Over the past several weeks, the Sony team has been hard at work reviewing submissions for our Alpha Female Creator-in-Residence program. We received some 6,000 submissions, a number blew all our expectations out of the water.

The wait is over, and we’re ready to announce our winners, the five fearless women who will make up the first ever Alpha Female Creator-In-Residence class.

Even more than that number, we’re humbled and overjoyed by the engagement and support we’ve received from the creator community. We’ve been approached by countless creators at our Be Alpha events, industry tradeshows and conferences, and on social media, who told us how inspired and encouraged they felt by this extraordinary Alpha Female movement—a movement you’ve all helped us start. For us, that in and of itself is a great reward, and reason enough to keep pushing forward the boundaries of this industry we all love.

Thanks to this overwhelming response, we had to take additional time to ensure that everyone’s submission received the right consideration. Now, the wait is over, and we’re ready to announce our winners, the five fearless women who will make up the first ever Alpha Female Creator-In-Residence class.

The Sony Alpha Female Creators-In-Residence Winners are:

Colette Robinson

Colette is a photographer and creative focused on stop motion graphics and living in Northern California. You can learn more on her website at coletterobinson.com. Colette’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Caroline Jensen.

Danielle Da Silva

Currently living in Toronto, Danielle is a storyteller, conservationist, scholar, activist speaker, and the founder of Photographers Without Borders. You can learn more on her website at www.danielledasilva.com. Danielle’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Cristina Mittermeier.

Erin Hogue

An adventure and lifestyle artist living in Vancouver, Erin focuses on capturing the impossible. Discover Erin’s work at @erinhogue. Erin’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Brooke Shaden.

Megan Allen

A wedding photographer from Ohio, Megan’s goal is to create photos that make you stop in your tracks for a moment in time. Learn more about her at www.choosestudio22.com. Megan’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Sara France.

Nitashia Johnson

An educator and portrait photographer from Texas, Nitashia’s passion is currently focused on developing a community-based media arts program for high school teens. Learn more about her at www.nitashiajohnson.com. Nitashia’s mentor will be Artisan of Imagery Me Ra Koh.

What's Next

We’re thrilled with the skills, talent and vision these outstanding creators bring to the table, and we’re looking forward to going on this exciting journey with them. We’ll learn a lot, and we’ll be focused on bringing our winner’s careers to the next level, and also on bringing our entire community’s knowledge and resources to the next level.

Over the program’s six months, we’ll be sharing progress updates, lessons learned, and moments of inspiration, and we’ll organize opportunities for our community to learn and grow. Our first initiative focused on our community will be the completely free-of-charge online Alpha Female Space, where we’ll be hosting weekly webinars focused on the business and art of photography, as well as practical technical skills that will help everyone improve their craft. Keep an eye on Alpha Universe for an opportunity to sign up for these sessions, and stay up to date with great opportunities for meeting like-minded creatives and attending exciting and inspiring events.

We thank every single one of the creators who took the time to enter this first-of-its-kind contest, and start a movement with us. This is just the beginning.