Travel to Oman with NatGeo

Ever wondered what it would be like on assignment as a National Geographic photographer?

This is your chance to go to Oman and be mentored by Nat Geo veteran and host of National Geographic Channel’s Pure Photography series, Jason Edwards!

Applications close January 14th 2013, at 2pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (GMT +11)

We know that you have been patiently waiting all year for this one…

WorldNomads.com and National Geographic Channel are giving one aspiring photographer the opportunity to accompany renowned wildlife and natural history photographer, Jason Edwards, on assignment in Oman. Find out firsthand what life is like in the field for a travel photographer and learn the tricks of the trade during this 8-day mentorship experience.

About the Assignment

This is the Arabia of Aladdin’s dreams.

Allow Peregrine Adventures and Oman Tourism to help you explore the historic city of Muscat and drive along the coast to the bubbling fishing village of Seeb. By 4WD, travel to the rugged interior and the splendid forts of Nakhal and Al Hazm, framed by the spectacular Jebel Akhdar Mountains. Continue on to explore the beautiful oasis at Wadi Bani Khaled, before entering the vast Wahiba Sands – where you’ll sleep at a rustic desert camp under a blanket of brilliant stars.

The charming oasis of Lisq and the village of Mudaibi, further reveal the local life of Oman, as does a browse of the fabulous souk of ancient Nizwa. Meet the people, learn of their delicate silverware, woodwork and embroidery, and unwind in the cool heights of the Mountain of the Sun, all before a further wander of the wonderful maze of Muscat.

And what better way to capture the entire experience than from behind the lens of a new Canon EOS 6D?!

Here’s the deal:

*You must be available to be in Oman between March 7-16, 2013.

*On the trip you will work alongside Jason Edwards photographing the people, culture and landscapes of Oman at various times of the day and night.

*You will gain invaluable mentoring and hands-on experience in everything from shot set up, technique and composition through to insights into his many years of diverse experience as an award-winning photographer.

*Your assignment will involve observing and assisting Jason as well as undertaking your own photographic work. This will involve long days, early mornings and late nights working!

*Most of all, you’ll be experiencing what it’s like to be a photographer on-assignment with National Geographic!

Your Brief

*You will work through a specific shot list of 30 photos that will be commissioned by the scholarship partners as part of your assignment.

*You will keep a daily diary about your time on the trip and upload this to a WorldNomads.com travel journal (minimum 200 words per day), including pictures you’ve taken.

*On your return you will work with Jason Edwards through the editorial process to shortlist your top photographs and colour balance to achieve professional looking shots for submission to National Geographic Channel for publication.

A selection of your best photos will be published on National Geographic Channel where they will be viewed by thousands of travellers worldwide, offering you a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get your foot in the door of one of the most revered exploration organisations in the world!

The Prizes

The Winner will receive:

*An 8-day bespoke trip to Oman with Peregrine Adventures and Oman Tourism.

*Round-trip airfare from your country of residence to Muscat courtesy of Etihad Airways where you will meet your mentor and small film crew.

*An advanced photography kit from Canon, including:

• Canon EOS 6D: the world’s most lightweight DSLR with full frame sensor

• Canon Speedlight Flash 430EX

• Canon Lenses: 50mm f/1.4; 17-40mm f/4; 70-200 f/4

• a Canon Academy course

• Canon PIXMA PRO100 printer

*Travel insurance for the duration of the trip from World Nomads.

The 3 Runner’s Up will receive:

*A Canon prize pack including:

• a Canon Academy course

• 3 application photographs printed by PIXMA PRO printers

Who can apply

* This opportunity is open to any non-professional trying to start a career in Travel Photography – photography students or keen amateurs/pro-amateurs looking for a foot in the door.

* Minimum age 18 by the application deadline with a good level of physical fitness.

* This is a global opportunity – you may be a resident of any country.

* You should be an exceptional photographer with a lust for adventure, have a strong desire to be mentored and grow your photographic knowledge and skills, an ambition to forge a career in Travel Photography, and of course a desire to travel to Oman.

* Remember this is a scholarship, a learning experience, and therefore will not be suitable for professional or semi-professional photographers.

Am I eligible? What makes a non-professional?

We appreciate that the photography industry is difficult to break into and there are a lucky few who can count themselves as professional full time photographers.

This scholarship is very much about the mentorship opportunity, and the judging panel will be selecting the person or team who they feel will most benefit from the learning opportunity. So, if you currently make more than 25% of your income from photography activities, you are not eligible.

You will be asked to outline your experience to date in the submission process, and it will be the judging panel who decides who is most suitable based on their photos and written component.

Find out more about eligibility on our FAQ page.

