Story at a glance
- Getty Images and GLAAD on Wednesday announced a $25,000 grant program for creators telling authentic visual stories about LGBTQ people and their families.
- Less than 1 percent of visuals in media and advertising show members of the LGBTQ community, and those that do typically focus on Pride celebrations and imagery.
- Grant recipients will be invited to license their winning content through Getty Images’ website at a 100 percent royalty rate and have their work and social media featured on the company’s Creative Insights website.
Getty Images on Wednesday announced a $25,000 grant program open to photographers and videographers globally to boost the LGBT community’s visibility in media and challenge visual stereotypes.
The grants, announced in partnership with GLAAD, a national LGBTQ media advocacy organization, are designed to provide financial support for creators telling authentic visual stories about LGBT people and their “chosen families,” Getty Images said Wednesday in a news release.
According to Rebecca Swift, Getty Images’ global head of creative insights, less than 1 percent of visuals in media and advertising show members of the LGBTQ community. Those that do typically focus on Pride celebrations or imagery as a defining event for the community.
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“This grant aims to portray connections across the LGBTQ+ community, visualising people coming together to embrace, nurture, love, and support each other, irrespective of traditional familial ties,” Swift said.
Sarah Kate Ellis, the president and chief executive of GLAAD, on Wednesday said the grants are an important step to creating thoughtful content across commercial media that more accurately reflects the multidimensional nature of LGBTQ people and their families.
“Authentic and diverse media images of our community not only make LGBTQ people feel safe and seen, but educate the general public on the truth about our lives and the common ground we all share,” she said.
Grant applications are open until Nov. 18 and recipients will be announced during the week of Dec. 12, according to Wednesday’s announcement. Creators will need to submit an online portfolio of their work, a project proposal, an inspirational mood board and a short essay for consideration.
A one-time grant of $10,000 will be awarded to the contest’s first-place recipient, and grants totaling $7,000 and $3,000 will go to the second and third place winners, respectively. A special $5,000 grant will also be awarded by the Getty Images’ employee resource group LGBTQIA+ Alliance.
Grant recipients will be invited to license their winning content through Getty Images’ website at a 100 percent royalty rate and have their work and social media featured on the company’s Creative Insights website.
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