The Alexia Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 Alexia Grants. The winner of the $20,000 Professional Grant is Aaron Vincent Elkaim of Toronto, Canada. The winner of the First Place Student Grant is Nathaniel Brunt of Toronto, Canada. Aaron Vincent Elkaim was awarded the Professional Grant for Where the River Runs Through, which examines the consequences of Brazil’s major hydroelectric expansion on the ecosystems, communities, and industries within the Amazon Rainforest. February 21 2014.  A child from the Xikrin village of "Pot crô" stands for a photo on the banks of the Rio Bacaja, its name meaning "the water that runs in river is the same as the blood that flows through our veins." The Xikrin are a warrior tribe that have strongly resisted the dam, but were recently divided into 8 smaller groups due to negotiations with Norte Enegria, the company building the dam. Many of the…

The W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography is presented annually to a photographer whose past work and proposed project follow the tradition of W. Eugene Smith and the dedicated compassion he exhibited during his 45-year career as a photographic essayist. It is a $30,000 grant to complete a current or future documentary project. To learn more about the grant and to apply, please visit www.smithfund.org. Deadline: May 31, 2016

We’ve got some exciting news. Connected to the Top has been nominated for a Webby for Best User Experience. In 2012, a team of professional climbers sought out to summit the highest peak in the world, Mount Everest. The expedition commemorated the 50th anniversary of the first American ascent of the mountain.   Inside Tracks was also nominated as an honoree for Online Film and Video. In 1977, Robyn Davidson walked 1,700 miles across the Australian outback. National Geographic sent Rick Smolan to photograph her perilous journey—a trek that tested and transformed them, forming an immutable bond that continues to this day. You can vote now to help us make it to the top! Congrats to Verse, the team that made it happen, and thank YOU, our audience, for all your support.  

Conservational International  is looking for a Visual Storytelling Director. The Senior Director of Visual Storytelling leads the team at CI responsible for producing visual narratives that explain and promote CI’s mission and vision to the world. S/he reports to the Vice President of Communications as a part of CI’s Brand and Communications division. The Visual Storytelling (VST) team is made up of the Director of Production – who reports directly to the Senior Director - and the Production Coordinator. They manage a video production studio and produce video, motion graphics, and photography to create visually compelling stories for professional stakeholder audiences and general publics across the world. The goals of projects vary.  In some cases the VST team works with CI field offices to achieve specific conservation results such as raising funds for local projects, changing legislation, or promoting local awareness.  In other cases the VST delivers more general work for global…

Today is World Water Day, an opportunity for the international community to learn about water issues around the world. At MediaStorm, we believe that storytelling is a critical motivator for action, and we’ve developed two stories that we hope will inspire you to think critically about this precious resource. Life After Water Life After Water, a film by MediaStorm for Verse, is an intimate portrait of one California farmer’s attempt to cope in a new age of drought. When the Water Ends When the Water Ends, developed with photojournalist Evan Abramson for Yale Environment 360, tells the story of climate change conflicts in East Africa. To learn more about how you can help, check out our partners’ sites: UN Water http://www.unwater.org/ Yale Environment 360 http://e360.yale.edu/ Circle of Blue http://www.circleofblue.org/worldwaterday2016/ Charity: Water http://www.charitywater.org/about/