Contests 2010

Happy New Year, that means it must be contest time!

There are now an unbelievable number of professional photo contests to enter. Getting the submissions together is a big undertaking. All the contests have different rules, image sizes and naming conventions. 

For my money the most important ones are

World Press Photo deadline for applications January 8, submissions January 14

Pictures of the Year International deadline January 15

Best of Photojournalism deadline January 29

Communication Arts deadline March 26  

As I said there are a TON of contests out there for both pros and amateurs, don't limit yourself to just those.

I've judged a couple of contests so I know you can increase your odds of winning dramatically by following just a few common sense editing rules.

1) Follow the rules for image size. If the contest is asking for 72 dpi images at no bigger than 800 px on the long side that is because their edit system is set up to handle images that size. If you submit 5700 px 300 dpi images you'll clog the system and whoever is prescreening will throw your entry out. 

2) Put images in the proper category. I have seen good pictures thrown out because they were in the wrong place. 

3) Only show good pictures. If you don't think an image is as good as something that won last year, don't enter it.

4) Keep picture stories short. Just because the rules say you can have 12 pictures in a story, that doesn't mean you have to show 12. If something in a photo essay is redundant or off the point leave it out. The judges will thank you.

5) In multimedia less is more. No matter how brilliant your 12 minute multimedia piece is, no one is going to watch it in a competition. Edit a contest version that is 3 minutes long. Remember the judges are looking at hundreds of entries. 

Now get to work, not much time left.

good luck,

Stephen Alvarez

Comments

[Medea Ortica]

one more!

- do not wait the last seconds to post!

- if you are in a crowd is less probable to be noticed-

although is stated in the contest's rules that "every photo will be judged the same way", works are not sent all in one time to the jurors to prevent them to be submerged by the photographs to be judged.
So to wait the last second to post your work, is sad to say but do not ensure the same visibility because they will have also less time to watch.

[Nathan Clendenin]

Thanks for this info! I wish there could be a standardized protocol for every contest. Every one is different and some are downright tediuos!