Shortlisted for 2018 Catchlight Fellowship

CatchLight received a total of 317 proposals for consideration from 52 countries with an even gender split. A jury of seven leaders in the field of social documentary photography—spread across four continents—spent two weeks reviewing the top 125 of the submissions before meeting on February 24, 2018, to agree on a shortlist of finalists. Working as a focused team with guidance from Stephen Mayes (former secretary to the World Press Photo competition) and with input from the two media partners, the jury assessed the proposals with several key criteria in mind: 

• Quality of photography and creative leadership
• Collaborative ethos and commitment to creating and contributing to fellowship community over time
• Ability to leverage stories to engender change

The judges reached a strong consensus that each of the shortlisted candidates represent excellence in visual storytelling on a vital social issue, with particular emphasis on innovative distribution.

The Final Selection
Final award decisions will now be made by the three media partners and CatchLight, conducting interviews and reviewing references to find the right fit between the issues and the organizational resources. CatchLight Fellowships will be announced on Tuesday, April 2, 2018.

CatchLight is very grateful to its talented panel of judges and trailblazing media partners:
Amy Yenkin, Former Director of Documentary Photography at Open Society Foundation
Shahidul Alam, Managing Director, Drik Picture Library & Founder, Chobi Mela Festival of Photography
Brent Lewis, Co-Founder of Diversify.Photo and Sr. Photo Editor of ESPN The Undefeated
Azu Nwagbogu, Founder of Lagos Photo Festival
Laura Beltrán Villamizar, Projects Picture Editor at NPR, Founder of Native Agency
Paul Lowe, Director at the London College of Communication
Nina Berman, Photographer at NOOR and associate professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Marcia Parker, Publisher & Chief Operating Officer of CALMatters
Jon Sawyer, Executive Director of The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

Read full announcement:

https://www.catchlight.io/news-content/2018/3/16/2018-fellowship-shortlist-eleven-photogrpahers-telling-visual-stories-of-crucial-social-issues