Photo Contests (that don't suck)

(I posted this under the "Contests" forum, but the thread doesn't show up under

the unified forum view so I don't think anyone will see it at all.)

 

Winning a photo contest is a nice way to get some good exposure and make some

money. As a student, I always keep my eye open for contests as the money that

comes from them really helps with school fees and materials to keep producing

work. When I first started, I'd send work to anything I came across, even

contests with excessive entry fees; I didn't even read the fine print, so I had

no idea if I was giving up my rights.

 

Lately, I've come across many contests that just aren't worthwhile. Entry fees

with no cash prizes involved, excessive entry fees with small cash prizes,

contests that state you give away your rights by participating, etc. etc. There

must be a few good ones out there? Or is this what the world of photo contests

has come to? I'd like to start a list of worthwhile contests and share them

with the photo.net community so we can save our time sifting through the junk.

Your chances of winning a legitmate photo contest are the same whether you enter or not.

BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year is one that comes to mind as legitimate. Most are

simply ways to put your hard earned money in somebody elses pocket.

Here's one I just learned about. I checked these guys out before, and they're legit:

 

http://www.c4fap.org/call_for_entries.asp

in reply to William Kahn who wrote:

"Here's one I just learned about. I checked these guys out before, and they're legit: http://www.c4fap.org/call_for_entries.asp"

 

Mmmm, yes, the Center for Fine Arts Photography is legit (i.e., it's not a front for another less reputable organization or individual). I examined their entry specifics and a few things caught my attention:

 

"Members" of the organization (btw, it's very much a private, individually-led organization) can enter three images for $20. Non-members must pay $35 for the entry of three images. The winner's photograph(s) will be published in the organization's print publication (or maybe it's just an online 'publication,' I'm not sure). If you win (as first place, second place, honorable mention, etc.) these will probably be published as well.

 

Want to get the print publication to show to friends and acquaintances? Sure, you can probably order up a dozen or more copies. But you probably need to be a member of the "Center." That privilege will cost you (in addition to the costs of the publication) an additional $65. Okay, so far I figure - on the bright side - that it will cost you at least $100 - and that doesn't include costs for additional copies of the magazine featuring your photo.

 

This sort of thing reminds me of those poetry contests where, for a minimal entry fee, you can enter any poem into the contest and you're notified later that your poem has been (whoo-hoo!) accepted for publication in the "publisher's annual review of the best poems ever published" (or some title to that effect) and (whoo-hoo!) the publisher is reserving a copy of ANOTBPEP for you at the modest cost of only $24.95 (additional copies, when ordered and shipped with the first, for just $18.95).

 

I hate to be a wet blanket on this kind of thing, but _every_ contest has some kind of buried "hook" intended to pull in unsuspecting entrants. The best we can do is carefully read the rules and determine if we are financially up to the trade-off of what we'll be getting by entering.<div></div>

The Late 1930's had photo contests with folks using TLR's shooting sports. Many of todays folks cannot even get their ebay tlrs to focus even on static objects, a bright non stock screen is preached, folks ask questions whether its possible to shoot a portrait with a tlr. In 2050 folks will ponder if a canon EOS can shoot sports, if a teenager had the ability to use a cellphone or ipod. The goal of many contests is often to sell a and promote a product. AGFA had one in New Zealand in 1991 that required one to shoot with Agfa film, develop with agfa. ie the slides had to have processed by AGFA; the prints on Agfa paper. Thus the goose chase when in New Zealand was to find the film and token lab for this contest.

I stopped submitting to calls that require membership and/or submission fees, and/or do not provide any info about the curators, and/or can use my work regardless if they are accepted or not. Rejections from such submissions provide NO feedback what so ever about my work. Why bother?

 

Some suggestions:

 

- Charge all applicants a very low submission fee, like $5-$10. Then charge all those accepted a higher display/publishing fee, like $50-$100.

 

- In the rejection letter, at least inform the applicants how many submissions are received and how many are accepted. Better yet, tell them how far down the screening process their submissions had gone.