The Nikon Foundation offers final year photography students an opportunity to win
the ultimate career enhancing boost – three month’s paid employment as a photographer’s
assistant to renowned fashion and celebrity photographer John Wright!
Entries will be shortlisted to ten portfolios by John Wright, a representative from
Nikon, Warren Jackson, Art Director at Condenast and Russ O’Connell, Photo Director
at Q Magazine. The ten shortlisted entrants will be invited to attend a job interview
on 20th April 2011 at John Wright’s photography studio in London where they will
be required to talk about their photography and why they want to work with John.
This will also be an opportunity for John to get to know everyone, and to work through
some photography exercises.
Living in London to do the job, the winner will also receive £3,000 cash to help
with living expenses. And if this money can’t buy prize is not enough we’ll also
be giving the winner a top of the range Nikon professional camera and lens kit too
worth £4,000.
John Wright’s portfolio is bursting at the seams and includes shots of a whole host
of A List celebs such as Bono and Lady Gaga. Working with John will give the lucky
winner an unrivalled opportunity to learn from the best, to make invaluable industry
contacts and to experience the real-life demands of a career in photography.
The Brief
Who can enter?
Any final year student studying a higher education photography based course at university
or college in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland.
The brief
To enter this exciting competition to win this once in a lifetime opportunity you
are required to submit a portfolio of 5-12 of your best digital images. There is
no particular theme for this competition, however, remember you are submitting a
portfolio so editing will be taken into consideration. All genres of photography
will be considered.
Like with any job application you will be required to submit a covering letter of
no more than 500 words explaining why you think you are the right candidate for
the job. The covering letter is your opportunity to sell yourself and show John
how you stand out from the crowd.
Include any examples of work experience you may have had within the industry outside
of your course.
To help you get started, try to include some details on the areas listed below:
- What strengths would you bring to John's team
- Why would you work well with John
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years
- What would you say is your photographic style?
How to enter
To enter the competition, simply click on the “enter now” tab at the top of the
page. Please note, you must upload your portfolio of images (as a zipped file) in
one go as you are not able to save the page and submit further images at a later
point. You will be required to complete the online registration form with all of
your contact details, and you should also upload your covering letter introducing
yourself and explaining why you should win (this should be uploaded as a word /
text document).
Go to the ENTER NOW page for more information
about how to enter.
The Prize
- 3 months paid employment with top fashion photographer John Wright as an Assistant,
with an annual salary of £15k, pro rata.
- £3,000 cash to help with general living expenses
- Nikon professional camera and lens worth £4,000
Judging Process
Entries will be shortlisted to ten portfolios by John Wright, a representative from
Nikon and a leading magazine editor. The ten shortlisted entrants will be invited
to attend a job interview on 20th April 2011 at John Wright’s photography studio
in London where they will be required to talk about their photography and why they
want to work with John. This will also be an opportunity for John to get to know
everyone, and to work through some photography exercises.
Entries will be judged on:
- 1. Originality
- 2. Technical Proficiency
- 3. Visual Impact
- 4. Content of covering letter
The lucky winner will start their placement with John at the beginning of June 2011.
Read the full terms and conditions