SYDNEY AUS, Friday, 28^th June 2019: Today, Canon Oceania is excited to announce that its 2019 Grants Program is open for submissions. Over the last 13 years the program has supported nearly 80 schools and not-for-profit groups to further their causes, with almost $400,000. This year, over $30,000* worth of grants made up of both cash and Canon equipment is up for grabs across Australia and New Zealand.

Winners will be selected from three categories – environment, education and community – based on the positive impact of their project on their community or environment, and the importance of technology for their success. The Grants program received 110 nominations and over 80 submissions last year, where wider community was also invited to vote on the finalists before the winners are announced for each sector.

“Thirteen years since the inception of this Grants Program, we never fail to be inspired by the not-for-profit organisations and schools that are so dedicated to serving their local communities,” said Dave Yoshida, Managing Director, Canon Oceania.

“At Canon we believe in the Kyosei philosophy, which is about living and working together for the common good. In the ever evolving times we live in, we encourage people to be the change they wish to see in the world, and hope that the Grants will help them make the next vital step in their journey.”

One of three winners last year was Big Fat Smile, a not-for-profit, community owned provider of child education, care, recreation, cultural and inclusions services in NSW and the ACT. As the winner in the community category, they used the Grant to deliver over 50 photography lessons through their after-school program, reaching over 800 children in more than 10 locations.

Michele Peden, Big Fat Smile’s Pedagogical Thinker in Residence shares: “The Canon Grant and introduction of a photography program to our Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) 5 – 12-year-olds program opened many children’s eyes to the world of photography. The cameras, as opposed to phones, changed the children’s perspective of what can be seen and achieved through the lens. Their creativity was sparked and was extended through the expert tuition of our ‘Photo Guru’ as well as OSHC Directors. Some students worked collaboratively, while others concentrated on their own works. Most importantly, the children had fun while benefiting from a rich, photographic learning experience. We plan to roll out a Big Fat Smile students photography competition later this year.”

Winning in the education category last year was The Nature School Primary, which undertook a photographic project enabling students to create a photographic field guide of local flora and fauna. It enabled students to understand the impact of species decline and raise awareness of the issues with the local community. Ocean Crusaders, last year’s environment category winner, aims to mitigate plastic pollution from coastal waterways and beaches, and used the Grant to develop educational content and encourage communities to participate in clean-up initiatives.

On a mission to protect Australia’s rainforest, Rainforest Rescue were the 2018 runners up that used the grant to facilitate a program to determine the health of existing trees, and establish the need to plant more trees in the Daintree lowlands to restore damaged rainforest blocks.

The 2019 grants will be awarded under the following categories:

Australia

• 1 x Environmental Grant – AU$5,000
• 1 x Education Grant – AU$5,000
• 1 x Community Grant – AU$5,000
• 1 x Runner-up Grant – AU$1,000

New Zealand

• 1 x Environmental Grant – NZ$5,000
• 1 x Education Grant – NZ$5,000
• 1 x Community Grant – NZ$5,000

Submissions are open now till Friday 26^th July via canon.com.au/grants. This year, the wider community will vote on finalists in August and grant winners will be announced in September. Mark your diaries!

For more information about Canon Oceania’s Grants Program 2019, please visit: canon.com.au/grants

*Each winning grant recipient will receive $5,000 in total made up of $4,000 worth of product and $1,000 of cash in their local currency. 

About Canon

Canon is a world leading imaging brand that actively inspires and enables people to achieve more than they ever thought they could through products, services and solutions for business and consumers. Canon has ranked among the top-five US patent recipients for the past 34 years and had global revenues of more than $US36 billion in 2018. Also part of the Canon Group in the Oceania region are Canon Finance Australia, SUNSTUDIOS, Converga and Harbour IT. For more information, visit www.canon.com.au.

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