ITS#PHOTO COMPETITION

The photo competition of International Talent Support is now in its fifth year and is becoming an important observatory to find talented, creative and highly prepared young photographers, able to shoot images that can easily find their place in the most important lifestyle and photography magazines.
The competition is organised in partnership with MINI, a brand that represents design and uniqueness. MINI is very active in promoting the freshest and highest expressions of creativity.
Contestants will be asked to produce a series of images on the theme "Originality".10 to 15 finalists will be selected from some of the most important photography schools on the planet and will come to Trieste, Italy on 9-11 July 2009 for the finals. Their photos will be displayed in a dedicated exhibition in the ITS#EIGHT location and viewed by all the guests of the event: international press, opinion leaders, professional photographers and many more. A renowned Photography Critic will be the artistic director and curator of the exhibition.
With the launch of the new edition of ITS comes the opening of enrolment in the photography competition. The deadline to enrol is 25 March 2009. In April the Preselections take place (20 and/or 21) and the finalists are selected. The ITS#PHOTO finals will be in July 2009.

Visit the website!

BetterPhoto Contest

Win one of several cool prizes by entering our monthly photography contest!

BetterPhoto students and BetterPholio owners can participate. Regardless of whether you are a professional or an amateur, a digital shooter or a film lover, an outdoor enthusiastic or a studio photographer, you can enter the contest as long as you have taken a class or subscribed to a BetterPholio. Submit one photo per day, regardless of category. Submit each given photo once - into one category - per any given contest month.Images will be judged on overall photographic and artistic quality.

The Grand Prize winner gets a Deluxe BetterPholio™ or 4-week photography course.
First Place winners receive a Tamrac Sling Pack

Visit the site to enter the contest

Rpoints Photographer of the Year

his year's competition will last for a full year. There will be a number of individual rounds, each with their own theme (see below). Prizes will be awarded for the best three photos in each round. Anyone winning a prize in a round is also invited to enter the final. The pictures will be hosted by Chadwick on an online gallery. After the deadline for each round the gallery will be made public with the address posted here for everyone to view and discuss the pictures. An independent panel of judges will decide the main prizes. They have no photographic training at all (or even ability in some cases), so they won't be looking for technical perfection. The winning pictures will be those that just attract and hold the judges' attention. Colourful, interesting, amusing, unusual, dramatic - stuff like that is probably what you'll need to win.
As well as the judges' prizes, we're also bringing back the "Members Award" for each round. This is simply the opportunity for everyone on Rpoints to vote for their favourite picture. And yes, there will be Rpoints given to the winner of this too, although no invite to the final. There is no need to "register" anywhere (you just need to be an Rpoints member) and there is no entry fee. Just take a picture, host it somewhere and send the link. You can enter one, some, all or none of the rounds (although if you enter none, you probably won't win anything). You won't need a top-end SLR camera. By all means use one if you've got it, but pocket-sized point-and-shoots or phone cameras are just as likely to win. More often than not, the real secret to a good picture is simply being in the right place at the right time. There's a theme for each round, but you can submit anything you like that fits the theme. Portrait, still life, macro, wildlife, landscape, sports, night, wide-angle, underwater, studio, abstract, black and white, tinted, colour, infra-red, whatever - it's all good!

Visit the website for details on how to enter

Earth Shots Photo of the Day Contest

Earth Shots is an ongoing Photo of the Day contest open to photographers worldwide. It is a non-profit website created purely to celebrate the beauty and diversity of our planet.
Win photo of the day three times and you’ll get $50. Click here to enter your photos

Nature, People & the Railway Path

This photographic competition celebrates the natural environment and our use of the Bristol & Bath Railway Path. As well as commuting and leisure, the path provides excellent access to the countryside between Bristol and Bath. The event is endorsed by organisations who recognise the importance of greenways and their contribution to our quality of life and a sustainable future: Natural England, Mind, Bristol City Council, Sustrans, Life Cycle UK, Avon Frome Partnership, Forest of Avon and Bristol Clean & Green. The competition is open to local, national and international amateur photographers of all ages working with digital and traditional photography. All entries will be presented online to enable others to appreciate what makes this green corridor so unique. There are six different themes and three special awards designed to encourage entries from particular sections of society. Please see the website for further details and how to enter.
Closing Date: 31 May 2009
Contact Martyn Whitelock @ organiser@greentracks.org.uk

