The Women Photograph has announced that it is accepting applications for its 2021 Mentorship Programme, which will pair 24 industry leaders made up of12 photographers and 12 photo editors, curators, and educators, with 24 early-career photojournalists over the course of a year. Mentors in the programme include editors and photographers from The New York Times, The Guardian, the Associated Press, and Apple, among others.
It is currently seeking applications from women and non-binary photographers with less than five years of professional work experience who might be interested in long-term support.
The mentorship programme which will take place remotely over the course of one year, will require 3-5 hours of engagement per month. There is no travel or financial commitment required to participate. Photographers who stand to benefit most from this programme are those who are already at the beginning of a documentary/photojournalistic practice and looking for targeted guidance and mentoring in the early stages of their career.
Women Photograph is an initiative that was launched in 2017 to elevate the voices of women and nonbinary visual journalists. The private database includes more than 1,000 independent documentary photographers based in more than 100 countries and is available privately to any commissioning editor or organization. Women Photograph also operates an annual series of project grants, a year-long mentorship program, an annual skills-building workshop, and a travel fund to help women and non-binary photographers access professional development opportunities.
Its mission is to shift the gender makeup of the photojournalism community and ensure that the media industry’s chief storytellers are as diverse as the communities they hope to represent. The initiative believes that inclusion and equity work must be fully intersectional, and are committed to supporting and highlighting photographers across the spectrum of all identities. It is particularly committed to centring the voices of women and nonbinary photographers of colour and pledges that more than half of its funding and opportunities will go to BIPOC photographers.
Deadline for submission of applications is: October 1, 2020, latest 11:59 pm ET.
To apply for the programme, please visit https://www.womenphotograph.com/mentorship-apply and for those who have a question, please contact hello@womenphotograph.com.
