The NPPA/Nikon Documentary Sabbatical Grant enables a working photojournalist to take a three month leave of absence to pursue a documentary project illuminating "The Changing Face of America". The National Press Photographers Association and Nikon Inc. award one elite photojournalist a $15,000 stipend to undertake the project unencumbered by daily assignments.
The Changing Face of America. Applicants are encouraged to propose a project that, for example, will record the new trends in this country or document vanishing Americana. Applicants are not limited to these two suggestions. A committee formed and administered by the National Press Photographers Association will select the proposal that best illuminates the theme.
The project may be photographed in either black and white or color--or both. The winning project will possess serious meaning and content, and will bring into sharp focus a substantive trend in America. Check out past winners.
If selected, the photographer must take an unpaid leave of absence for approximately three months so that he or she is unencumbered by daily assignment responsibilities. The photographer retains the long-term rights to the negatives and/or transparencies and will grant NPPA and Nikon Inc. use. The winner is required to provide NPPA and Nikon Inc. a set of prints or duplicate color slides of the significant images from the project.
Entries are judged by a committee formed and administered by the National Press Photographers Association. The stipend is funded by a grant from Nikon Inc., the camera and photographic equipment manufacturer.