If you’re a Canadian photojournalist, you have a project in mind, and you want someone else to fund it, you might be in luck. Sony Canada and the News Photographers Association of Canada are partnering to offer the Be Alpha grant for a freelance project.

Sony’s Be Alpha grant will provide one person with $5,000 CAD—half up front and half when the project is complete— as well as a loan of Sony mirrorless cameras to complete the project.

You must use those mirrorless cameras and your project must be still photography.

To ‘Be Alpha’ is to be a leader, to be an innovator, to stand out amongst the crowd – It represents everything Sony stands for as a brand, a press release says.

The goal of this grant is to celebrate the photojournalism community while also shining a light on issues that Canadians are passionate about – diversity, conservation, equality and more, NPAC adds.

Qualifying for Sony’s Be Alpha Grant

To qualify for Sony’s Be Alpha grant, you must be a member of NPAC and your project must feature Canadian content or a Canadian subject. You must also submit 10 images with captions to showcase your talent.

In addition to getting the money and the equipment for your work, you get all of the rights to your project. According to the rules, you can arrange to sell it during the process or any time after you complete the project.

The deadline to apply for Sony’s Be Alpha grant is June 15. The winner will be announced June 30 and will have until March 31, 2020 to complete the project.

So, pass this info along to any Canadian freelance photographers or journalists you know. And if you hear about it here, and you’re the winner,  please swing back by and let us know or hit me up via one of my social media accounts.