World Nomads, a global travel insurance and lifestyle brand, is now accepting applications for its 2024 Travel Photo and Film Scholarship. This unforgettable opportunity invites aspiring photographers and filmmakers from around the globe to submit their best work for a chance to travel on assignment with industry experts, kick-starting their careers.
The three winners will travel to Africa on a multi-country Go2Africa safari, with an itinerary curated to capture the vast landscapes and beautiful wildlife. They will work off real campaign briefs and experience the demanding yet rewarding work of a wildlife photographer. Winners will also have their work published by Australia’s longest-running travel magazine, Vacations & Travel, providing them with portfolio credits to leverage for future opportunities. The safari will commence in early 2025 and is valued at more than $17,000 USD.
"Through this scholarship program, World Nomads aims to empower and support budding visual storytellers to amplify their voices and tell the beautiful stories of travel around the globe,” said Christina Tunnah, General Manager of Marketing and Brands at World Nomads.
During the trip, participants will receive in-depth mentorship from award-winning travel creatives Dan and Zora Avila of The Travel Shooters, who have cover shots in publications like National Geographic, Vacations & Travel, Discover Hawaii, and more. They will share their industry expertise to help the scholarship recipients further develop their skills.
“We’re delighted to be working with World Nomads again as the 2024 mentors! Our experience mentoring the talented winners of 2023 in Norway was extraordinary, and we can’t wait to work with this year’s winners, helping them achieve creative and commercial success to stand out from the crowd,” said Dan and Zora Avila. “We look forward to sharing our knowledge, techniques, and experience while on an unforgettable journey together with this year’s scholarship winners.”
This year, the prize package includes round-trip airfare, a dream itinerary with Go2Africa, and $150 toward travel insurance, courtesy of World Nomads. Winners will also receive a Fujifilm X-T5 and a high-quality lens to help capture incredible content during their trip and beyond.
World Nomads’ partnership with Go2Africa is a natural fit, as both companies focus on sustainability and traveler responsibility.
"Ethical photography tours are an important part of our commitment to responsible travel. Our mission as a B Corp travel operator is to make a positive impact in Africa,” said Go2Africa's Managing Director, Maija de Rijk-Uys. “We ensure that our photography experiences not only capture the continent's stunning landscapes and wildlife but also honor and respect the communities and vital ecosystems we operate in. We're thrilled to partner with World Nomads, which aligns with our core sustainability and social responsibility values to promote meaningful travel experiences, helping Africa's vital landscapes and communities thrive together.”
For a chance to win, aspiring visual storytellers are asked to create a 30-60 second video or submit three to five high-quality photos that tell a travel story. Additionally, they’ll need to provide a written entry on why they want to participate in the scholarship program and what winning would mean to them, in 150 words or less. Judges will meet with a shortlist of winners over Zoom to determine the final three scholarship winners. Winners will then be announced and showcased on the World Nomads website on November 19.
Applicants have until October 22, 2024 to submit their entries. The scholarship promises to be a transformative experience for aspiring visual storytellers, providing them with the opportunity to hone their skills, explore Africa on a safari adventure, and create content that inspires wanderlust in others.
To learn more about the scholarship, including the entry link, visit www.worldnomads.com/create/scholarships/photofilm/2024.
About World Nomads
Since 2002, World Nomads has been protecting, connecting, and inspiring adventurous and independent travelers by offering specialized travel insurance and safety advice.
Our travel insurance products cover travelers from more than 100 countries. World Nomads focuses on what we believe is important to travelers: emergency medical and evacuation costs, baggage cover, trip cancellation, trip delay, and trip interruption costs. We offer coverage for more than 150 adventure sports and activities, plus tech and gear. We believe travelers have a responsibility to give back, and through our Footprints program, customers can add a small donation to the price of their policy to help fund a community development project with one of World Nomads’ global nonprofit and charity partners.
We are part of a suite of global specialist travel insurers owned by nib Group, Australia’s third-largest provider of travel insurance, and a leading global distributor of travel insurance through nib Travel. nib Group also provides health and medical insurance to more than 1.6 million Australian and New Zealand residents and more than 200,000 international students and workers in Australia.