Competition launches today, with four winners exhibiting their work and receiving 12 months of support worth £40,000, including funding, training, access to camera equipment and studio space.
Launching after the photography world celebrated female photographers on International Women’s Day this month, the 70:15:40 project aims to help redress the barriers and challenges faced by women in photography and videography. The initiative’s name reflects the fact that today, while women comprise 70% of photography graduates, only 15% of professional photographers are women—who earn an average of 40% less than men.
The 70:15:40 project is being led by MPB, the world’s largest platform for buying, selling and trading used photography and video kit. The Centre for British Photography is supporting the 70:15:40 project along with other leading global and UK organisations within the industry that believe change is urgently required within the industry including Peerspace, The Royal Photographic Society, SheClicks and UKBFTOG.
The 70:15:40 Project UK will run a competition looking for four women - including two professionals, and two enthusiast or emerging photographers or videographers - in the UK. It will provide the winners with everything needed to create a photo series or short film and further their careers. The prizes include:
- Access to cameras, lenses and accessories worth £25,000 from MPB
- £2,500 credit to reserve production space of their choice on Peerspace
- Membership and workshops worth £1,500 from the Royal Photographic Society
- Exhibition at the Centre for British Photography in London worth £5,000 and one-to-one mentorship worth £2,000 from the Centre for British Photography
- Extensive promotion.
- £5,000 to spend as the winners see fit in supporting and furthering their practice.
- £500 in cash, to spend on their photography practice.
- X1 hour Zoom workshops on: Navigating yourself on Social Media, Pricing yourself as a photographer, Finding your workflow.
The Project is open to all women, trans and non-binary people who reside in the United Kingdom. Details of the application process are available at mpb.com/701540
To apply, entrants should outline what they would create for their series or short film and show a selection of past imagery. The submission deadline is 28 April, and winners will be announced in early June.
To find out more download the full press release: