[slidepress gallery=’epf_2010_sampler’]

Hover over the image for navigation and full screen controls 

 

 

 

play the EPF 2010 sampler


We are now receiving submissions for a BURN grant of $15,000.

Deadline for entry is May 15, 2011

Funding is designed to support continuation of a photographer’s personal project. This body of work may be of either journalistic mission or purely personal artistic imperatives. The primary intent is to support emerging photographers who will become the icons of tomorrow.

The Emerging Photographer Fund grant was initiated by David Alan Harvey in 2008, and is awarded by the Magnum Foundation, a non-profit created by the member photographers from Magnum Photos, Inc…Funding for the EPF has come from several private donors who have chosen to remain anonymous.

Some of the previous jurors have been:  Carol Nagar, Martin Parr, Gilles Peress, Eugene Richards, Maggie Steber, Fred Ritchin, Bruce Gilden, David Griffin, John Gossage , Susan Meiselas, and James Nachtwey…For 2011 an equally astute set of jurors will be selected and announced before the deadline date.

The 2008 Emerging Photographer Fund grant was awarded to Sean Gallagher for his essay on the environmental Desertification  of China.

The 2009 Emerging Photographer Fund grant was awarded to Alejandro Chaskielberg for his 8×10 format essay on the Parana River Delta.

The 2010 Emerging Photographer Fund grant was awarded to Davide Monteleone for his essay Northern Caucasus.

Anyone can enter the EPF 2011 Grant, there are no age restrictions… however, it is intended for emerging photographers, who are the icons of tomorrow and not today…

we use the SlideRoom system which is very easy to use for your submission to the EPF 2011 Grant… you can sign up and edit your work as much as you like for the next several weeks, right up to the deadline, and you only need to pay the submission fee IF/WHEN you actually submit your final essay for consideration…

All the rules for submission are explained in great detail once you are signed in to the SlideRoom system and start uploading your images.


The EPF grant 2011 submission link:

http://burn.slideroom.com


Deadline for submission: May 15th, 2011

The winner will be announced in June, 2011 at the Look 3 Festival of the Photograph in Charlottesville, Virginia

89 thoughts on “Emerging Photographer Fund 2011 – Call for Entries”

  1. For the fourth time, born out of nothing if not passion, dedication and hard work from a few people.. just look where this has led to.. amazing.. looking forward to see all the essays for the 2011 call!

  2. You know, that guy with the cigarette looks like he’s trying to make up his mind whether or not he should ask the other guy for ten bucks.

  3. The poet William Stafford was asked by an interviewer about his habit of writing a poem every day. He told the person that yes – he started the poem in the morning before the kids got up, then he put it down while he made them breakfast, then he might work on it after the kids went to school and put it down for lunch and so on until by the end of the day it was done.

    The interviewer, incredulous that anyone could write a poem every day asked Mr. Stafford, ‘How do you do it? How can you be inspired every day to write a poem?’

    Mr. Stafford replied, ‘I lower my standards.’

  4. What a brilliant, wild, unforseeable and magical Road (trip) we’ve all been on since the First EPF Award….I am so happy and proud that the EPF continues to grow and nourish photographers and photography….as both a former finalist and entrant, I want to encourage EVERYONE (here that Toronto!) to submit a body of work….not so much with the notion of ‘competition’ but for a simpler notion:

    to gather your work and organize it for a vision and an effort to share it!…and to celebrate yourself and each other….

    Rock On EPF #4!…

    some Joyce to apply to each and everyone of YOU!

    ““I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.”-Joyce

    GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE….

    Just remember, it’s about photography/community and dont’ forget to celebrate yourself and EACH OTHER! :))

  5. “Just remember, it’s about photography/community and dont’ forget to celebrate yourself and EACH OTHER! :))”

    …..and kick some ass :>))

  6. a civilian-mass audience

    To My BURNIANS:

    “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.”

    Swami Vivekananda (Indian Spiritual leader)

    A big THANK YOU to MR.HARVEY ,to ANTON…to the CREW…to MY BURNIANS…to the DONORS…to the
    MASS AUDIENCE(silent readers)…

    let’s get this party started…Born to BURN:)))

  7. Pingback: Call for Entries: burn magazine Emerging Photographer Fund – 2011 « Digital Photography

  8. Pingback: Proje geliştirmek için kaynak | Açık Diyafram

  9. Pingback: The Week In Photography | Travel Culture and Environmental Photography from Taiwan | Craig Ferguson Images

  10. Pingback: Weekly Photography Links: 01/30/2011 | Your Photo Tips

  11. Jamie Maxtone-Graham

    All of the above.

