Blue Earth sponsors documentary projects that educate the public about critical environmental and social issues.
Blue Earth is primarily interested in work that is educational and informational in nature and will consider proposals of any geographic scope involving the photographic and motion picture mediums. Our standard contract sponsors the project for two years.
Blue Earth offers fiscal accountability to the projects we accept for sponsorship. As a non-profit organization with 501(c)3 status, Blue Earth is eligible to receive grants and tax-deductible contributions from private foundations, individuals, or other entities.
Along with this fiscal accountability, we also offer other services. When you join our community of visual storytellers, we offer mentorship throughout the life of your project sponsorship, publicity on our blog and newsletters, help with PR and marketing, and more depending upon individual needs.
Submissions for sponsorship are accepted twice each year, January 20th and July 20th. Materials must be received in the offices by the deadline. We announce recipients approximately two months later.
Submission Tips
Projects should
- Meet the Blue Earth mission
- Explain the educational component of their project
- Show very high quality writing and production values
- Propose an achievable project in scope, cost,and degree
- Be innovative; not derivative of existing or past Blue Earth projects
- Include a thorough budget that reflects the realities of life, including living and working expenses.
Projects should not
- Seek funding from Blue Earth
- Primarily be a means to acquire new photographic equipment
- Have connections with more appropriate 501(c)3 organizations
- Be pseudo-scientific in nature.
Application Process
Only electronic applications are accepted, at the email address below. The narrative application should be submitted as a single PDF, named lastname_firstname.pdf. JPEGs should be accessible for download by our office, and videos should be available for online viewing. Please see the FAQ for suggestions on free services for sending large image files.
The PDF narrative should include the following information, clearly labeled as separate sections:
- Brief letter (3 pages or less) describing the proposed project and your previous work
- Your resume including physical address, phone number, and email. Submissions that do not include contact information will not be considered.
- Detailed schedule
- Proposed budget
- A list of sources you plan to approach for funding
- Three references with complete contact information.
Supporting materials:
- For still photography: 20 images of recent work, preferably the same work as your proposed project. Images must:
- Be 3,000 pixels per side and saved in JPEG format
- Be named/numbered lastname_firstname_01.jpg, lastname_firstname_02.jpg, etc.
- Include a caption and copyright in the metadata.
- For film projects: samples of recent work, totaling no more than 10 minutes in length, preferably the same work as your proposed project. Video must:
- Be at least 720p
- Be hosted on Vimeo, YouTube, or similar service; if password protected, be sure to include credentials for multiple logins by reviewers.
- Submission fee of $30 for members ($60 non-members), check or money order payable to Blue Earth. You may also pay the fee online.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.blueearth.org/projects/submit.cfm