I’m a big advocate of using the immense power of photography to facilitate change

…and up until 2016 there was a huge gap in UK cultural celebration, with no national-facing Arts Awards for the breadth of British Photography. So, we set one up as a hybrid charity fundraiser and photographic institution. Every year I marshal the judges, build on feedback from our community; and together we celebrate some breathtaking work with 100% of the competition proceeds going to 20 incredible causes. Using photography as a tool for betterment is key to the awards and we have signed up over 20,000 likeminded photographers since we launched!

As the Awards Director, I get to interface directly with our charity partners and see where the money we raise is going. Personally, as I prioritise wildlife and habitat charities in my personal life, it is so interesting to learn more about all 20 of our charity partners and the diverse problems they aim to solve.

If you’d like to learn more about the BPA, you can visit www.britishphotographyawards.org, or view my business profile and my other directorships here.

We are also approaching launch for the US sister project, at www.americanphotographyawards.org ‘battling cancer, feeding the hungry, supporting The Troops and planting trees’ so, you can sign up to be kept informed of that too.

Taking these ideals forward

We are also setting up this innovative model of choice-based charity fundraising in The Metaverse. While the model will be slightly different, the ethos remains the same: To empower photographers to directly help the world.

In the spirit of the Web3 space, the form factor will be much more open source, non-competitive and less centralised, taking the form of a newly founded photographic agency called Photograph3r (.eth/.xyz /.org).

This DAO will be a place for artists to exchange ideas and support causes of their choice. It will be a hub for minting, virtual display, gallery events and charity auctions, as well as integrate on-platform fees and royalties to support causes through platform activity and Marketplace user loyalty systems. 

We are also currently demo-ing the ability for creators, brands and causes to found separate themed spaces within the larger whole, like a theme park has ‘zones’. This is for a reinforced identity, or more targeted campaigns.

We will soon be reaching out to photographers to join as founding members of the DAO, and announcing our first charity partners for contributions, which is very exciting.

The team are super excited to announce more very soon and publish our contracts for peer review and public audit.

Goodwill Wall

On my goodwill wall I showcase some of my favourite efforts that are fighting the good fight. If you would be interested in learning more, please click on their logo to get directed to their site.

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