    Very exciting to think of what work will be seen here soon……..

  12. Ok, so I’m not too much into those competition or award things.. but I kinda follow pictures.. so today I stumbled over the World Photography Awards shortlists.. and of course I recognized some of the pictures here (there might be more, have not explored it all yet):

    http://www.worldphoto.org/images/image-gallery/5042/?FromImageGalleryCategoryID=37&page=1

    Alejandro Chaskielberg is one of the finalists.. has happened also with Davide Monteleone, after winning the EPF he won another grant or two shortly after.. just saying.. you folks who have work, SUBMIT!!

    (’cause I want to see more…)

  13. Pingback: Emerging Photographer Fund 2011 – Call for Entries | burn magazine « Art Web Actu

  14. Hello to everybody!

    I have a bit stupid question )))
    I can not find here at the website any contact email regarding the Grant issue.
    Meanwhile – i have some questions to be asked since i want to apply.

    Does anybody know where i should write to? Maybe i just did not notice the email address… Really did not find it.

    Or maybe i can put some questions here? Maybe they will also make some points clear for others…
    1) is the deadline – May 1, 2011?
    When i logged in at https://burn.slideroom.com/ there it was said that the deadline is 05.02.2011. So, should i just ignore that?
    2) Is the Grant only for the work in progress projects?
    I have a huge project planned starting in september and lasting at least a year. I have not started shooting for it – i am just doing organiztional work for the moment and the research. Is that possible to apply with the portfolio of one project and proposal for another?
    In case it is not possible – i also have a project that i am planning to shoot within several years – i have been doing it already for two years. So, i will apply with it.
    3) Are there any deadlines for the end of the project? If the grant provides the winner with money, will it want the work to be done by specific time?

    all the best,
    Daria.

  15. Pingback: righteous (as in bob marley def)…. | burn magazine

  16. DARIA..

    the answers to all of your questions are right here on this site if you click on Emerging Photographer Grant 2011….you can go into to slideroom and edit all you want between now and deadline time and then decide to enter or not enter at the last minute…so it is a free place to edit until you make your final decision…the grant is given to someone who has a project already going and wants to have fund to either complete or expand…the $15,000. is given within one month of the announcement of the recipient…there are no requirements of the recipient but so far all have stayed in close touch regarding their work..we choose photographers that we feel will make the most of the funding based on their work …i hope this answers your questions..but feel free to ask more or again..

    cheers, david

  17. Hi David,
    My sincere application for such a honest effort. It is remarkable inspiration to the emerging photographers in the world. U definitely the photographers and photography to a great level.We support your effort morally and emotionally.
    Partha

  18. Hi all and DAH!

    The topic is “Call for grant”… but my comment is about “Call for assignments” :)

    I found which post has fewer comments so my question will not be lost in hundreds of comments under other photographs…

    first of all… a small update from my side…

    I am again based in Romania (after a few months while I was back in Poland)… I didn’t have much time to check all the comments under each new post because simply I don’t have any time (but my mind is always with Burn! yesterday I had a great time with Thomas Bregula here in Bucharest at mini-Burn.-meeting)… last months were concentrated on photography… 18 hours a day…only 6 hours a day were left to get some sleep…

    I worked for a two NGOs.. and that was an excuse to hit the road and photograph my new project called “Drum Bun!”. Until now, I was able to continue my project while I was traveling to places where I was assigned to shoot for those NGOs… costs of a gas for my car were reimbursed by those NGOs (it was a perfect situation!). Right now I will make one more trip to Poland.. so I will shoot on the way again… but during the summer I want to photograph Eastern part of Romania and I would love to apply for your assignment.
    Right now, I am about to start a new job (on 18th April).. job not related with photography at all… unfortunately there is no other way for me right now to support myself… I don’t eat much but time to time I have to (and not everyday Thomas Bregula is here in Bucharest to invite me for a dinner ;-))…

    But.. I am planing to hit the road again during the summer… I am looking for a support. I am searching for sponsors… in Romania… and here on Burn.
    Any kind of help would be great. If any of you have some connections to companies here in Romania or other European companies which would be able to support my project – for example: rent a car for a month (I am not sure that my Skoda Favorit from 93′ would be able to make it anymore), give vouchers for a gas, offer me some equipment (camera with 35mm is all what I need) or support me in any other way… would be great.

