Four amazing visual artists of color have been selected to receive the first ever Getty Images ARRAY Grant, presented by Getty images and ARRAY Alliance, a creative collective founded by filmmaker Ava DuVernay to amplify films made by people of color and women of all kinds.

Out of over 500 global submissions, winners were selected from the USA, Madagascar, UK and Egypt, to be awarded $5000, “to continue their projects exploring fatherhood, feminism, culture and the African Diaspora,” according to Getty.

The 2018 recipients are as follows:

Miora Rajaonary is a photographer born and raised in Madagascar and currently based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her project ‘Lamba’ explores cultural identity and heritage in her home country by examining the role of traditional garment in the Malagasy society.

Shawn Theodore is a Philadelphia based photographer, whose work encompasses investigations of African American and African Diasporic life within disappearing Black American neighborhoods.  His submission ‘Church of Broken Pieces’ develops myth-based visual narratives to confront constructs of African Diasporic identity as it is challenged by historical and contemporary American and European society.

Film

Curtis Essel is a director of 33 BOUND; a creative collective based in London. His (unfinished) film project ‘AGYA’ (Father in Tiwi, a Ghanaian Dialect) explores the concept of fatherhood, through the experience of Yaw, a father of four from Ghana.

Mayye Zayed is an Egyptian filmmaker and a co-founder of Rufy’s Films; an independent film production company and a collective of 5 filmmakers in Alexandria, Egypt. Her film project ‘Lift Like a Girl’, with cinematographer Mohamad El-Hadidi, challenges traditional female stereotypes and celebrates gender equality through the story of a young girl Zebiba, who dreams of becoming a professional weightlifter.

Andy Saunders, Senior Vice President, Creative Content at Getty spoke on their role in promoting diversity, saying, “At Getty Images we believe it is our responsibility support and enable photographers, filmmakers and content creators that are pushing the industry forward, and are especially proud to award these grants to four creatives who are challenging the visual norm and evoking new conversations. The creative talent, powerful storytelling and overall quality of work received through this process has been second to none.”

For more information about the Getty Images Grants program, or to submit an application for consideration, please visit Where We Stand.