International Tue 17-01-2012

The Market Photo Workshop Briefing Sessions
Press Release

The Market Photo Workshop will hold briefing sessions on Wednesday 18 January 2012 at 1pm for applicants wishing to enter either for the 2012 Women's Photography Mentorship or for the 2012 Media and Advocacy Photography Mentorship. Entries close on Friday 27 January 2012 at noon.

Both eight-month programmes offer a grant and mentor's guidance to produce a body of work relevant to the category, exhibit and will also assist in covering costs related to research, travel and other supplies.

The briefings will cover the application and proposal writing process. Applicants not residing in Johannesburg are encouraged to contact Bekie Ntini on az.oc.pohskrowotohptekram@neikeb with any queries.

In both instances, applicants must fulfil the following criteria:

The mentorship will be awarded to applicants who are South African or are SADC and African citizens

Applicants must have proven track record in photography, either some photography training or at least one year experience of practice

Applicants must not be older than 35 years of age at time of application

Needy financial background or previously disadvantaged individuals are especially encouraged to apply

Applicants must be able to travel to Johannesburg for initial meetings

Growing women photographers

The Women's Photography Mentorship aims at growing the presence of women photographers in the photography landscape. The mentorship is a training programme that is uniquely equipped to provide a platform to raise the issues that women face and brings together a collective of women to share in their experiences. This mentorship is open to women, with preference being given to women living within South Africa.

The Media Mentorship aims at developing photographers with an interest in documenting societal issues that might often go unacknowledged in the mainstream media. The mentorship is for photographers interested in specializing in reporting, with a particular commitment to coverage of advocacy issues affecting diverse communities. It requires the recipient to work with an in-depth, rigorous brief while interacting with a host organisation that specialises on an advocacy matter that the recipient wishes to report on.

Possible host organisations

The Market Photo Workshop seeks to develop relationships with organisations conducting advocacy programmes using media. The following have agreed to be the 2012 Media and Advocacy Photography Mentorship host organisations:

International Organisation for Migration (IOM) http://iom.org.za/ - an inter-governmental organisation with 146 member states. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.

The Consortium for Refugees and Migrants in South Africa (CoRMSA) http://www.cormsa.org.za/ is a registered Non-Profit Organisation tasked with promoting and protecting refugee and migrant rights. It is comprised of a number of member organisations including legal practitioners, research units, and refugee and migrant communities.

The Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) http://fxi.org.za/ was established in 1994 to protect and foster the rights to freedom of expression and access to information, and to oppose censorship. The Institute was formed from a merger of three organisations: The Campaign for Open Media, the Anti-Censorship Action Group and the Media Defence Trust.

Other organisations that the Market Photo Workshop has collaborated with in similar programmes include:

The Market Photo Workshop recognizes the right of the recipient to propose and choose a host organisation that specialises in an advocacy matter that the recipient wishes to report on.