    I am not sure I am allowed to show a link to my work (in progress; from this project) here, so I just put a short description of my project:

    “In summer I moved from Poland to Romania. Most of my travels between Poland and Bucharest and my travels related with assignments around Romania are by car.
    Because Romania has only around 200km of highways, the main roads are through the small villages which makes traveling quite slow.

    What makes my trips difficult as a passenger and driver makes them at the same time interesting for me as a photographer.

    It became natural to photograph things which I see through the car window.
    Traveling almost across a whole Romania gives a great picture of current Romania.
    My photographs are collection of observation Romanian diverse landscapes, villages and people in their environment. ”

    Hugs for you DAH and all of you!

    Aga

  19. Pingback: Photography Link Roundup «

  20. “but so far all have stayed in close touch regarding their work”… David, does it mean that you want to know or the work has already to be known to you before the recipient applies for a grant???

  21. Anthony RZ, a recipient of a grant is someone who has got the grant (in the case of the EPF Gallagher, Chaskielberg and Monteleone), not someone who submits to it, meaning that they have been staying in touch AFTER they won the grant.

  22. Eva, thank you sweetie:) oh my English my English!… before starting Spanish classes I should have study English a bit more:))…

  23. David, how do you usually consider, would 12 well selected strongest images be enough for a serious story presentation at Emerging Photographer Fund? Cheers

  24. ANTHONY RZ

    i am talking about paying attention to what a photographer does with the grant money once received…i do not need to know the work before the photographer applies for this grant…it could be the case, but is most likely not the case….i secure the jury for this grant, i do not jury the grant myself….yet, i do pay attention to what the photographers do even though there is no obligation on their part…

    cheers, david

  25. Hi there,

    I have submitted and paid the fees for the 2011 grant. Would it be possible if I could add further details to my cv/biography since I have just got a few more updates recently.

    Slideroom stated that I would need
    If you wish to make edits to a completed submission, please contact the institution directly and request they UNSUBMIT your portfolio. If they grant this request, you will be able to make edits and resubmit for free.

    Tech support

    sorry for the inconvenience,

    kind regards,

    miti

  26. MITI,

    I have unsubmitted your application, so you can make the necessary changes and then re-submit. You do not need to pay the submission fee again.

    Cheers,

    anton

  27. Hello,

    I just submitted my latest project. But only after submitting it I read here that this competition is for a work in progress. So, at the risk of sounding silly … I was just wondering, if I submitted a portfolio that I have already finished working on, does that disqualify me from the competition?

    Thank you very much.

  28. Yanita…

    no of course not…you are not disqualified…but most grants are designed to help photographers actually do something moving forward…not just a reward for having done something…the deadline of our grant is May 15…why not just pop in an idea for a future project that would somehow tie in what you have already done? just a thought

  29. Thank you David.
    I’m sorry I just wasn’t sure where to write this down in the submission form.
    My ultimate goal is to document the area of Brooklyn where I currently live in terms of the different ethnicities, religions and cultures residing in the area. I’m focusing on the strip that runs from Sheepshead Bay to Sunset Park…. This is something I’ve been doing for the past two years, and am hoping to continue for the next three years (partly because I think that 5 years is a fair amount of time for such a large project and partly because I’m not sure if I’ll still live in Brooklyn in three years). That section of the borough just fascinates me – so many cultures and religions all in one little corner it’s amazing. but this project as a whole is so large I have to divide it into subsections, mostly according to the area or culture/religion I am photographing… What I’ve already submitted is just one of the subsections of the larger project – the reason I chose it is because this was a one-time event and so I feel as though it is a complete and finished portfolio that can stand separately from the rest…
    Please let me know if this doesn’t fit with the rules and I will resubmit a different portfolio.
    Thank you very much.

  30. Anthony R.Z.

    Yanita, don’t take what I say for granted, but I would say don’t worry about that finished – unfinished “issue”. The boundary between finished and unfinished photo-essay is so thin, and I guess the respectable Magnum judges are mostly looking for your ability to create a strong visual material of your chosen subject. They want to see images that speak for themselves, tell a visual story even without your written statement. If photographer is really talented he/she can basically take “just” strong random photos, put them together, write a short lyrics (or even someone else can do it for them), and it’s already an interesting project, book, gallery show. That can also lead to getting a grant. If you are one of those very few photographers, you can already start planning how you are going to spend your 15000 grant, and I tend to think you are. Best wishes

  31. YANITA

    i have tried to make the EPF with as few “rules” as possible….Anthony RZ is correct in his statement…unrecognized great photography is what we want to represent on Burn in general…and with the EPF as well…in any case, keep me personally updated on your project…winning an award is a good thing, but there are many other ways for support ….stay in touch

    cheers, david

  32. Anthony R.Z.

    Oh David, what are the “other” ways for support? Could you share that with me as well? or is it just for Yanita?:)

  33. Sheepshead Bay to Sunset Park… That’s my backyard too. Fascinating area full of fascinating people. I Hope we get to see your project, Yanita. It’s a worthy one.

