Canon’s challenge: Be Creative for a Cause

May 28, 2009: Canon Australia today launches Canon Creative for a Cause, a national campaign targeting the thousands of smaller Australian charities in need of awareness and financial support.

[RIGHT: This photo focuses on the promotion of indigenous health and a belief that every child deserves the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Charity: Red Dust]

The campaign aims to inspire Australians through photography for the chance to win their nominated charity $60,000 and to become one of Canon’s preferred charities in 2009.

A recent survey conducted for Canon by Galaxy Research indicated that despite being a nation of charitable people, Australians are shunning smaller causes in favour of high profile appeals, leaving our smaller charities inadequately funded and struggling to survive. It found that large charities are receiving on average 34 times the amount of funding through donations than smaller charities each year.

Craig Manson, senior general manager, Marketing, Canon Australia, says that through Creative for a Cause, Canon aims to raise awareness of Australia’s charitable causes and help to make a difference to these organisations.

Canon is urging all Australians to participate in Creative for a Cause by simply taking a photo that reflects the causes they are most passionate about, along with a 25-word description of what their photo represents and who their selected charity is, and uploading it to www.canon.com.au/creativeforacause. Twenty four images will be selected by popular vote and editor’s picks and will be reviewed by a judging panel who will then select the top five finalists. From these top five images, one entry will be chosen based on popularity and photographic merit.

Canon will then donate $60,000 to this entrant’s nominated charity. In addition to the $60,000 donation, Canon will reward the winning entry and four other finalists with a Canon product prize pack.

“Over the past few weeks we have spoken to more than 100 Australian charities, and what they are telling us is that in the current economic climate, the demand for charitable services is on the rise, yet due to a lack of funding and public donations, many valuable and much needed smaller charities are really struggling,” said Manson.

“Despite tough economic conditions, however, Australians are generous, charitable people, with almost half saying they will give to a charity this year.

“The only problem is most of this money will be donated to the larger, well known charities, with only a small portion of funds reaching smaller ones.”

The Creative for a Cause campaign will open to entries today, Thursday May 28 and close Friday July 10.