy Saunders, Senior Vice President, Creative Content at Getty Images and one of the judges of the Getty Images Creative Bursary says: “Breaking into today’s commercial industry is extremely difficult, but as the industry leader we are committed to supporting and fostering emerging photographic talent. Championing cutting-edge photography that pushes creative boundaries and tells compelling stories is at the heart of what we do and we are delighted to work with this diverse group of emerging photographers and in turn, help enable their creative vision.”
In addition to aforementioned Saunders, the panel included:
• Andy Adams, Photographer and Publisher of Flak Photo
• London-based fashion editor and stylist as well as founder of Moodboard Zine Jeanie Annan-Lewin
• Independent artist and editor and Diversify Photo Co-Founder Andrea Wise
• Senior Photo Editor of ESPN’s The Undefeated and Co-Founder of Diversify Photo Brent Lewis
For more information about the Getty Images Grants programme, or to submit an application for consideration, please visit Where We Stand.