City & Guilds Photography Competition

City & Guilds have launched a new City & Guilds Student Photography Competition to celebrate the first anniversary of our online Photography Gallery. Entry is free and open to all learners who are completing or have completed a 7511 City and Guilds Photo Imaging qualification. Each level will have a first, second and third prize. There is a proze fund of over £3000. The winners and runners up will also be selected to join the finalists in an exhibition to be held in London.

Closing Date: 01 May 2009
Email: photo@cityandguilds.com

This is my life! - Photography Competition

This is my life! is a competition to celebrate the lives of working people all over the UK, and to showcase the positive effects of a safe and healthy workplace. Were looking for a picture that reflects your life outside of work to use online and in print. All you need to do is take a picture that reflects our competition mission statement, register your details and upload your picture to appear in our online gallery. The best 12 pictures will be shortlisted and the top three will win up to £1,000 to spend on photography kit. This competition is open to all over 18s living and working in the UK. For more details about the competition and how to enter visit the site www.ioshmylife.co.uk.


Closing Date: 01 February 2009
Contact: Anne Smart Telephone: 0116 257 3100
Website: www.ioshmylife.co.uk
Email: anne.smart@iosh.co.uk

New Year, New Competition!

With January being the first month of the year, we thought what better theme for Jan's comp than 'One!'This could be an image using the letters of the word 'one', an image with a single item, a lone person, a lone animal... just let your imaginations run wild! It may sound simple, but we want to see creativity and clever use of the theme.This competition is open to all our worldwide members, so good luck everyone!

1st Prize: PhotoArtistry Acrylic Sandwich Block PhotoArtistry are giving you the chance to win a 48 x 36in AcrylicSandwich block with the image of your choice, worth £468.00.The AcrylicSandwich Block provides a spectacular finish to your artwork and photographic prints and would grace any wall in the home or office, with the highly polished edges creating an illusion and giving your print a contemporary 3-dimensional effect.

Your image is first printed onto a high grade, glossy inkjet paper and then sandwiched between two clear acrylic perspex sheets (12mm and 2mm respectively) and sealed with optically clear adhesive making sure that there are no air bubbles, dust or visible glue residue.

2nd Prize: Stretched Canvas PrintPhotoArtistry are giving you the chance to win a 48 x 36in Stretched Canvas with the image of your choice, worth £180.00 Your photo or artwork will be printed directly onto artist's grade canvas. We use a high quality 340gsm matte canvas approved to Fine Art Trade Guild standards. Combined with the Epson pigment based inks, your prints are guaranteed to remain crisp and vibrant for over 75 years. Each print is heat-sealed for ultimate protection against scratches and splashes. The corners are guaranteed not to fade or crack.



Enter Competition

PNY Family Photo Contest

Celebrate the Children – “Give thanks for the healthy kids in your life,and give to those who are not.”From October 1st, 2008 to January 31st, 2009, submit inspirational pictures of your child and encourage family and friends to vote for your photo and donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. St. Jude is one of the world’s premier pediatric cancer research centers. Its mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. At St. Jude, no child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay.Join PNY and Help St. Jude Find Cures and Save Children’s Lives. Find out more about St. Jude.

How to enter

Register your name and e-mail to upload your favorite photo of your child to enter. How to voteEncourage your family and friends to vote on your photo by visiting www.pny.com/stjudephoto.

Grand prize winnerThe top 10 photos receiving the most votes will be submitted to a panel of judges who will selectthe Grand Prize Winner. PNY will donate $20,000 to St. Jude in the winner’s name.The winner will receive a PNY prize package valued at $500.

