The Ritz Herald
Kikkan Randall of the United States (R) leads the pack in Finals of the Ladies' Sprint Free during day four of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Laura Cross-country Ski & Biathlon Center on February 11, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. © Doug Pensinger

Doug Pensinger Photography Fund Announces Inaugural Grants for Emerging Sports Photographers


Mentorships with top professionals and over $20,000 in grants

Published on March 17, 2020

The newly-formed Doug Pensinger Photography Fund (DPPF) announces its inaugural series of grants and mentorships. Established in 2019, the DPPF is unique in its nonprofit focus on emerging sports photographers.

The 2020 Sports Photography Grants program features:

  • $5,000 grants and one-year mentorships by members of DPPF’s Advisory Board for the top three applicants
  • $1,000 equipment grants for seven additional applicants
  • Expenses-paid trip to the 2020 Sports Photography Gathering for all awardees

Complete program details are at dougpensingerphotographyfund.org/grants and the application portal is at contests.picter.com/dppf-2020-sports-photography-grants.

The DPPF is committed to promoting inclusivity and diversity and to providing merit-based access at no cost to participants.

DPPF Board Member Ezra Shaw, Getty Images Chief Photographer, remarks, “Doug Pensinger was a great photographer and an incredible mentor to me and many others. The DPPF is an amazing opportunity to keep Doug’s legacy alive by helping passionate young sports photographers, and I am honored to be part of it.”

In addition to over $20,000 in grants, the DPPF hosts an annual Sports Photography Gathering, where awardees spend a weekend meeting the professionals in DPPF’s Advisory Board, receiving portfolio feedback, and participating in small group sessions on issues critical to their developing careers. The 2020 Sports Photography Gathering will be held in Golden, CO on September 25-27 and will include a keynote presentation from members of the Getty Images media team on their coverage of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. This dynamic informal event will give unprecedented access to high-level working professionals and will honor Doug Pensinger’s generosity of spirit, determination, sense of camaraderie, and joyful approach to life and work.

“Doug knew the importance of getting a great sports photograph but was clever enough not to be consumed by that goal, and that’s what drew so many people into his orbit,” states DPPF Board Member Simon Bruty, a photographer whose clients include Sports Illustrated and the International Olympic Committee. “In that spirit, the DPPF will encourage young photographers while reminding us all that there’s a bigger picture out there: life.”

Staff Writer