New £40K support bursary launches for women, trans and non-binary Photographers and Videographers
Calling all City Girl Photographers and Videographers! The 70:15:40 Project by MPB has just launched for all of you digital photographers and videographers out there. This is offering the chance for 4 female, trans and non-binary people to be granted support worth £40,000 to help to create and showcase your work.
In the UK today, 70% of photography graduates are made up of women, yet the percentage of professional photographers who are female makes just 15% and sadly, these professionals take home a 40% smaller income than male professionals in this industry.
The 70:15:40 Project has been led by MPB, the largest global photography trading platform, based in Brighton, to redress and tackle the challenges that we face in this industry. MPB has teamed up with organisations supporting women in the industry, for this project, including Peerspace, The Royal Photographic Society, The Centre for British Photography, SheClicks and UK Black Female Photographers (UKBFTOG).
Chief Marketing Officer at MBP, Sophie Collins commented on the 70:15:40 Project; “By helping talented visual storytellers and giving them the kit, mentoring and resources they need, the 70:15:40 Project UK will create a pipeline of talent, showcase outstanding women photographers and drive positive change.”
The winners will receive £40,000 worth of support which will include cameras and accessories, studio space, training and funds as well as the opportunity to showcase their own exhibition in London. The full breakdown of the grant is listed below.
Loan of cameras, lenses and accessories from MPB (£25,000)
Use of studio space from Peerspace (£2,500)
Membership and workshops from the Royal Photographic Society (£1,500)
Exhibition in London and one-to-one mentorship from Tracy Marshall-Grant, at the Centre for British Photography (£7,000)
Extensive press coverage of their work, including publication in the Royal Photographic Society Journal
Funds to spend as they see fit (£5,500)
There are no Technical requirements for the grant and applications are open to all female, non-binary and trans people who reside in the UK and the project particularly encourages applications from people from underrepresented groups.
To Apply, entrants should discuss what they would like to create for their series or short film and show a selection of their past work. The deadline for submission is 28th April 2023. Entrants should expect a response by the end of June 2023.
The competition will be judged by an 11-judge female panel, including leading professionals in the industry and members from the organisations running the project. The full list is below.
Artist and Photographer Sian Bonnell
MPB Chief Marketing Officer Sophie Collins
Multidisciplinary Visual Artist LA Creativity,
Freelance Portrait Photographer Jillian Edelstein
UCA Professor of Photography Anna Fox
UCA Professor of Photography Karen Knorr
Centre for British Photography Deputy Director Tracy Marshall-Grant
Portrait Photographer Carolyn Mendelsohn
Uni. of Northampton Senior Lecturer in Photography Haley Morris-Caferio
SheClicks Founder, Photographer & Journalist Angela Nicholson
UKBFTOG Founder & Photographer Jemella Ukaegbu
To apply, and for more details about the application process, visit mpb.com.
Good luck City Girls! And if you do win, please get in contact with us on Instagram or Facebook. We would love to hear about your journey and see what you create!
Written by Sinead Butcher