Intrepid photography competition

In the true spirit of travel, Intrepid and our friends at Lonely Planet Images, Kathmandu and Lonely Planet celebrate great travel imagery with Intrepid's annual Travel Photography Competition.
how does it all work?
Travellers from all over the world are invited to send in their best travel snaps in digital form. You don't have to be a pro. You just have to have a keen eye and a great travel spirit.
The competition closes on 30 June each year. Entries received after this date are entered into the following year's competition. All winners are announced in our weekly email newsletter, Intrepid Express and are notified directly.
See below for entry and prize terms and conditions.
what can you win?
overall winner
The overall winner each year, as chosen by Intrepid, will receive their choice of an Intrepid Original group trip with the approximate value of AU$3000 + a copy of Lonely Planet's pictorial 'One People'
real life experiences
families
local friends
The winning images from these 3 categories will receive AU$1000 Kathmandu Travel Gear Voucher + Lonely Planet's pictorial 'One People'
landscapes
icons
The winning images from these 2 categories will receive a digital camera of their choice valued at up to US$800 + Lonely Planet's pictorial 'One People'
Lonely Planet Images choice award
The winning photographer will be invited to submit a folio of work to Lonely Planet Images and receive personal feedback and direction from Lonely Planet Images' photo editors, setting them on course to submit work professionally.
monthly prizes
In addition a 'photo of the month' will be selected by Intrepid to be published in the online newsletter Intrepid Express (subscribe now) and featured in our Intrepid Travel stores. The monthly winner will receive a fantastic Travel Photography book pack from Lonely Planet.
how to enter...
Please view entry terms and conditions, download your entry form & send it in with your images on CD to:The Editor, Intrepid TravelPO Box 2781Fitzroy DCVictoria 3065Australia
please note
No images supplied in hard-copy will be accepted, only high resolution digital files will be accepted.
Acceptable entries will be from either digital cameras or electronic scans supplied on CD.
All entries must be correctly labelled with your name, contact details and the location each image was taken in.
Entries will not be returned.
A maximum of 4 entries per category, per person, per month will be accepted.
view full entry and prize terms and conditions
Thankyou to our friends in the travel community who are supporting the Intrepid Photography Competition.

Perrot Photography Awards

Deadline 4th March 2009

The biggest photographic competition open to professional photographers of the year, Perrot Photography has launched a new photography award. Perrot wants you to inspire the nations photographers and the winner gets £10,000.

There are 3 categories:

• Wedding
• Portrait
• Open (anything else eg. travel, social, advertising, fashion...)

What the judges are looking for:

Your images will be judged by a panel of judges early in April.

The judges will be looking for quality of the print, good and unusual composition, good use of light and Image content. Don't be afraid to send something experimental.

The competition is open to Uk and Republic of Ireland residents.

Prizes

• Overall Winner: £10,000
• Winner of each category: £1,000

How to Enter

Simply print off and fill in the entry form and attach it to the back of each print you submit and post it with a cheque to:

Perrot Awards

PO Box 5287

Hove

BN52 9QZ

Send a cheque of £20 per entry or £80 for 5. There is no limit to the number of prints you can send. Make the cheque payable to Perrot Photo Design

Px3 Photography Competition

Px3 Photography Competition

The "Prix de la Photographie, Paris" (Px3) strives to promote the appreciation of photography, to discover emerging talent, and introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris. Winning photographs from this competition are displayed in Paris and published in the high-quality, full-color Px3 Annual Book.

Px3 Judges:
Juried by leading editors, publishers, curators, gallery owners, consultants, creative directors, and art directors, Px3 brings the best of photography from across the globe to Paris.

Px3 Categories:
Advertising, Photojournalism, Book, Book Proposals, Fine Art, Nature and Portraiture.

AWARDS

Px3 Photographer of the Year
Both professional and non-professional photographers compete for the top award, the Px3 Photographer of the Year and 3,000 Euros. The winner’s work is publicized internationally, receives the spotlight at all events, is exhibited in Paris, and published in the Px3 Annual Book.

Px3 Best New Talent (Non-Professionals and Students Only)
Non-professional photographers compete for the Px3 Best New Talent Award and 2,000 Euros. The winner’s work is publicized and exhibited in Paris and published in the Px3 Annual Book.

Certificates in all Categories
All 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners from both the professional and non-professional categories will receive a Px3 certificate, personalized press release, and a Px3 winner's logo for professional purposes.

