VidCon co-founder Hank Green made a substantially generous announcement to cap off the 9th annual gathering.
In order to further his long-held mission of helping independent creators, Green unveiled the VidCon Creator Grant Program. Every week for the next year, VidCon — which is owned by Viacom — will gift $2,000 to an emerging creator in hopes of furthering their artistic growth. Green made the announcement during his keynote address, which was the last official event to take place at VidCon this weekend.
To apply, aspiring creators can visit www.vidconcreatorgrant.com. Winners will be selected by a committee comprising Green and the VidCon production team. Fifty two grants will be distributed beginning this month — for a grand total of $104,000. Recipients, who must live in the United States, can use the money in any way that they see fit — be it equipment rentals or simply to take time off work to focus on content creation. Winners will also receive a ticket to a future VidCon event of their choosing.
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“Nothing is out there making this job easier, and a lot of things are out there making it harder,” Green said of the modern creator’s plight. “There are so many independent creators making amazing stuff who might just need that little boost, whether it’s the money, or a bit of recognition. The entire VidCon team is hoping that this program will help creators who are making content for underserved audiences, building strong communities, educating people, or just making them smile.”
In order to be eligible, creators must be making content on a known social platform or their own personal blog. They must have uploaded at least two videos per month consistently for six months prior to applying, and garner less than 150,000 views on a regular basis.