  34. ANTHONY

    Burn supports many photographers…essays here receive a minimal payment, but it is payment… and oftentimes essays here receive support from our audience…for example, Laura El Tantaway picked up good support from readers here for her Egypt work …and i personally spend a lot of my time mentoring projects from readers here….many of the essays in Burn 01 came from this hands on approach…no, not from my official workshops, just from things i chose to work on based on need and talent…many published Burn photographers have been recommended by me to the established print magazines…i am not an official agent, but i do forward on to editors new photographers they may not know..mostly i think the benefit of Burn for young photographers is simply the exposure…several have reported increased print sales or assignments or whatever after being published on Burn…hey man, just trying to do a little something…does not always work, but trying is all any of us can do i suppose….thanks for asking..

    cheers, david

  35. Anthony R.Z.

    mw,

    I have lived there for one year as well, but the value of a visual project is in its visual value, not in its name, idea, or written statement. At least, I think, it should be this way. But I am sure there are different opinions about that:)

  36. Anthony R.Z.

    David, thanks for the answer, interesting…

    Yanita, just another thought – Art world has always been corrupt, and when things come to financial support… well, if he/she is just an unknown random photographer from the street, even if he/she is good enough, personally I don’t believe he/she will get that 15000 grant. But miracles happen, and the chance to win this grant is still higher than playing a lottery.

  37. ANTHONY

    you could not be more wrong in your final word to Yanita…corruption ?….you see anybody get this grant that you had ever heard of before? sorry but you are way off on this one…give me a break…we are busting it around here to give young photographers a head start…we raised independent money with no controls whatsoever and choose a respected jury that votes independent of the other jurors….where is the corruption? pretty strong word Anthony and discounts anything you have ever said or written before….leaving Burn? good

    YANITA

    you may not win this award, but you can rest assured you will not be a victim and that your entry will be treated with respect and you have just as much chance as anyone else….do good work and that is all you need to do…thank you for your interest…

    cheers, david

  38. Anthony, thanks for clearing that up for me. Good job ridiculously accusing David of being corrupt, too. At least you’re not blaming the Jews, eh. Not publicly anyway.

  39. Anthony R.Z.

    David, I don’t know what’s going on inside Burn, I was talking about Art world in general, and just expressed my thoughts and doubts… I think my thoughts about corruption gave you an opportunity for you to express EPG standards in public, and that was a good thing, wasn’t it? Actually, I believe what you say, or want to believe. David, no, I don’t have to leave Burn, why should I? But I have never had a chance to join Burn either, what way that would be? I don’t like communities, and I think in general, camera club communities actually are quite disgusting phenomenon… I just check what’s going on here, but I am on my own, solitary as always. If not your name behind Burn, I would never open a page here… I wanted to meet you in NYC, but you are so busy, and you don’t respond to private emails:)). With big respect

  40. Thank you everyone for your replies.
    I have to say, the discussion was a bit more than I expected, but it is definitely heartwarming to know that people pay attention – I believe that is the best (and sometimes the only) way to support an artist, especially a photographer. Winning a contest, especially with a prize like this one, is always very attractive, but what is even more important to me personally is to have good feedback on my work from people who are experienced in the field.
    David, thank you again for clarifying the rules of this contest. I would love to stay in touch and show you the progress of my work.
    (Right now going through a little bump in the road because trying to get permission to photograph certain religious festivals is a little harder than I expected, but I’ve already managed to get a couple of great shots in spite of everything so hopefully my luck will continue in a good direction) :)

    Thank you and good luck to all of us in the contest! :)

  41. Anthony R.Z. .. I guess you do realise that by what you have just written you not only say David is corrupt, but also a liar.. and that this counts for the whole Burn crew and all the past and present jurors as well?

    If you do not realise it, then you better read again what you wrote above.

    Best would be to ignore you. I should.

