Thank you for coming here to nominate a woman to OGP's Inaugural 40 Over 40 List!

I'm starting this project as a tribute to all of the amazing women I see doing hard work to make our community better for everyone living here.

I am passionate about two things that are the main criteria (besides age) for making this list: dedicating your time and talent to making our world a better place, and female entrepreneurship. So while future iterations of this list might focus on other heroines of our community, to qualify for the Inaugural List, a candidate must meet these criteria:

 

1. Identify as a woman

2. Be 40+ years of age as of January 1, 2025

3. Own or co-own a business of some kind

4. Dedicate time to making New Orleans a better place 

 

Some guidelines for nominations:

We need DETAILS! The more info you can give us on WHO this woman is on a personal level, AND the impact she is having on the community, the better. 

Memberships with nonprofits, donations, attending galas or luncheons is all wonderful - but for this project we want to see a real time and talent commitment as well. Provide us with concrete examples of their work with the group, awards they’ve received, if you have links to news stories, or any other relevant information you have. 

Multiple nominations can be helpful - or not. When they're coming from different relationships in a nominee's life, that can be insightful! 

 

Why only women? 

Women really deserve a spotlight list in New Orleans, one all to themselves, that they don't have to pay to participate in. These women will be selected for their achievements and merit, and celebrated for their commitments to our community. 

Why over 40?

I don't know about you, but I come more and more into my power the older I get. I think it's time to celebrate women who are really getting to know themselves more deeply, reaching their peak professionally and then pushing past it to do even more, doing everything men are doing, some of us while giving birth and raising kids and/or dealing with perimenopause and menopause. 

What does it mean if my nominee is selected?

All selected candidates will receive a gift certificate to Olivia Grey Pritchard Photography for their customized, planned session with her, a wall print of the image Olivia selects for the final publication, and a high resolution digital file and print release of that image. (Candidates may also purchase additional branding images from their session, but that is not required to participate.) Olivia will contact all selected candidates by phone to schedule their pre-session consultation, the meeting in which they will plan their shoot, wardrobe, styling, etc. in the studio. Each session will be customized to the client, depending on their business, community work, etc. The final product will be a printed magazine featuring all 40 women to be printed and distributed to local New Orleans businesses.

These sessions will be done throughout the next year in addition to Olivia's regular client schedule, so it may be some time before a nominee is contacted if they are selected. 

 

 

A little about me:

I'm originally from Hattiesburg, MS, and I've been in New Orleans now for 13 years. In my 20s I spent four and a half years in Burundi, Chad, and Congo as a UN photographer and Advocacy Advisor. When I moved back to the States, I initially didn't know where I wanted to live and work -- but my mom had retired from teaching in MS and moved to New Orleans after Katrina to teach here, so I joined her for a bit to decompress. During that time her teaching assistant told us a WILD story about her brother, who was serving a life sentence in Angola for the murder of a New Orleans policeman's wife. We did some digging and I started a blog (in 2012)... long story short, eventually Innocence Project New Orleans took his case, found exonerating evidence that the prosecutor's office hid, and Mr. Reginald Adams is a free man today after 33 years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. And during the time that I was working on that case and advocating for Reginald, I fell in love with New Orleans and decided to stay. I opened up shop and Olivia Grey Pritchard Photography was born. Kids and animals are my favorites, so that's what I focused on, and that's still my specialty -- but I'm excited about the editorial opportunities that this project will present!