ASSOCIATION NEWS

SEPTEMBER 2008 | by Aaron K, Executive Director

This month it gives me great pleasure to announce a new initiative that we've been working on for quite some time. In December of this year we will be awarding the first ever AIPA Student & Assistant Scholarships.

Our aim with this event will be to encourage photographic excellence and increase awareness of important industry issues, such as copyright and licensing. So entrants will not only be required to submit a portfolio of 6 to 10 high quality prints, they will also have to complete a written component (i.e. answer 10 industry related questions). As always we believe it's important to emphasise that success in the photographic industry doesn't rely solely on artistic ability or skill with a camera.

All New Zealand full-time tertiary photography students and working assistants will be eligible to enter this competition. There will be two major prize packages up for grabs, one for the top student entry, and one for the top assistant entry. However, unlike your standard run-of-the-mill photographic competitions we won't just be giving away some cool products (although there will be plenty of those on offer). Each winner will also receive a week long paid internship with a leading NZ photography business - Photo New Zealand image library (for the assistant) and OPTNZ production services (for the student). But wait, there's more...

Images from both winning portfolios will be featured in an editorial in D-Photo magazine, and on the AIPA website. Plus, both winners will also receive two year's free membership in the Association and a cash prize as well!

The deadline for entries is Friday, November 28. Then early in December our 5 esteemed judges (including Christina Force from the Collective Force and Rob Lile from Photo New Zealand) will gather in Auckland and closely scrutinize every entrant's submission before making their final decision.

At the end of it all we will recognise two outstanding young photographers who have the ability to make a positive contribution to the photographic community, and help them on the way to realising their future potential.

For further details and entry forms check out the AIPA website.

And while we're on the subject, I'll just quickly mention that work has begun on developing the new and improved AIPA website. Our current site continues to be a valuable resource for photographers far and wide, but I can confidently say that the new site will really take things to a whole new level. I can't reveal any details right now though, so I guess you'll just have to wait and see.

Photo above: © Alistair Guthrie