  42. ANTHONY RZ:

    Why don’t you give us a link and show us what YOU can do (have done) instead of just lobbing insults against whomever, warranted or not? Put up or shut up is my sage advice…. and I’m sure others will back me on that one. You’ve been anonymous way too long on here for all the vitriolic you sling about. At least Jim Powers gives us his full real name….

    CP

  43. David, Charles,Mike, Eva, All…sorry we all had to wake up (or sleep in) with the classic pre EPF negativity…Maybe we should create some ne T-Shirts on Burn Store..thinking..thinking..hmm
    how about..
    “Apollo 13 never landed”!
    or
    “Burn killed Hip Hop”
    or
    “C.I.A, Burn, D.E.A get out of Gaddafi’s palace”
    or
    “Burn is Corrupted”
    or
    “Venice=Hollywood”
    or…
    thinking…!

  44. Put up or shut up is my sage advice…. and I’m sure others will back me on that one.
    ——————————–

    another Burn T-Shirt:

    ” Put up or shut up “

  45. how about…
    “im afraid im not good enough for EPF”…for girl bottoms undies

    or

    “my Past haunts me, and ive done nothing about it” (men’s shirt)

  46. or

    “My name in Anthony and i dont play well with others”

    (Anthonyyyyyyyyyy once again you made everyones day although i know u sacrificed yours)

  47. How about:

    “Life is Unfair”

    or

    “Yet another talented young photographer got an EPF grant and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.”

    and on the back:

    “of course I couldn’t be bothered to submit…”

  48. if “Art”/”Burn” is so corrupted then why u trying so hard to be associated with then?
    why reading, responding, sweating all this?
    why spitting on others work and efforts to fund poor unrecognized photogs..
    why spitting on DAH/magnum reputation?
    back it up!..why everyone one that was a recipient so far was NOT Dah’s personal friend?
    why am i not “winning” the award every year, since im a “friend”?
    Was Nachtwey and or Gilden “corrupted” for last years EPF?

    and ok, ok..i shouldnt be sensitive..maybe (yeah right) u never meant to “accuse” Burn , but u accused ART circles..
    which ones? enlighten us… maybe you could open our closed eyes…go ahead..lead the puppies and the kittens to liberation…go ahead unleash the beast..share your information with us…
    maybe you know who killed JFK or John Lennon..tell us about it it..
    who killed Kurt Cobain?
    2Pac?
    Biggie Smalls?
    who? tell us? And if it was a Burn “associate” tell us..who did it?????
    who killed Tim?
    who killed Chris?
    who shot MLK? who shot Micheal C Brown?
    was it Burn’s corruption behind it? Moss-ad? the Germans? greek anarchists?
    who Anthony, who???????????????

  49. “Yet another talented young photographer got an EPF grant and all I got was this lousy t-shirt.”
    ——————————–
    laughing
    laughing
    laughing…………damn it charles…im trying soooo hard and u nailed it with one word:(

  50. If not your name behind Burn, I would never open a page here…
    ————————————————————

    we all know that Tony…its your personal ambition led u to believe that “meeting”, “befriending” an iconic “contact” is enough…nah (u have to bring your work with u too imho)..
    and…

  51. … I wanted to meet you in NYC, but you are so busy, and you don’t respond to private emails
    —————————————————————————————-

    why DID you NOT say from the very beginning whats “bothering” you????
    my father used to call this behavior : “ATTENTION WHORE”…
    sorry (no, im not sorry really…you should be..and dont bother apologize coz nobody will believe you..trust me on this one..:(

  52. PRE – EPF DRAMA …
    (imagine whats gonna happen after the announcement in june:(…just imagine…cant wait..
    ALL..do NOT miss LOOK3 this year..i will be there….crossing fingers that i WILL WIN…Anthony is my only “competition” this year i think…

    ok , all jokes aside…please support Look3 with your presence…lets talk art over beer…ok lets talk about corruption too if we have the time…;)

  53. ANTHONY RZ

    my thoughts about EPF were born in public…right here…the whole Burn initiative has been transparent from the beginning…i invented the EPF grant right here in the comment section of Burn…many here watched it happen…i have written dozens of times about the inner workings of this grant…the funds come from some readers here who exert zero control of how the funds are spent…and the funds are spent on the best of work submitted by other readers here….i do not know how it could be any cleaner…remember , i said “readers” not necessarily “commentators”…99% of our audience does not comment….

