RPS Postgraduate Bursary

As part of The RPS remit as an educational charity we offer an annual bursary of £3,500 in support of a postgraduate student. For this bursary, photography is interpreted in its widest sense to include digital and traditional photographic media, the art and science of photography and image based written work.

Applications are invited from postgraduate students on courses in photography or undertaking research in photography. Applications must be written in English if applying from abroad. Applicants can apply at any stage of their studies but must demonstrate a specific outcome for their proposed project.

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Recipient 2021/22

Jimmi Ho is the recipient of the RPS Postgraduate Bursary for 2021/22.

He describes his work in his own words:

"By capturing the tranquil moments in daily life, my photography documents the Hong Kong border and Hong Kong immigrants in the UK. It explores the impact related to geopolitics and the social environment between Hong Kong and the UK.

I rely on intuition and devote myself to creating a poetic language of photography, using nature's growth and migration metaphor. I attempt to record the finiteness of Hong Kong people and the calmness that arises in the environment."

Recipient 2020/21

Brook Andrew is an artist of Wiradjrui (Australian First Nations) and Celtic ancestry, based in Melbourne Australia. His interdisciplinary practice spans photography, sculpture, installation, painting and printmaking. Since 1996 he has worked with ethnographic museum collections to reimagine the representation of Indigenous peoples and challenge dominant narratives relating to colonialism and inherited histories.

Recipient 2019/20

Inspired by the current political climate, Cocoa Laney returned to her home state of Alabama for a six-week road trip, meeting and staying with diverse young women along the way.

Her project documents the trip and her encounters. It is an exploration of womanhood, shame, and Southern identity in 2019.

Supported by one of the UK’s leading photographic traders, MPB

Read Cocoa's project creation tips

Ioanna Sakellaraki 1 — **CREDIT:** Ioanna Sakellaraki

Recipient 2018/19

Ioanna Sakellaraki received the 2018 Postgraduate Bursary. After her father passed away three years ago, Ioanna returned to her homeland Greece and followed her mother’s behaviour as a believer, seeking shelter in the wider system of religious traditions and cultural beliefs. As the project advanced and while inspired by the origins of ancient Greek laments, she dwelled within traditional communities of the last female professional mourners inhabiting the Mani peninsula of Greece looking for traces of bereavement and grief and documenting the rituals around death.

More about the project and images

Recipient 2017/18

Cebe Loomis's photographic project focused on the largest historical landmark site in the United States, Virginia City, Nevada. Dedicated to unpacking the identities of the residential population, as well as the town¹s built and natural environments, this project aimed to create an understanding of complex American traditions.

Drawing from theories of space and memory, her project incorporated ethnographic text, analogue photography as well as ambient and interview audioscapes, each working to relay the stories and voices that make up Virginia City.

8. James Morgan Postgraduate Winner 2009 2 — **CREDIT:** James Morgan

Recipient 2009/2010

James Morgan's project on the Bajau Laut, a nomadic marine community who ply the waters between Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines using traditional breathe hold techniques to dive for fish and other seafood.

A quote from James:

"None of this would have been possible without the support of the RPS bursary, it has opened many doors for me, both photographically and in enabling me to travel to places and experience other cultures, that I wouldn’t otherwise been able to do. I’m very excited to continue the project and to continue my exploration of the space where documentary photography and environmental activism overlap."

More about James' project

Sophie is the Chief Marketing Officer for MPB and leads their full-funnel integrated marketing efforts globally.

Before joining MPB, Sophie had 15+ years of experience in performance and digital marketing that spanned key agency and in-house roles across a range of brands including Apple, Sony, Kodak, IBM, American Express, British Airways and DAZN. Sophie is a passionate believer that leveraging technology, data and consumer insights, and a strong understanding of brand purpose is how brands win.

Sophie is also a dedicated amateur photographer who has studied at the International Center of Photography in New York, and is proud to bring her passion for photography together with her passion for purpose-driven marketing. As the world's largest online platform specialising in used photo and video kit, MPB is transforming the world of visual storytelling by making kit more accessible and affordable, and leading the industry towards more sustainable practices.

Anthony Luvera is an artist, writer and educator. His work has been exhibited widely including Tate Liverpool, The Gallery at Foyles, the British Museum, London Underground’s Art on the Underground, National Portrait Gallery London, Belfast Exposed Photography, PhotoIreland, Malmö Fotobiennal, Goa International Photography Festival, and Les Rencontres D’Arles Photographie. Anthony is also Chair of the RPS Education Committee.

Anthony is currently an Associate Professor of Photography in the Centre for Arts, Memory and Communities at Coventry University, and editor of Photography For Whom?,
a periodical about socially engaged photography.

Ken Grant was born in Liverpool in 1967. Since the early 1980's he has photographed in the city and engaged in sustained projects both in the UK and wider Europe. A monograph of the Liverpool pictures, The Close Season, was published by Dewi Lewis in 2002 followed by No Pain Whatsoever and Flock in 2014 and A Topical Times for These Times in 2016. Benny Profane was published in 2019 by RRB Publishing. Ken Grant's photographs are held in collections of photography including Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Folkwang Museum, Essen, The Parr Foundation, The Archive of Modern Conflict and other international collections. A substantial overview of his work is held by the Hyman Collection of British Photography, London. He led the MA in Documentary at University of Wales Newport before accepting a role at Ulster University, Belfast, where he is Course Director in MFA Photography and a senior contributor to the University's research culture.