Sony “Alpha Female” Creator-in-Residence Program Will Award Five Women Professional Photographers and Filmmakers a Six-month Grant to Advance Their Careers, for Residents of the U.S. or Canada: Sign In to Apply & Submit the Required Info Online Before 11:59:59 PM PT on 10/07/18

The following video presents Inside Alpha | Discover The Sony Alpha Female Program:
“A new Sony initiative and creator-in-residence program aims to level the playing field for women in creative fields. At the heart of the program are $25,000 grants and mentoring from Sony Artisans Of Imagery Sara France, Caroline Jensen, MeRa Koh, Cristina Mittermeier and Brooke Shaden.“

Sony invites women professional photographers and videographers to apply for the “Alpha Female” Creator-in-Residence program.

The five women who will be selected will benefit as follows:

The Creator-in-Residence program is a complement to your career pursuits, and our goal is to help you grow your career, not to replace it with a specific project or a different pursuit. There will be a variety of activities during the program, including industry events and networking events that you will be invited to attend.

The Alpha Female Creator-in-Residence program will include all these things: The 5 women who will be selected will benefit from Sony’s network, mentorship from trail-blazing women photographers, and a meaningful amount of money to take their careers to the next level.

Sony "Alpha Female" Creator-in-Residence Program: Image grab from video above — Sony “Alpha Female” Creator-in-Residence Program: Image grab from video above

Eligibility

Open to legal residents of 50 US/DC and CAN who are at least 21 years old.
Void in Puerto Rico, Quebec & where prohibited.
Contest starts at 8:00:00 AM PT on 09/14/18 & ends at 11:59:59 PM PT on 10/07/18.
Applicants can be users of any camera brand. If a winner doesn’t currently shoot on Sony gear, Sony will provide her with new state-of-the-art gear upon acceptance.
Sony welcomes any and all specialties. The goal is to select the five best candidates from the applicant pool who can most benefit from the program.

Prizes

Five Prizes: each prize package includes participation in the Alpha Female Creator in Residence Program (6 months); Mentorship with Sony and its designees; $25,000 to use for the winner’s Program participation, payable in $4,166.66 check per month over the six (6) month timeframe of the Program.
Winner must fully participate in the Program during the entire Program or the prize will be deemed forfeited and any remaining prize not yet received will be forfeited.
Sony Electronics Inc. products valued at $5,000 (estimated retail value).
Two Exhibits (with travel) to show work created by the winner using the Sony Products; value is approximately: $55,800 USD as of 09/14/18.
Odds of winning depends on the total number of eligible entries received.
Subject to the complete Contest Official Rules. Sponsor: Sony Electronics Inc., San Diego, CA USA.

Entry

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
LIMIT: 1 entry per person.
STEP 1: Log in or sign up to Alpha Universe at https://alphauniverse.com/alpha-female/ .
STEP 2: Enter the Contest via the “Enter Now” button
STEP 3: Entrant must be a female and submit the following information on the Contest Site where indicated:
- Your current resume
- Up to one-minute video introduction of yourself
- Up to five (5) photos and/or video examples of what “Be Alpha” means to you
- A short written essay describing your biggest career challenge and how this program will help you overcome it
- A written pitch of how you would leverage the program to achieve your career aspirations and what the outcome would be
- A high-level budget plan (what you’d be spending the money on)

Judging

Contest entrants’ submissions will be judged by a panel consisting of Sony and members of the photography and filmmaking industries.
The panel of judges will score the submissions of the eligible entrants based on the criteria in the Official Contest Rules, which includes biography quality of composition, overall appeal, relevance, and photo/video technical, composition, creativity, and relevance.
You can shoot your application video in any way you prefer, including with your computer’s camera, or with your phone. Sony’s goal for the video is to get a better sense of who you are and to have a visual introduction to your persona.
The ideal candidate meets the following foundational criteria:
1. She is a full-time professional photographer or videographer/filmmaker.
2. She is committed to the pursuit of this career and understands the hard work required to achieve success.
3. She has made progress on her own, and has a clear vision for what her career should be, but has encountered specific roadblocks that this program would help her overcome.
4. She is committed to being successful and taking full advantage of the Creator-in-Residence program to advance her career.
5. She is ready to work with a Mentor and is open to learning and building her skill set.
6. She has the ability to travel at least three times during the program to participate in program activities.