Important Dates

**You need to be available between March 7th-16th, 2013 to participate on the assignment.**

Applications Accepted: November 12 – January 14

Judging Period: January 14 – February 3

Winner Announced: February 4

Assignment: March 7-16, 2013

Apply now!

Please look carefully at the 4 steps required to complete your application.

If your photos (with captions and essay) are not ready, we suggest you come back later to complete this entry.

1. Shoot a series of photos (maximum of 5)

They must tell a story about a place you have visited. ‘Place’ may be anywhere; somewhere in your own community or much further away. The judges will be looking for:

* originality

* ability to convey a story through photos

* excellent technique

Each of the 5 shots must have accompanying caption text to help contextualize the shot.

Please see our FAQ page about the theme, making digital adjustments and Jason’s judging criteria before you submit your application..

2. Add your photos to WorldNomads.com.

Firstly create a journal, which is where your photos will be hosted, and fill in the entry form. Upload your photos either as a Flickr set (they need to be the only 5 photos in the particular Flickr set) or directly in the journal. This year we have a new functionality in Journals that allows you to view your photos in a much larger format, similar to Flickr. (If you are already a member or have a journal, please sign-in.)

*Please don’t remove the tags and title of the gallery we have set up for you – this is how we find you*

3. Tell us in 1200 characters or less about yourself and why you should be chosen.

Your written response will have significant weighting in the judging process, so think carefully about why you should be chosen. Tell us about yourself, your passions, why you love photography, what drives you to take a better shot, where you would like to go with your photography etc. Help us form a picture in our mind of you as a person with your text.

Remember this is a once in a lifetime learning opportunity, not a junket for professional photographers.

4. Finally the legal bit.

You know the Terms and Conditions of entry.

One entry per person

Applications close: 2pm January 14, 2013 (Australian Eastern Daylight Time)

Please Note: Last year we almost had a server meltdown because applicants left it to the last minute to submit. Don’t miss out! Apply well before the closing date to ensure your application is successful!

The recipient of the Scholarship, along with the best entries, will be published on WorldNomads.com on February 4, 2013.

Check out our finalists and shortlist from 2011 along with judge’s comments.

See past travel photography scholarship winner Walid Rashid’s photos (2011) and Dat Vu’s photos (2010) on the Nat Geo Channel website, and Anna Zhu’s (2009) exhibition with Jason Edwards in Sydney.

Travel Video Documentary Scholarship 2011 – Arnhem Land, Australia

Go on assignment to the Arnhem Land, far north Australia and have your doco broadcast on Nat Geo Adventure!

Applications close June 16, 2pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time)
Kick start your documentary career by going on assignment to one of the most remote Yolngu Aboriginal communities in Arnhem Land (far north Australia), and be immersed in traditional Yolngu Aboriginal knowledge and understanding of the land, sea and animals.

Flying to the Northern Territory with Virgin Blue,you will take part in a special project withWorld Expeditions, working alongside the indigenous Yolngu Aboriginal rangers to restore sea country by removing and cataloging marine debris, the by-product of South East Asia’s fishing industry.

Under the mentorship of documentary producer Trent O’Donnell (who filmed our Positive Footprints series screened on Nat Geo Adventure Channel)you will find your story and create your own short documentary.

It will then be considered for broadcast on Nat Geo Adventure! That’s right – the holy grail documentary makers work their whole lives to achieve!

_{Photo: Cameron Herweynen, winner 2007 Travel Photography Scholarship}

Your assignment brief

Join a 7 day  World Expeditions‘ community project in North East Arnhem Land, working alongside the indigenous Yolngu Aboriginal rangers to restore sea country by removing and cataloging marine debris, the by-product of South East Asia’s fishing industry.

The virtually pristine  coastline is facing a significant environmental threat from marine debris washed in on the ocean currents. Discarded fishing nets, rubber footwear, empty bottles and plastic bags are all carried by these currents from throughout the South East Asian region and deposited on the Arnhem Land Coast. All of this waste is a major threat to the wildlife, as animals get caught up in the nets and choke on the plastic rubbish.

Not only will we be using high-tech techniques for dealing with this modern problem, but also relying on and learning from Traditional Yolngu Aboriginal knowledge and understanding of the land, sea and animals. The group may break into mens and womens groups to share in the gender-specific aspects of culture and lifestyle. Men can learn traditional hunting and fishing and women can be involved in traditional bush medicine, bush food and handicrafts.

This project aims to work alongside and under the direction of Yolngu Aboriginal Rangers from Dhimurru and Laynhapuy Land Management as we together collect, catalogue and dispose of the marine rubbish.

