Sigma Corporation of America is pleased to announce our first-ever scholarship contest!
The Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship will award a cash gift of $5,000 and $1,000 in Sigma products to one talented high school senior to advance his or her education and goals toward obtaining a career in the photography industry.
Applications will be accepted from November 19, 2009 to February 15, 2010. Online voting will occur Feb. 16, 2010 to April 23, 2010, and the winner will be announced May 3, 2010. To apply, click here.
This new scholarship illustrates Sigma’s five decades of technological advancement and innovation in the industry, and our family-owned company’s desire to empower and support up-and-coming photographers. The scholarship winner will be selected based on his or her ability to deliver outstanding photographs with the superior caliber of image quality for which the Sigma brand has become known.
Eligibility
The Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship is open to all high school seniors who will graduate in 2010 and seek higher learning. Applicants must aspire to obtain a degree or certificate in a photo-related field such as photography, photojournalism, graphic arts, design, visual arts, art history, etc.
Family members of Sigma Corporation of America employees, dealers and affiliates are not eligible to apply.
Application Process
Applicants are required to submit an application, brief essay and three to five images that have a connecting theme in order to be considered for the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship.
The essay will include an 800-word or less description of the student’s methodology and thematic intent. This material will complement the applicant’s images and help the judges better understand the student’s process of capturing and selecting the photographs.
The entire package will be judged based on creativity of subject selection, overall technique and, most importantly, image quality. Students are not required to use Sigma equipment to shoot the photo essay.
Please click here for official scholarship contest rules
Online application form and essay:
This form will provide Sigma Corporation of America’s judges with valuable insights about the applicant’s academic history and photo-related activities, but will not be shared with the voting public. All fields are required.
The essay will also be part of the application form and it, coupled with the applicant’s name and images, will be the only materials shared with the voting public.
This document should be no longer than 800 words in length. Sigma Corporation of America reserves the right to discard any application and essay that is longer than this requirement. The essay will describe the creative process through which the applicant captured, selected and edited the images that will be submitted with it. It will also explain how the images are connected.
When drafting your essay, make sure that it is appropriate for public posting on this corporate Web site. Sigma reserves the right to discard any essays containing language that the company deems inappropriate, libelous, plagiarized or offensive in any way.
By completing the form and essay, and clicking the “submit” button at the bottom of the page, students tender their application, pledge that all of the information provided in the application is valid and factual, and agree to the terms of the scholarship.
Photos:
Applicants must submit three to five images to be considered for the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship. These photographs must be thematically tied and illustrate outstanding image quality.
All photos must:
- Be saved in JPEG format, no larger than 1 MB
- Be saved with maximum of 1024×768 pixels
- Include the student’s first and last name, as well as the submission date and image order number, in the file name (for example: “JohnSmith_11.19.09_image1”, “JohnSmith_11.19.09_image2”, etc.)
- Be appropriate for public posting on this corporate Web site. Sigma reserves the right to discard any images that the company deems inappropriate, libelous, plagiarized or offensive in any way.
Click here to fill out an application form and submit your essay and images.
Selection Process
Applications and materials will be accepted from Nov. 19, 2009 to Feb. 15, 2010, and the winner will be announced May 3, 2010.
All images and essays will be posted online on this site for public voting. Visitors to the site will be invited to vote for their favorite images and essay from Feb. 16, 2010 to April 23, 2010. Students will be notified when the public voting opens and are encouraged to share the site link with their friends and family to request support.
The public, online voting will select the top three finalists for the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship. A judging panel comprised of Sigma executives will then determine the final scholarship winner. The winner’s name will be announced on May 3, 2010.
For official scholarship contest rules, click here.
Applicant Terms and Rights:
By applying for the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship and submitting the necessary materials, all students verify that the information is factual and the images provided are original. Sigma Corporation of America reserves the right to discard any materials and reject any applications that are suspected of being fraudulent or offensive, and cannot be held liable for content submitted and posted under this agreement.
All applicants must receive permission from their parents to vie for this scholarship and provide Sigma Corporation of America with permission to post their first and last name, images, and essays online to be voted on by the public. Applicants maintain all of the rights to their images, but will not be compensated for Sigma’s use of these images. The winner of the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship will allow Sigma Corporation of America to use his or her images on the company’s Web site and in promotional materials pertaining to the scholarship and its publicity at no cost.
The winner of the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship will receive a $5,000 check from Sigma Corporation of America within 30 days of the announcement that he or she has won the contest. The winner will also receive a $1,000 gift card that must be used within one (1) year of being issued. There are no prizes for second or third place, and there are no scholarship substitutions or cash redemptions.
For official contest rules, click here.