© Kirsty Mackay

We are pleased to be supporting the Rebecca Vassie Memorial Award once again this year. This award was created in memory of Rebecca Vassie, a British photographer and photojournalist who died suddenly, aged 30, while on assignment in Uganda in March 2015.

The Rebecca Vassie Trust has announced the fifth annual Rebecca Vassie Memorial Award for emerging photographers, which includes a cash bursary of £2,000. The award, which funds an early-career photographer in the UK to undertake a narrative photography project, also includes one-to-one mentorship, £500 print credit from Metro Editing, a year’s membership to Shutter Hub, as well as support towards industry and public exposure.

Judges for the award include Caroline Hunter (picture editor, Guardian Weekend magazine), Phil Coomes (picture editor, BBC News Online) and Jennifer Thatcher (critic, curator and lecturer).

Applicants for the award, who must be either from or based in the UK, are asked to submit a proposal setting out a compelling vision for a narrative photography project with a social or political context. The deadline for submissions is Friday, 8 April 2022. Submission information is at www.rebeccavassietrust.org.

Previous awards have been won by James Arthur Allen (2017), Kirsty Mackay (2018),  Chrystal Ding (2019) and Laura Page (2020).

Candidates longlisted for this year’s award also gain access to the Rebecca Vassie Trust’s Development Network, which disburses small grants throughout the year towards project development, professional training and public workshops delivered by network members, especially to young people and marginalised communities. The Trust offers shortlisted candidates additional support-in-kind such as mentorship, networking opportunities and online exhibition.

Find out more and enter the awards here.