Working with the Yolngu people under the mentorship of Trent O’Donnell you will find your story and film your own short documentary.

  

What’s the deal?

* We’ll fly you to the Northern Territory, Australia with Virgin Blue from your country of residence.

* You need to be available to be in Australia from September 3-9, 2011 to participate in the project.

* Under the mentorship of Trent O’Donnell you will shoot a video documentary about the experience.

* You will keep a daily diary about your time on the trip and upload this plus pictures you’ve taken to your WorldNomads.com travel journal.

* You will edit together your 5-10 minute documentary and submit it to WorldNomads.com within 2 months of your return.

Watch Mo Soliman, our 2010 winner talk about his experience

Who can apply?

* Any non-professionals can apply – this is open to film students, or anyone who’s trying to build a career in documentary making!

* Minimum age 18 with a current, valid passport and you must available as per the dates set out. Please note these dates are not changeable in anyway.

* You may be a resident of any country.

* You should be a mad-keen auteur with a lust for adventure and burning desire to be a documentary maker.

* You must be fit and healthy as moderate levels of physical work are involved, and happy to camp for 7 days.

Am I eligible? What makes a non-professional?

This is a grey area, and very tricky to put measures around. We appreciate documentary filmmaking is a difficult industry to crack and there are a lucky few who can count themselves as a professional full time documentary maker.

This scholarship is very much about the mentorship opportunity, and the judging panel will be selecting someone who they feel will most benefit from the learning opportunity. So if you have already been commissioned to make documentaries or have had your work broadcast on numerous occasions, it is unlikely you will be selected.

You will be asked to outline your experience to date in the submission process, and it will be the judging panel who decides who is most suitable based on their video and written component. So whilst we are not stipulating exactly what does and does not constitute a professional, think about the spirit of the mentorship program and whether you think you would make the most ideal candidate.

Apply now

If you want it, you’ve got to show it. To apply you need to:

1. Compile a maximum 3 minute video documentary in English based around the theme; ‘Local Encounters’. Remember, 3 minutes maximum means that 3:01 videos will be ignored. In a professional video environment, you need to be able to deliver up to the exact time, we’re no different in this case. Do not go over !

Your ‘local encounter’ may be from your travels or somewhere closer to home. You should explore how this encounter changed your perspective on the world. The theme is open to interpretation, so be creative! The documentary may be compiled from previous travel videos you’ve shot.

It’s up to you to convince our judging panel through your video that you have the spirit for adventure and passion for filmmaking to be chosen for this scholarship. Our judging panel will be looking for;

* The ability to convey a strong narrative within a short time-frame
* Originality
* A visually engaging story
* A candidate whose passion for documentary filmmaking makes them an obvious choice to benefit from this professional mentorship opportunity.

We strongly recommend you look at the previous winners (below) to give you an idea of the quality we are looking for. Entries compiled solely of still shots will not be considered, you need to demonstrate your skill with the moving image.

2. Upload your video : Go to Youtube.com to upload your video

3. Add your video to Worldnomads.com: Create a journal and fill in the entry form, then follow the simple instructions to upload your video into the post. In under 200 words tell us about your video;

– What inspired your subject matter?

– What has been your documentary experience to date?

– What is your ambition as a documentary maker and what would winning this scholarship mean to you?

You will be judged on what you write as much as your video submission, convince us you are a worthy candidate!

4. Additionally, we will be offering a Nomad’s Community Choice Award for the entrant who receives the most combined Facebook ‘Likes’ and Twitter ‘Tweets’ for their video on their submitted journal application page. The winner will receive a digital video camera worth AUD$2500! (This award will have no bearing on the scholarship judging). So get your submissions in early and start gathering support !

One entry per person (no longer than 3 minutes, again remember, entries that exceed this will not be considered)

---

Watch our 2010 winner’s & shortlisted documentaries

Watch our 2009 winner’s & shortlisted documentaries

Entries close June 16, 2011, 2pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

---

---

7up HBS Scholarship

To commemorate its 50th anniversary, Seven Up Bottling Company Plc. is proud to announce the launch of its Harvard Business School Scholarship. Every year a Nigerian, resident in the country, will enjoy the opportunity of top quality education from the prestigious school at no cost. This is in accordance with the company’s vision of creating a greener future.

Length of Scholarship: For the 2year MBA program

Anticipated Start: Fall September of 2011

Scope Covers: Tuition, Board and Travel

Eligibility: Must be a Nigerian citizen and must have been successfully admitted into the HBS MBA program

How to access the Seven Up Harvard Business School Scholarship: Once admitted, send a copy of your admission letter to: hbsscholarship@sevenup.org and you will be contacted on the next steps.