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Getty Images announces its three winners of $10,000 Instagram Grant competition

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Getty Images this week announced the winners of its Instagram Grant, a program started to support photographers sharing stories from underrepresented communities around the world. Three photographers were selected this year who will each receive $10,000.

Now in its second year, the Getty Instagram Grant has moved beyond still photography to include videographers and any other visual artists telling local stories on Instagram.

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“Every day, people around the globe capture and share poignant moments on Instagram, inspiring others to see things in a new way,” Director of Community at Instagram Amanda Kelso said in a statement released by Getty. “We are honored to highlight the visual work of this year’s winners, who each offer a striking glimpse into rarely seen worlds.”

Christian Rodriguez

Christian Rodriguez, of Uruguay, was awarded the grant for his documentary project Teen Mom, which tells stories of teen pregnancy in Latin America. He hopes to raise awareness of how this impacts local communities and has found that Instagram is the perfect medium for a project looking to connect with young people.

Ronny Sen

Indian photographer Ronny Sen received the grant for his work documenting the 100-year coal fires burning in mineral-rich Jharia. Sen uses a combination of still photography and video to tell the stories of the people living and working in an apocalyptic-like landscape.

Girma Berta

Finally, iPhone-only photographer Girma Berta captures life on the streets of his home city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With a background in graphic design and painting, he combines photography with fine art. Instagram has provided him with a platform to share his work with the world.

In addition to the grant money, each recipient will be showing work at Photoville in New York, which opened on Wednesday and runs through the weekend. More than just a gallery show, Photoville is an annual photography festival that’s free to the public. Last year, it drew over 72,000 visitors.

The Getty Images Instagram Grant was started in order to recognize work being done outside of the mainstream media, and to provide opportunities for emerging artists working on projects of social importance. For more information on the program and how to apply, visit the official website.

Daven Mathies
Daven Mathies
Former Contributor
Daven is a contributing writer to the photography section. He has been with Digital Trends since 2016 and has been writing…
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