Getty Images launches Creative Grants programme

Now in its fifth year, the Creative Grants provides two grants to facilitate collaboration between photographers, filmmakers, agency creatives and nonprofits to create a visual campaign that promotes positive change.

It is designed to support nonprofits that do not currently have the resources to employ photographers, filmmakers or communications professionals but who understand how breakthrough imagery and strategic thinking about communications are essential to further their mission.

The cash prizes for this year have increased to a total of US$20,000 from US$15,000 previously. The grants will be shared equally between the photographer or filmmaker and their agency partner to cover costs as they work together to create compelling new imagery or video for the nonprofit of their choice.

Grant applications will be accepted from 1 February to 1 March on Getty Images Grants’ site. The judging will be performed in Tokyo by an independent panel of professionals from Japan’s creative industry, including David Morgan, ECD at Ogilvy & Mather, as well as Toshiya Kono, ECD at Hakuhodo.

The focus of the grants remains creative and innovative conceptual imagery that elevates the campaign of a nonprofit organisation, as opposed to traditional documentary or reportage photography.

Participants will be judged on their technical, organisational and storytelling abilities, as well as their innovative use of creative and conceptual imagery and video. The winners will be announced in June.

Andrew Saunders, senior vice president of Creative Content for Getty Images, noted that many nonprofit organisations do not have the resources required to get their stories across in an impactful way.

“By bringing together compelling visual content and strategic communications planning, the Creative Grants program provides an important avenue for the creation of influential campaigns that have the power to elevate awareness and further the mission of worthy causes,” he said.