Mazda North American Operations sought out a fresh set of eyes through an unlikely collaboration.
The Irvine-based automaker linked with National Geographic to hold a contest giving budding photographers the chance to compete for a National Geographic Travel assignment and the title of Mazda Content Partner, producing work for the automaker.
It’s the first time the automaker and magazine title have worked together on a competition like this.
The winner of the Assignment: Inspiration contest, Texas photographer Sam Tippetts, was revealed on a special show on National Geographic, where he was also given Mazda’s new crossover CX-30 (starting price $21,900).
Finalists for the contest submitted their best work for a chance to compete.
The submission, for Tippetts, included a set of photographs taken at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Malaysia. Tippetts had been backpacking in Southeast Asia during this period.
“At the time, I didn’t really know what I was doing or where I would be from week to week,” Tippetts shared with his social media followers while describing his work.
Tippetts, along with two other finalists, were sent to Los Angeles and given missions to shoot different concepts, drawing inspiration from National Geographic photographer David Guttenfelder’s work in Hiroshima. Hiroshima’s where Mazda got its start in 1920.
Tippetts, now the winner of the contest, will be sent out for an official assignment from National Geographic Travel, where his work will appear on the publication’s digital channels. He will also produce content for Mazda.
The competition came as Mazda recently announced new Chief Marketing Officer Brad Audet, who came to the automaker from its advertising agency Garage Team Mazda in Costa Mesa.
Audet had been in the position on an interim basis since March after the resignation of Dino Bernacchi, who came to the company in 2017.