    you used the word corruption and you used it here and you used it in connection with a reader asking us a simple rules question…your response to Yanita was totally inappropriate by any standard of decorum or decency….corruption generally applies to the not so clean disbursement of public funds etc…the folks who contribute here would i think stop contributing if they smelled a rat…where do you think this grant money comes from? you see advertisers here? you see interest groups here? i sure as hell do not have any money to give away..

    fund givers here know that it is a dollar in and a dollar out….all of their money goes to the recipient of the grant…

    we take none of it at Burn..our only compensation is from the fee we levy to enter and that barely pays for the program we use to judge the award and very small compensation for the staff who makes it all happen and last year helped to finance part of Burn 01…personally , i of course correctly take nothing….

    if you do not know what is going on with Burn , then you should either do a bit of homework or just not ignite the fire you have by answering essentially in my behalf to Yanita who was just trying to find out the rules for the EPF…suggesting to her an element of corruption when all she wanted to know was the technicalities of essay completion was going a bit far….

    yes, my private email is a bad way to find me…i receive way too much email…my mother cannot reach me through private email…however Anthony i feel that i have written back to you many times here in the comment section of Burn where i usually can be found UNLESS i am shooting or teaching a class…at those times my attention is either on my photographic work or on my students..otherwise i am here to answer questions,sometimes offer opinions, and look at various links of work where we have indeed discovered a few new photographers….

    i am not quite sure how accessible you think i should be for you under my current set of circumstances as a full time shooter, publisher, etc etc., but perhaps a bit of practical adjustment might in fact help a whole lot..for those who use a bit of logic and have just a bit of patience and rational humanistic decorum, i do my best to accommodate…

    i have only taken the time to answer you Anthony because i see that flat out retaliation only leads to more bad vibes, more bad blood and as i watch the news we have enough of that going on already….just think about what you said, and what everyone else has said, and maybe even what i have said…thank you

    cheers, david

  54. Hello David,

    So sorry to bug you, but is there any way to add two more images to the portfolio I submitted please?
    My submission is under Yana Akilov.

    I apologize for the inconvenience.

    Thank you so much in advance!

  55. Are there any rules for video submissions beyond the 60 mb limit? Should they be 1080 on the short side like the regular photo submissions? Or should the photos inside be 1080 on the short side? Or is there a minimum size? Or anything else someone contemplating that kind of submission should consider?

    Thanks

  56. Oi….

    Just randomly clicked to read here briefly to encourage people to submit, and I discover this dross….so, let me go briefly out in the open to reject, in total, Anthony’s suggestion or anyone else’s suggestion about ‘insider’ corruption in the EPF, or for that matter, the entire Grant here (or elsewere)…

    let me first state by stating that I was honored to be one of the 10 finalists the first year David created his EPF award. David did not know me personally nor had we ever met. In fact, he didn’t know anything about my work, other than a few pictures from my Lighstalkers gallery. He’d never been to any of my exhibitions and our relationship was created and born entirely of my participation on Road Trips. My submission that year was a project I had made specifically for David/Road Trip: 2 weeks shooting a group of Korean/Japanese students before they left Canada. 2 weeks, only 5 rolls of film. It was later graciously shown at LOOK3 by david. I felt really honored and humbled to have been recognized by David and was stunned that he had chosen my work, particularly work that seem so odd and limited/limiting in it’s visual and conceptual idea. Among the other winners that first year were some powerful young photographers, many of whom now have close and strong relationships with one another and have bloomed in their discipline. The finalists: lance rosenfield, erica macdonald, kyung-hee lee, Kevin german, brendan Hoffman, andrew Sullivan, katia roberts, eric espinosa, cristina Faramo, kelly Lynn James, chris Bickford, natan moss, marcin luczkowski, joni karanka, aleksander Nowak, alex Reshaun and yours truly. And most importantly, of course the winner was Sean Gallagher.

    Now, you may not have kept up, but from that lists at least 3 of us have completed books. almost all of us have had multiple exhibitions and have gone on to deepen and develop the work. Some have formed collectives, worked for the Times, and begun to mentor other young photographers ourselves. Nothing unites us in our relationship with David/Magnum except our love and respect for him. We had no ‘inside’ relationship to david/magnum what so ever and david choose that first year simply base on his visual assessment. Look what Sean has gone on to do as well with his practice. Of those photographers, I had no idea who Kyung-hee or Natan or Joni or Aleksander or cristina was. Did not know their work, never met them, had not photoworld relationship with them. In fact, I hadn’t met any of the finalists at that time, and those whom i knew I knew only through either Lightstalkers or Road Trips.

