We’re delighted to reveal that after the success of its inaugural year, the Alpha Female Award returns for this year’s Sony World Photography Awards. A collaboration between the World Photography Organisation and Sony US, the prize aims to uncover some of the most exciting and compelling photography created by women and celebrate that imagery on a global stage.
2020 Alpha Female Award winner Lily Dawson-Punshon says about receiving the award: ‘Winning the Alpha Female Award has been a completely career-changing experience for me.’
Open to all female photographers entering single images to the Open competition, the winner receives a range of Sony digital imaging equipment. All female photographers entering a single image to any of the ten categories in the Sony World Photography Awards’ Open competition will be considered.
The Alpha Female Award aligns with Sony Alpha Universe Alpha Female+ program which, recognising the need for diversity for the development of the visual creator industry, supports the growth of underrepresented voices in photography, videography, and filmmaking, and provides resources and a platform for creators across the artistic spectrum. Strengthening the Alpha Female+ program is its impressive lineup of Alpha Ambassadors. The 12 members all have a unique view on the world, a passion for their work and a desire to challenge tradition to create something new. Ambassadors include Cristina Mittermeier, Kesha Lambert, Dr. Tomayia Colvin and Me Ra Koh. You can view all members here: https://alphauniverse.com/alpha-female/
Thinking back to why she instigated the initiative, creator of the Alpha Female program Michaela Ions says: ‘When the seed for the Alpha Female movement came to life, I was sitting in a conference room at Sony HQ in San Diego, staring at a photo of an influencer group of 32 hand-picked photographers, all male, and wondering how it would be statistically possible that not one woman would make it onto that list. And the answer was it wouldn’t be statistically possible, if the selection criteria were unbiased—that’s how math works in nature. But it was possible, in this case, because the photography and filmmaking industries had been systematically undermining women creators, to the point where fewer than 20% of professional photographers and filmmakers were women. After getting past the bewilderment, the next thought that came to mind was, we’re better than this.'
Read our interview with Michaela here
Discover more about the Alpha Female Award here
Listen to Michaela’s podcast interview with Alpha Universe here
