The Grant
Each spring, the board of FTL will announce the amount of money available, make a call for entries, and make an application and application guidelines available. Applications will be due mid-summer, and will be reviewed by an advisory panel.
Application Requirements and Submission Guidelines
The following application rules constitute the full requirements of eligibility:
Deadlines: Applications for the grants awarded Oct. 1, 2009 must be postmarked by Aug 17th, 2009.
Grant: Follow the Light Foundation is granting $5000 this year. Follow the Light Foundation reserves the right to grant that money in whole or in part to single or multiple award recipients. Applicants are encouraged to apply for whatever portion of the total they need to complete their project.
Eligibility: Follow the Light Foundation is granting $5000 this year. Follow the Light Foundation reserves the right to grant that money in whole or in part to single or multiple award recipients.
Important Note:
The cash grant is considered compensation and may be subject to
withholding tax. Grant recipients should be prepared to provide a U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number shortly after their grant is awarded in order that the grant can be presented to them in a timely manner, if it is deemed needed. Grant recipients are responsible for determining their own tax consequences. Recipients will be asked to provide an accounting for how the grant money is spent.
Application Submission Guidelines: To ensure qualification of your application please adhere to all of the following guidelines. Eligible applications must be submitted on a single multi-format (Mac and PC compatible) CD. The CD will consist of the following:
A. Portfolio of digital images (in jpeg file format) – Portfolios must consist of 20 images (single images, sequences or a combination thereof) in accordance with the following specifications. You must be the sole creator of each image submitted:
Image files sized to longest dimension being 10 inches wide for a horizontal or 10 inches tall for a vertical at 72 ppi (pixels per inch), saved as jpegs with standard compression no lower than 8 on the jpeg scale. For each image, caption information must be included in the “File Info” section of the image file.
Judging Criteria - An esteemed panel of judges chosen by the Follow the Light Foundation will conduct the judging. The panel will consist of world-renowned photographers such as Aaron Chang, Leo Hetzel, Steve Wilkings, Pete Taras and Sam Olson.
After an initial screening the Judges will look over the applications and score the work as follows:
• Photography – awarded a score up to 10
• Words – awarded a score up to 10
• X-factor – awarded a score up to 10 (this category is decided on by each individual judge on the basis of their overall reaction to each application as a whole)
B. Answer the applicant questions – The questions play a big part in the judging for this grant, so take your time with it and come up with something great.
Making a career as a surf photographer is no easy task. While some photo editors might be apprehensive about all the nagging phone calls and emails they get daily from budding surf photographers, Larry was always welcoming and would give encouragement, motivation and constructive criticism: he took the time to point you in the right direction. Larry’s surf photography will live forever through all those he has touched. This Grant is a continuation of his encouragement
APPLICATION QUESTIONS: Please answer each question. Be brief but specific.
1. What is it about your photography that you find special and unique?
2. What made you passionate about photography?
3. Who and/or what has influenced your photography and why?
4. What dreams or aspirations do you have for your photography?
5. If you were the recipient of the grant, how would you use the money to further your photography career aspirations?
There is a $25 fee to apply for the 2009 Follow the Light Foundation Grant for photographers. Checks should be made out to The Follow the Light Foundation.
Follow the Light Foundation will not be responsible for loss of submissions. As submissions will not be returned, applicants are urged to keep duplicates for their records
If you have any questions please contact: Pete Taras @ Peter.Taras@sourceinterlink.com 949.940.9649 or Sam Olson @ sam@followthelightfoundation.org or 805.258.6255
Please mail the application CD along with a signed print-out of the completed application form to:
FOLLOW THE LIGHT FOUNDATION GRANTS FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS
SURFING MAGAZINE C/O: PETE TARAS
950 CALLE AMANECER, SUITE C
SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673
Deadlines: Applications for the grants awarded Oct. 1, 2009 must be postmarked by Aug 17th, 2009. If you do not make the deadline please consider applying for the 2010 grant.
Intellectual Property:Follow the Light Foundation assures applicants that all materials within the application will not be used by the Foundation or grant judges for any commercial purpose other than the grant review and selection process. However, finalist’s submitted photographs may be used in and on affiliate media outlets including but not limited to website, magazine, catalog and television stations such as Fuel TV.
Selection Criteria: Grants will be selected by the Follow the Light Foundation for his or her talent. Selection will be based on judges’ determination of applicant’s ability, desire and character; all three qualities that defined Larry Moore’s life. The panel will take into account the caliber of portfolio, professional ability and the answers to the application questions.
Selection Notification: Finalists for the grants will be notified in the month of September. A list of finalists and the grant recipients will be published at www.followthelightfoundation.org
Publicity: Each grant recipient allows Follow the Light Foundation the right to use his or her name, likeness, biographical information, and grant project images in connection with but not limited to any and all promotion and publicity, including exhibitions of the Follow the Light Foundation Grants for Photography and televised spots on Fuel TV.