    The second year I submitted Bones, which david had graciously published, a project shot in 2 weeks as well made specifically for my father, my son and david: also limited in scope. I submitted not expected anything but as one of the alumni. the second year produced the extraordinary winner Alejandro Chaskielberg, a photographer whose work i knew nothing about. Last year’s winner was Davide Monteleone whose work i was familiar with. Both 2009 and 2010 produced a wonderful list of winners (finalists). Some of whom I knew and was friends with (Jukka, Lance, Justin, etc), some of whom I was familiar with their work, but many of whom I’d never seen/heard of. Again, there is no relationship in any of the 3 years winners/finalists that have anything to do with David/Magnum other than their love of photography and their act.

    If you look at all the Finalists, it extends the range of photography from Journalism, Documentary, Fine Art and Conceptual (just as BURN01) did. It is impossible to say there is any ‘inside track’ among submissions. Shit, I encourage my own wife to submit the 2nd year, and she was chosen, and by that time I actually had a real-life and important/intimate relationship/friendship with David. So, if he didn’t choose his friend’s wife’s work, fuck, he ain’t corruptable. And let me tell you, my wife’s work is brilliant and she’s gone on to winner awards (including being chosen for this year’s Boris Mikhailov fellowship). this means, David (and whoever is on the initial selection committee) choose people that speaks to them or that they feel they want to support.

    There are always photographers not chosen whose work (arguably) deserved recognition, but that is the way of the world. Grant awarding is a purely subjective/personal choice. Any photographers/writer that gets overly worked up about all this stuff is not only blind but looking/thinking in the wrong direction. WE MUST SUPPORT EACH OTHER as a community. This should never be about winning/recognition/money. This should be about supporting this brilliant and incredibly magnanimous thing that David had the balls and courage to create. He did not create it for himself or for Magnum, he created it for YOU YOU YOU photographers! Wake the fuck up! :))

    For the first year, I decided not to submit anything, cause in truth i wanted to be here for David and BURN as a loud voice of support! I’ve spent a lot of time in the last 4 weeks helping other photographers work on their submissions and their statements. I’ll never tell David whose work i’ve helped just as I’ve never told david whose work (other than Marina’s) i’ve helped/encouraged to submit. I don’t want him to know or be in the slightest way prejudiced. I can tell you this, david runs this grant with both openness and ethic and i’m shocked and horrified at the implication that ‘insiders’ get a leg up on this one.

    If that were true, I’d be at least 10,000 richer by now…or Anton would have won….or panos, for god sakes…some of david’s closest friends in the world who’ve submitted haven’t even been chosen.

    Lastly, i just want to encourage as many photographers to submit as possible. I want David and his selection crew to see as much brilliant work as possible. really. The better the work, the richer the prize. And the prize IS NOT $15,000. The prize is making the work, is showing (if you wish) the work, is creating the work.

    I have a close friendship with david and i can tell you also that there isn’t a fairer, more open honest grant awarding game in the biz. I know, i’ve won and lost my share of awards. The ONLY criteria that works is that your work speaks somehow to them and that is a pretty good place to begin.

    Besides, the truth is that it isn’t the grants that matter, but it is the work. And, i’ll be right here raising a glass….ummm, a bottle of the red stuff to the winner and all the finalists.

    I am a photographer and a photographer trying to support a family on teacher and artist earnings, but I’m a fan, a supporter of photographers/photography….I am totally excited to see whose work gets chosen…and i am totally excited to see whose work isn’t chosen but will be published here, exhibited other places…

    Now, let’s gut this bullshit and celebrate and support…

    enough of my speech :)))

  57. typing error

    correction:

    my wife was NOT chosen the second year, meaning that if I or she (and she’s a pretty persuasive person) couldn’t get david to pick her just by the fact david knows/likes her, then no one corrupt David…except Simone ;)))) (that would be david’s cat in OBX)

  58. last note:

    DAVID:

    please don’t let this stuff get you down/upset…as we’ve talked about before…they’ll always be people who question…and always…remember all the good the grant and burn and the teaching and the mentoring have done…that MUST outweight the bad/questioning…i know it is draining, but please remember above that all the great that has been done…and all those who appreciate…the winners, the finalists and all those not chosen but have just had the pleasure of the support…and the support means more than the $$, especially to me and marina and a whole entire photocommunity out there…

    see u soon :))

  59. In case my question got overlooked by Bob’s admirable words…

    Regarding the submission rules for video? Are there any rules other than the 60 MB limit? Video dimensions? Image size within the video? Time? Anything?

