WHAT IS THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GRANT?

National Geographic awards one Grant for Photography annually to a professional photojournalist. The Grant monies go directly to funding the production of a photography project. The project may be considered for publication in National Geographic magazine and/or the National Geographic magazine website or for possible exhibit at National Geographic headquarters or other venues. Individuals who would like to be considered for the NG Grant must submit a Grant Application according to the guidelines described below.

HOW MUCH IS THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC GRANT?

National Geographic will award one $50,000 (U.S. dollars) grant. The grant may be subject to U.S. federal and state tax. The Grantee is responsible for paying any taxes that may be applied. If the Grantee currently resides in the U.S., National Geographic will provide the 1099 income reporting form. If the Grantee resides outside of the U.S., National Geographic will provide the 1042 income reporting form.

The Grantee must provide a U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number before National Geographic will release the grant money to the Grantee. National Geographic will assist the Grantee with obtaining a Taxpayer Identification Number if he or she does not currently have one.

IS THERE AN ENTRY FEE?

No. There is no entry fee for the grant competition.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

Any individual currently working full-time as a professional photojournalist is eligible to apply for the Grant. To qualify as a professional photojournalist, an individual must receive the majority of his or her income from "documenting issues and events through still photography."

National Geographic employees or retirees are not eligible. Photographers who currently work, or have previously worked as freelancers for National Geographic publications are eligible to apply.

Applicants may submit only one (1) application/proposal.

HOW IS THE GRANT RECIPIENT SELECTED?

Two independent judges and one representative from National Geographic will select the grant recipient. The judges will evaluate submissions for the Applicant's ability to execute a focused and compelling visual story as a documentary feature. The quality and caliber of the visual portfolio, the potential for the proposed project, and the professional ability of the Applicant all will be considered.

WHEN IS THE APPLICATION DEADLINE?

All applications must be postmarked no later than February 15, 2008. Applications received after this date will not be entered into the competition.

HOW DO I APPLY?

Applications must be submitted on a single CD that can be read on both Mac and PC platforms. The CD should be clearly labeled with the Applicant's name. The Applicant should submit a hard copy of the completed application form with the Applicant's signature and the CD to:

National Geographic Magazine
Photographic Department
Photography Grant Application
1145 17th Street NW
Washington D.C. 20036

DO NOT include prints, transparencies, slides, or other materials with your CD. Judges will only consider digital images. National Geographic WILL NOT return such materials to the applicant. The only hard copy document that should be included with your submission is the application form.

WHAT SHOULD THE CD INCLUDE?

1. Applicants may use the application provided at the end of this application instruction form. The digital application is in addition to the hard copy mentioned in section III.
2. Biography or C.V.: This should be no longer than one page and should be either in Microsoft Word (.doc) or Text (.txt) format. The file should be labeled with the applicant's name, the word "bio" and the file suffix.
3. Proposal:
   1. Applicants must provide a project proposal of no more than 550 words.
   2. THE APPLICANT'S NAME SHOULD NOT APPEAR IN THE TEXT.
   3. The proposal must include a description of the plan and scope of the project as well as the significance.
   4. The title should be clearly stated at the top of the proposal.
   5. The proposal should be in a text-only format. Please do not use tables, bullets, numbers, or any special symbols or characters.
   6. The document must be either a Microsoft Word (.doc) or Text (.txt) document. No other formats are acceptable. PDF, crw, jpg, and crt files will not be accepted.
   7. Please name the file accordingly: Applicant's name, proposal, and file suffix.
      Example: johnsmithproposal.doc. Do not use any special characters in the name
4. Digital Image Portfolio:
   1. Applicants should submit 30-60 images which may include photo essays, single images, or a combination of the two.
   2. Images must be in one (1) folder labeled "IMAGES." Do not use subfolders to separate photo essays or themes.
   3. All images must be in jpg format.
   4. Images should be no longer than 3000 pixels and no more than 300 dpi.
   5. Images should be saved with standard compression with no lower than "8" on the jpg quality scale.
   6. Images must be named by a consecutive three-digit number in the order in which the applicant would like the judges to view them. For example: 001.jpg, 002.jpg...020.jpg and so forth. Do not include any letters in the file name.
   7. Caption information must be included under "File Info" in the image file.
   8. Captions must be written in English.
   9. The applicant's name should not appear anywhere in the file information.

WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GRANT OR APPLICATION?

Please call +1 202 857 7474 with any questions you may have. A National Geographic staff member will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.

WHEN WILL I BE NOTIFIED OF THE RESULTS?

The winner will be notified by mid-May 2008. Applicants not selected for the Grant will receive notice by email, unless otherwise requested, by the end of May.

IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING SUBMISSIONS:

1. National Geographic guarantees a fair and unbiased judging process. Judges will have no knowledge of the applicant's identity while the portfolios are under consideration. Any digital portfolio with files that contain information about the applicant, including name or contact information, will immediately be disqualified from consideration. All file names, caption fields, and metadata should be free of this information.
2. All applications will be reviewed to ensure they adhere to all of the submission guidelines. Those that do not meet all of the submission requirements will not be given to the judges for review and they will be disqualified from the competition.
3. Submissions will not be returned to the Applicant. Applicants should keep duplicates of their submissions for their records. National Geographic is not responsible for the loss of submissions.
4. National Geographic reserves the right to amend the above grant application rules. National Geographic will post any amendments to the grant application rules on the grant website, www.ngm.com/photogrant, at least thirty (30) days prior to the application deadline.
5. A National Geographic staff member or grant judge may contact applicants as necessary regarding grant applications.
6. National Geographic guarantees Applicants that all ideas and materials contained in the grant application will not be used by either National Geographic or the judges for any purpose or in other context other than the grant selection process.
7. National Geographic reserves the right to use the Grantee's name, likeness, biographical information, and project images for publicity and promotional materials related to the National Geographic Grant.