NPPA Short Grants 2012
2011 winner
Photograph by Gabriela Bulisova ©2012
Project title is: Work In Progress
Recently paroled Lashawna Etheridge-Bey, 38, committed her crime and entered prison when her daughter was two, and her son only ten-months old. Women of color are significantly overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Among female state prisoners, two-thirds are mothers of a minor child.
Six Great Stories Just Waiting to be Told
Budgets for newsrooms are shrinking and one of the greatest victims is the community photo story. Photographers don’t have the time or the funding that they used to have to work on compelling stories in their community.
The National Press Photographers Association is bringing back the community photo story through the NPPA Short Grants, with six awards of $3000 each.
A project funded by a short grant should be small in scale and focused, although the grant can be used to fund a small segment of a larger project. Staff photographers are encouraged to apply and complete the project during furlough, vacation or comp time. Independent photographers are also encouraged to apply. Priority is not based on employment status but on your ability to tell a great visual story, and on whether or not you have a great idea for a story that you haven’t told yet.
ENTER ONLINE HERE between June 25th and July 16, 2012.
Q&A
- Q:
- When will applications be accepted?
- A:
- The entry period will begin on June 25, and will end on July 16, 2012.
- Q:
- How do I apply?
- A:
- All entries will be submitted through our online application system. Among the information you will be asked to provide: your name and contact information, your employer and employment status (if you are a staffer); whether you will use furlough or vacation to schedule the project; a 600 word description of the grant proposal; a brief description of any expected expenses/ budget; photographs that either illustrate the idea or show a past project; and the name and contact information for two references.
- Q:
- If I won in a previous year am I eligible this year?
- A:
- Because of our funding source, photographers are only allowed to win the grant once. The goal is to disburse the funding among as many photographers as possible since it is really an attempt to return reprographic rights moneys to you.
- Q:
- My story idea description takes more than 600 words.
- A:
- Sorry. We need to know that you are a good communicator and can tell a compelling story succinctly. The description should not be the entire story- just enough to get us familiar with your plans and your idea.
- Q:
- Who is the sponsor of this grant?
- A:
- You are. This grant is made possible from the distribution of international reprographic royalties, which must be spent to benefit published photographers who might have had their work reproduced overseas.
- Q:
- What do you want to see in the application?
- A:
- The primary criteria in judging are 1) your ability to tell a great visual story, and 2) a great idea for a story that you haven’t told yet.
- Q:
- What type of story are you looking for?
- A:
- We're looking for community photo stories, based in the US.
- Q:
- Do you have to be an NPPA member to qualify?
- A:
- No. This grant is funded by international reprographic rights funds and while we encourage everyone to join NPPA, the program is open to all as a term of the funding. We won’t even know if you are a member or not prior to judging.
- Q:
- Who is eligible to apply?
- A:
- According to the guidelines of the funding we are using, eligible applicants must reside in the United States and make their living primarily through still photography. You'll find more detailed information on the application.
- Q:
- Can students apply?
- A:
- This grant is only available to working professionals.
- Q:
- Who owns the copyright to the images taken with short grant funds?
- A:
- Ummm. You do, silly. We are the NPPA, not some ugly corporation trying to steal from you. We do require that you give us permission to publish images from your project in News Photographer and online to promote the grant program. We need to be accountable for our use of the grant money. If you have a publisher for the work, we will honor any first publication agreements that you have.
- Q:
- Will this be offered every year?
- A:
- We hope so. Because this is funded by a grant, which fluctuates, we have no way of knowing. We hope to see a great success this year and we will go from there.
Questions? Write to short_grants@nppa.org