SANTA BARBARA, CA (June 29, 2007) — The top 20 pictures from the Brooks Institute of Photography's 2006 weekly photojournalism competition go up for review and bidding July 16 as part of a public auction to raise funds for the students.
Funds raised from the project will help the Brooks Institute student chapter of the National Press Photographers Association operate their Web site, hold their student competitions, and underwrite other student activities.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Larry Price selected 20 winning images for 2006 from Brooks Institute Visual Journalism students. Earlier, local California-based photographers trimmed the entries from 315 to 90 images, which were then sent to Price for his selection.
The pictures will be displayed in the main hallway of the Brooks Institute Ventura campus starting July 16, at which point they will also be available for public bid via a silent auction. Bid sheets will be at the reception desk. Bidding ends Friday, August 17 during a 6-8 pm closing reception held on the Brooks Ventura campus. Final bids are due at 8 pm sharp. The public is welcome to attend the reception and to bid on the photos. Light refreshments will be served. The campus is located off Highway 33 at 5310 North Ventura Avenue, Ventura, California.
A former president of NPPA, Jim McNay, is at Brooks. McNay was NPPA's president in 1996.
The 20 images displayed will be Epson inkjet prints, mounted under glass with archival matting. Each photograph is approximately 12 x 18 inches in a 16 x 20 black metal frame. During the auction period, the pictures will be available for viewing on the student NPPA Website at www.brooksnppa.org. On the final evening bids will be taken over the telephone. Contact NPPA student chapter advisor Greg Cooper for information at greg.cooper@brooks.edu.
Each week officers from the Brooks Institute student NPPA chapter choose new photographs for posting on the group’s Web site in the “Week in Pictures” feature. From the 315 pictures selected in 2006, a photographers panel including Dana Bowler of the Ventura County Star, Lucas Jackson of Reuters, and Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Wells of the Los Angeles Times reviewed the images in a three-hour on-campus session. The panel selected 90 photos to forward to Price, who then chose the winning 20 images.
NPPA is a Durham, NC, based 10,000-member professional society for visual journalists, including freelance and staff photographers working in print, Web, and television news. With more than 100 active members, the Brooks Institute student NPPA chapter is the largest in the country. Meetings are arranged to be an educational experience and a student forum. Working professionals are invited to give lectures and demonstrations on such topics as photojournalism ethics, wildfire safety and location lighting.