Honorable Mentions
Px3 judges award several Certificates of Honorable Mention to both professional and non-professional entries to acknowledge talent as they deem fit.

Public Choice Awards
39,481 votes were tallied in the first annual Prix de la Photographie Paris. The names of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Subcategory Public Choice Winners are listed in the Px3 Annual Book.

PARIS EXHIBITION AND INTERNATIONAL PUBLICITY
Winning photographs from the 1st and 2nd place winners in each MAJOR category from both the professional and non-professional entries will be publicized and exhibited in Paris.

Px3 Annual Book
The work of the 1st and 2nd place winners from both the professional and non-professional Subcategories will be published in the high-quality, full-color Px3 Annual Book (includes Major Category winners). The names of the Honorable Mention recipients and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Subcategory Public Choice Winners will be included as well.

Don't miss this opportunity to participate in this international showcase of photographic talents.

Send your best work to Px3 now.

Some final points to remember

Don't miss the deadline! There's not much to say about this - just don't be late! Note the deadline down in your diary or put a post it note in a place where you can see it.

Pay attention to the guidelines on submission. Some competitions accept online submissions and will allow you to upload your file on their web site. Some require mail delivery or other forms of submission.

The competition rules will specify the size of the photo, or a minimum and maximum size. When you submit online, make sure the file size does not exceed the size specified in the competition rules (often this would be a small file size, to make the upload easier, but the winning entries will have to be submitted again in high quality).

If you're submitting a print, you should again make sure you comply with the size requirements. In some cases you'll need and enlargement. When you mail you photo it's best to put a piece of cardboard in the envelope to protect the photo.

You should also pay attention to the file type required when submitting online. JPG is the most common file type used for this purpose. Note that in JPG format the photo is compressed and the photo quality is damaged every time you save it. It is best to save it with the least amount of compression (10 or 12, depending on the software used).

Some competitions will require you to write a few words, add an artist's statement or fill in an entry form. Pay attention to these details. Also, if there are people appearing in your photos, you will need a model release signed by each of them. Even if no forms are required, you should include your contact details.

Pay attention also to the number of entries allowed per participant and do not exceed it.

Edit your pictures

You can improve the way your pictures look with editing software such as Photoshop or Gimp (the latter is free). These are incredibly powerful and you may be surprised at the changes you can make with them. Even photos that may seem dull at first can be touched up and "rescued".

Some professional photographers like to declare that they never use editing software, but it is so widely used these days, and the benefits of using it are so impressive, so you really shouldn't get left behind.

Photoshop is considered the industry leader in this field, though there are many other software packages that can get you the results you want. Gimp is one of the main competitors.

You'll need to invest some time in learning how to use the software, but it is certainly worth it. You can find tutorials online, take a class or take an online course. There are also many books on Photoshop and Gimp.

The software will let you improve your photos in several ways. You'll be able to change the colors, make the photo sharper, blur certain areas for artistic impression, make dark pictures brighter, remove unwanted objects in the background and more.

This last point is particularly important, because distracting items in the background can destroy an otherwise perfect composition. It is also important because a "clattered" image is less likely to stand out among all the other entries.

How to stand out in photo competitions

To attract the judges' attention, you need to stand out. There are several ways to achieve that. One way is to make sure your photo is eye catching. This can be done by following the rules of composition with great care and paying attention to color and patterns.

Another trick that will help you out is to get the assistance of a friend, preferably more than one. Show them the photo you'd like to submit, together with some other photos, and ask them to rate them according to how eye-catching they are. While you can't expect to get the same answers from everyone, this exercise will give you a general idea on whether or not you photo stands out.

Clarity will help your picture stand out. Use strong eye catching colors such as red, blue and yellow. Make sure facial expressions are clear and unambiguous. Make sure your photo is not clattered with unnecessary details (remove them with editing software if necessary). And finally, the main elements of your photo which correspond directly to the subject matter of the competition should be placed in a way that makes your intentions clear to the judges. Remember you need to communicate with them.