Choosing the winners will be a multi-phased approach. In phase one, we will narrow down the pool of candidates based on their ability to meet application requirements. If the application is missing any of the required pieces, the candidate will be disqualified. In phase two, a team of Sony stakeholders will review the qualified candidates and will rate them based on the quality of their application. In phase three, the Sony head of the program and the five mentors will review the final 15 candidates, and will make the final selection. In the event that additional assistance is necessary before reaching a decision, candidates may be invited to participate in a Skype-based interview.

Contact

Please send your questions to AlphaUniverse@sony.com. Please note that you will only receive a reply if your question is deemed critical to your understanding of the process. We will not be able to provide advice, pointers, or any information that would allow you an unfair advantage over the rest of the applicants. Please do not email us just to introduce yourself or let us know you applied, as those emails will not be taken into account during the decision process.

For other important info and the complete official rules, please visit https://alphauniverse.com/alpha-female/ .

Good Luck! / Bonne chance!

NEWS RELEASE

Sony’s “Alpha Female” Program Launches

Initiative aims to Amplify the Voice of Female Creators to Drive Best Outcomes for the Imaging Industry and Consumers of Creative Content

News provided by
Sony Electronics Inc.
10:00 ET

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Electronics, Inc. – a global leader in digital imaging and the world’s largest image sensor manufacturer – has today released details regarding their new “Alpha Female” program, the company’s thoughtful response to the imaging industry’s well-known challenges with diversity.

“Sony has been a leader in the industry as it relates to driving diversity and inclusion in our workforce,” said Jennifer Geddy, head of digital marketing at Sony Electronics. “We are bringing that same energy to customers via programs such as “Alpha Female.” We acknowledge that more work can always be done when it comes to elevating diversity in thought and creation. We win and consumers win when all voices have equal weight.”

A critical component of their newly launched “Be Alpha” campaign, the “Alpha Female” initiative will focus on providing opportunities for creators in the imaging industry to advance their careers, while also generating extensive chances for women professional photographers and videographers of all experience levels to meet, connect and collaborate.

“Alpha Female” will feature a Creator-in-Residence program that will award five women photographers and filmmakers a six-month grant to fund projects and activities to help take their careers to the next level. The grant will include $25,000 in funds, $5,000 in product allowance, an additional $5,000 in product loans and a mentorship pairing with one of Sony’s high-profile Artisans of Imagery. These five grantees will also have their work presented at headline exhibits in both the New York and Los Angeles markets.

In addition to the grant program, Sony will support several female-backed and focused events that aim to push progress for diversity in photography and filmmaking. The company will also fund several projects by female members of their Artisans of Imagery and Alpha Imaging Collective organizations, showcasing the amazing talent and creativity of their brand.

Neal Manowitz, vice president of Imaging Products and Solutions at Sony Electronics, added “Diversity and inclusion are core principles of our company, and we would not be where we are today without this focus. “Alpha Female” gives us the chance to open some very important doors for female creators, while also highlighting the impressive work of our existing roster of ambassadors. It’s a program that we are very proud to stand behind.”

The “Alpha Female” Creator-in-Residence program will open applications today, and the program’s first-ever class will be announced at the beginning of October. For more information visit www.alphauniverse.com/alphafemale.

A variety of additional content related to Sony’s “Be Alpha” campaign, including articles, videos and events, can be found at www.alphauniverse.com/BeAlpha.

SOURCE Sony Electronics Inc.