Sunday, September 4, 2011

GETTY IMAGES ANNOUNCES RECIPIENTS OF 2011 GRANTS FOR EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

London, UK – 2 September, 2011 – Getty Images has announced that five photojournalists have been selected to each receive a grant of US$20,000, as well as collaborative editorial support from Getty Images, to pursue their documentary photography projects. The winning photojournalists and corresponding projects are:
  • Alvarro Ybarra Zavala for ‘Colombia, in the eternity of sorrow’
  • Walter Astrada for ‘Violence against woman in Norway’
  • Stanley Greene for ‘The E-waste Trail – China/ Pakistan/ Nigeria’
  • Liz Hingley for ‘The Jones family’   
  • Joan Bardeletti for ‘The KILL (the African Gays) BILL’”
Aidan Sullivan, Vice President of Photo Assignments, Getty Images, commented: “I am thrilled that our editorial photography grants programme continues to empower photojournalists and enable them to bring these important visual essays to the world’s attention. This year’s judging panel carefully considered over 400 applications and proposals received from around the world and we are delighted with the winners selected for 2011. This year’s, projects deal with a range of compelling and complex issues, such as civil war in Colombia and poverty in the United Kingdom.”
The panel of esteemed judges included:
·         Tom Stoddart, Photojournalist
·         Jean-Francois Leroy, Director General, Visa Pour l’Image
·         Jon Jones, Director of Photography, The Sunday Times Magazine
·         Cyril Drouhet, Director of Photography, Le Figaro magazine
·         Emanuela Mirabelli, Photo Editor, Marie Claire Italy
Click here to view the judges biographies.  
Photojournalist and judge for the 2011 programme, Tom Stoddart, commented: “It was a real pleasure to be part of the judging panel for this year’s Grants for Editorial Photography. After spending hours looking at submissions from talented, committed, passionate photographers, I came away with an answer to the age old question - is photojournalism dead? NO - it's alive and kicking!”
The Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography was established in 2004, to enable emerging and established photojournalists to pursue projects of personal and editorial merit, focusing attention on significant social and cultural issues. Since 2005, Getty Images has provided Grants in excess of US$700,000 through the grants programme, demonstrating their commitment to promoting excellence in photojournalism through tangible, positive contributions to the industry.
More information about the judges, the grant recipients and their winning projects, as well as galleries of their portfolio images, can be found at www.gettyimages.com/grants
ENDS
Notes to Editors – Summary of winning projects:
  • Walter Astrada, ‘Violence against women in Norway’
Violence against women is the most widespread example of a human rights violation, going largely unpunished. It is a worldwide phenomenon affecting all societies, regardless of their political and economic systems; it affects all cultures, social classes and ethnic groups. The consequences of violence against women are devastating; survivors regularly suffer from emotional disorders and health problems for the rest of their lives, not to mention those who meet their death.
Norway, according to the Global Peace Index, is the safest country in the world; however, between 2000 - 2010, 83 women were murdered by their partner or ex-partner, and in 2008 more than 25,000 women were in contact with a shelter.
  • Stanley Norman Greene, ‘The E-Waste Trail’
The E-Waste Trail is a photographic documentary that tracks the afterlife of our electronic trash, as corporations and governments make irresponsible, yet lucrative, deals, at enormous injury to the world’s most vulnerable citizens. 
The Poison: E-waste is comprised of toxic agents like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), copper, lead, zinc, gold, iron, thallium, mercury etc. Lead is poisonous for the nervous system and progressively attacks the brain’s functions. Very high toxic levels can lead to paralysis. Cadmium is the main component in some batteries and circuit boards and causes cancer.
  • Liz Hingley, ‘The Jones family’
1.6 million Children across the United Kingdom live their daily lives in severe poverty (30%). This is more than most other European countries, but western poverty is often difficult to understand and to communicate visually in comparison to images of world poverty elsewhere.
The Jones family lives in a three-bedroom council house in the industrial city of Wolverhampton, UK. This is the first house that the family has lived in for three generations; the mother and father were brought up in caravans, as were their parents. The house is precious to the family and holds many memories for them, to the point that despite its extremely limited size they refuse to move into larger council accommodation. The three boys and four girls have high aspirations for their future but they are aware it will be financially difficult for them to ever leave the family home.
  • Joan Bardeletti, ‘The KILL (the African Gays) BILL’
In Uganda, the ‘kill the Gays’ bill is about to be discussed. If introduced, homosexuals could face the death penalty if they have previous convictions, are HIV positive or have had relations with people under the age of 18.
According to human rights organisations, over 500 000 homosexuals live in Uganda, where current laws already criminalize homosexuality with up to 14 years in jail. 
Uganda is today at the frontline of efforts by extremist Christian churches to spread across Africa draconian measures against the homosexual community. During a gathering in Kampala in 2010, American evangelical pastor Lou Engle stated, “In America, we have lost the battle, but in Uganda, this is ground zero”.
  • Alvaro Ybarra Zavala, ‘Colombia, in the eternity of sorrow’
“Colombia, in the eternity of sorrow” is a personal photographic project that covers ‘the time of President Alvaro Uribe’, one of the most controversial, violent and darkest periods in the history of the Colombian conflict.
The international press experiences the reality of Colombia from the outside. More than forty years of civil war seem excuse enough to not consider the terrible drama of the Colombian people as news. The country is divided, and situations there are very diverse, all of which may be shown.
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP), the National Liberation Army (ELN), the paramilitary groups and government forces are fighting in all of these regions with a single aim, the control of resources. And once again, the civilian population is in the midst of it all.
About Getty Images
Getty Images is one of the world’s leading creators and distributors of still imagery, video and multimedia products, as well as a recognized provider of other forms of premium digital content, including music. Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100 countries and is the first place creative and media professionals turn to discover purchase and manage images and other digital content. Its award-winning photographers and imagery help customers produce inspiring work which appears every day in the world’s most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and websites. Visit Getty Images at www.gettyimages.com to learn more about how the company is advancing the unique role of digital media in communications and business, and enabling creative ideas to come to life.

No comments:

Post a Comment