Another way to make sure you stand out, which should be used in combination with the one above, is to give the subject matter of the competition an unusual interpretation. Even if you're not feeling particularly creative, you can use this exercise to put your mind in a more creative state.

This exercise also involves keywords. Make a list of keywords related to the subject of the competition - the longer the list, the better. Using free associations will lead you in unexpected directions. Take a 10 minute break and then go back to the list. Hopefully, now you can see the subject in a new and original light.

If you try to find keywords and get stuck, consider doing a web search to get new ideas, or try a key wording methods of the type used by advertisers and web publishers for SEO purposes.

There are other techniques for getting original ideas. I recommend How to Get Ideas by Jack Foster as a quick read on creativity.

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Composition, exposure and focus

There's no escaping it - your photos should be of high technical quality. This does not mean you must go out and purchase expensive equipment or do a photography degree, but you should acquire some technical skills and pay great attention to the rules of composition (which includes knowing when to break them and how).

You should get you exposure just right for the photo. Incorrect exposure is one of the most common mistakes made by photographers, even experienced ones. Usually it is easy to see if a photo is substantially over or under exposed. Check the main elements of your photo in particular – are the colors clear or washed out? Are the details in the shadow areas visible?

As to the sharpness and focus - use a high shutter speed and possibly a tripod, depending on the lightning conditions. Use a good quality lens. If your photo is out of focus, blurry or too soft, you are likely to lose points.

If you're new to digital photography, this may sound like gibberish to you. I recommend learning the basics of digital photography and some more advanced tips before you make an attempt at entering a competition. You can join a class, gather information on the web or take an online course.

The story behind the photo

A good photo tells a story. You should show the judges that it's not just a snapshot, but that you put enough thought into it. It should communicate with the viewers. This does not mean you should necessarily have a message to deliver to the world, but you should certainly tell a story, any kind of story, that can leave an impact on the viewers by communicating with them.

A good story is one that evokes emotions. To test if your photo fulfills this requirement, ask yourself these questions, and aim to get at least one positive answer:

• Does your photo include elements that can move the viewers?
• Does it include elements that the viewers can identify with?
• Is there some humor in it?

Do some background research!

If you're serious about winning, you ought to do some background research on the judges and on the winning pictures from previous years.

The list of judges is usually provided on the competition site. It's a good idea to do a web search for their names, see the style of their artwork and read their bio if it's available online.

A great deal depends on the personal taste of the judges. Art, after all, is a subjective area, and although in photography a lot has to do with the technical skills of the photographer, the vision and aesthetics are judged on subjective grounds.

More importantly, look at previous winners and try to see why the judges picked them. Pay attention to the technical quality of the pictures and to the composition, as well as to the way in which they interpreted the subject matter of the competition. This is also a great way to get inspired!

What's the subject?

The first thing you should pay attention to is the subject of the competition. The competition rules will normally specify a subject, for example: nature, travel, micro photography, architecture, portraits and so on. Sticking to the subject seems like obvious advice, but experience shows that participants often miss the target.

Try to look at your submission through the judges' eyes. They have to go through a great amount of submissions and the ones that don't fit will normally be left out. It's best to shoot specifically for the competition, if you want to make sure it matches the theme.

If you already have some photos which you think are good enough for a competition, the best thing is to make a list of keywords that are relevant to each of those photos, and then search for competitions on subjects that match those keywords.

One thing to remember is that an abstract interpretation of the subject, while it may help your photo stand out, can also be quite risky. Taking it too far might mean the judges won't understand why you submitted your photo in the first place. Try getting some objective views from friends and families to see if the abstract representation is close enough to the subject matter.

How to Win Photography Competitions

This blog is for sharing tips on success in photography competitions. I will post extensive information and advice on winning photo contests.

Entering photography competitions is great fun and gives you the opportunity to win prizes and to get recognition. There are many competitions around, and entering is easy. Sometimes you'll need to pay an entry fee, but they are usually quite low.

There are some rules of thumb to follow when entering a photo contest, which would help you increase your chances of success. Whether you've never entered a photo competition before and don't know where to start, or you've got some experience and want to improve - you'll surely find some useful advice in this guide.

Good Luck!