    Thanks

  60. Kristof Vadino

    Anton, others,

    technical question:

    when I upload pictures into the slideroom account, the contrast in my images changes a lot. So, I change the contrast of my images (darker and more contrast) as to get them right when viewed on full page in the slideroom acount. Is that the right thing to do? Anybody same experience?

  61. kristof

    contrast should not change, images are not altered when uploading… don’t make adjustments for that.

    if it seems tgat contrast changes, check if you saved your images “for web”, so with an sRGB color space

    but again, nothing to worry about, just leave your images as they were

    cheers,

    a

  62. Kristof,

    If you’re using Photoshop make sure you go to:

    View -> Proof Setup -> Monitor RGB

    When you post-process your pictures in this mode then what you see in PS is what others will see on their monitors when you upload your files.

  63. Another question regarding video: I don’t see .mp4 (H.264) listed as an upload option. Is that not permitted?

  64. Kristof Vadino

    Anton, Thodoris,

    thanks a lot for the response! Anton, my images were in sRGB for upload, but the problem was as you, Thodoris, pointed out. They were photoshopped in Proof Setup, CMYK mode…for print. So now finetuning in monitor RGB mode. Technical part for images on web is new for me, so again thanks a lot!

  65. Hello? Hello?
    Is there anybody in there?
    Just nod if you can hear me.
    Is there anyone at home?

    A little Pink Floyd to while away the time…

    But time’s getting short? Is it okay to submit an mp4 for the video? I know it’s not listed as a choice, but can’t imagine why it would be a problem?

  66. Pingback: Abstract » Blog Archive » emerging photographers

  67. Dear David,

    Sorry for such a late reply, I was sure I submitted the my ‘thank you’ back but double checked now and figured out that somehow it did not appear. Anyway, thank you very much for the information and your kind answer.

    All the best,
    Daria

  68. Dear David, Dear burn team

    I admire your work and the effort you do with the grant. But I’m quite disappointed in the slideroom application. I tryed like fifty times to pay my submission with my credit card and I always got “transaction decliend” error message. You can belive me this is the first that happend to me. The hint from the slideroom team is try it again with a different credit card or call us. So in Germany most of us just have one credit card. I would send you guys a check or use paypal. but infact I will simply not submit any thing because of slideroom.

    Cheers Dirk

  69. Dear David, Dear burn team,

    I have to correct myself. I got help from the slideroom help desk and now I can make my payment via telephone.

    Thanks

    Dirk

  70. Dirk…

    we are trying to figure out your problem, however nobody else seems to be having this problem, so we are assuming something wrong at your end…what else can we conclude? from all we can see Slideroom is working perfectly….

  71. Dear Burn Team,

    I’m trying to add my submission, but in slide room when I click on ‘submit’ i get this message
    ‘There are no active programs available at this time.
    Please contact your organization for more information.’

    it is currently 5:00pm pacific time on may 15th, and I haven’t seen anything stating a time restriction for the day, is this a slide room eror?

  72. Hi all,

    I just went to upload my essay to the SlideRoom, tried to click ‘start a new submission’, and it told me that it was unavailable and to contact my organization. I understand I’m pretty late in the day on the submission, but I was wondering if it would still be possible to submit?

    Thank you for the attention.

  73. tysnaden, sean,

    I’m being told that the deadlines are always set automatically at 6pm EST. Unfortunately there is no way we can change that. I will verify this with slideroom support.

    HOWEVER there is always a 24 hour grace period for people who have started their submission before the deadline, so they can complete it without getting caught by time zone differences.

    That said, starting a fully new submission process past the deadline is unfortunately not possible, hence your message Sean when you clicked “start a new submission”

    cheers, a

  74. Hi,
    I submitted my essay by the deadline, but it did not even occur to me until just now that I should create an account on the actual burn site- is this going to disqualify me?
    Tim

  75. Tim,

    there is no need to create a burn account to enter the EPF, but you are surely welcome here :-)

    Cheers, a

  76. Hi Burn People,

    I just wanted to say thank you for creating this grant. I know there’s some amazing talent out there and I’m excited to see it. I love photography, creating my own prints and seeing other people’s work. I’ve only just learned of the existence of Burn and I’m glad you’re here.

    -Justin

Comments are closed.