Magnum photographers Paolo Pellegrin and Alex Majoli have been selected as the first two professional photojournalists to receive Getty Images grants for 2009. Two student PJs, Andy Spyra and Maximiliano Braun, are also getting grants from the agency. Paolo Pellegrin’s project is entitled “Iraqi Refugees”, Alex Majoli documents Brazil’s ‘hidden’ internal war in his ongoing work “Requiem for Samba”, Andy Spyra has chosen to report on the Kashmir Conflict, whereas Maximiliano Braun’s project, “Stay With Me”, focuses on families caring for a relative living in a vegetative state due to brain damage.

Getty Images Press Release

Renowned Photojournalists Receive Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography
Two Professional and Two Student Photojournalists Are Chosen from Record Number of Applicants

NEW YORK & LONDON—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Getty Images, Inc. continues to celebrate the fifth year of its grants program by announcing today that Paolo Pellegrin and Alex Majoli have been selected as the first two photojournalists to receive grants for 2009. Each will receive $20,000 and collaborative support from Getty Images photo editors as they pursue their documentary photography projects.

Getty Images also announced the first two student winners in the grants program. Andy Sprya, a student of Germany’s Fachhoshchule Hannover (University of Applied Arts and Sciences), and Maximiliano Braun, from the London College of Communications, will each receive $5,000 as well as editorial support from Getty Images as they pursue their photojournalism projects.

This year, Getty Images received a record number of proposals. More than 215 proposals from professional photojournalists across 37 countries, plus 46 student proposals from 11 countries, were reviewed by the following judges:

* Alice Gabriner, Chief Picture Editor, TIME Magazine
* Melissa Harris, Editor-In-Chief, Aperture Magazine
* Susan Meiselas, Photojournalist, Magnum Photos

Aidan Sullivan, Vice President of Photo Assignments for Getty Images commented, “We are extremely grateful to the judges for their time and expertise in selecting such outstanding grant recipients. In such difficult times, these grants become an important lifeline for the international photographic community, enabling the recipients to complete their unique projects and bring them to the world’s attention.”

Paolo Pellegrin’s project, “Iraqi Refugees,” will examine the challenges faced by Iraqis who either have fled to other countries to escape the war, or who have been displaced internally due to ethnic cleansing within their home country. “Through the support of the Getty Images Grant, I will attempt to complete the picture of what has become of a population since the invasion in 2003 divided their homeland and uprooted their lives,” said Pellegrin. He is based in both Rome and New York and is represented by Magnum Photos.

Alex Majoli’s project, “Requiem in Samba,” continues his work documenting the story of Brazil’s increasingly violent, warring factions within this “rich country of poor people.” “I’ve been interested in Brazil’s ‘hidden’ internal war for the last ten years,” said Majoli. “After living there for two years, I must focus on documenting the country’s poor population, the favelas, the drug traffickers, the AIDS epidemic, its victims and its dead.” Majoli is represented by Magnum Photos and is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Andy Spyra’s project, “Kashmir Conflict,” examines the impact of the prolonged conflict between India and Pakistan on the civilian population and culture of Kashmir. Spyra will use his grant to return to the region and to focus on several new aspects of this expanding story.

Maximiliano Braun’s project, “Stay With Me,” documents the challenges that families experience when caring for a relative who is suffering from severe brain damage. Braun began his project in South Africa and will use his grant to document several affected families in the UK. Born in Bolivia, Braun recently graduated with distinction from the MA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography from the London College of Communication.

More information about the grant winners and judges can be found at www.gettyimages.com/grants. Applications are due May 15 for three more professional grants and for two more student grants that will be announced in September.

About Getty Images

Getty Images is the world’s leading creator and distributor of still imagery, footage and multimedia products, as well as a recognized provider of other forms of premium digital content, including music. Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100 countries and is the first place creative and media professionals turn to discover, purchase and manage images and other digital content. Its award-winning photographers and imagery help customers produce inspiring work which appears every day in the world’s most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and Web sites. Getty Images believes in the power of imagery to drive positive change, educate, inform, and entertain. Visit Getty Images at www.gettyimages.com to learn more about how the company is advancing the unique role of digital media in communications and business, and enabling creative ideas to come to life.

Website: Getty Images Grants

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