Winning Photography Contests

I indirectly came across this blog entry from an ex-stock photographer who writes the blog Photocritic.org and who found himself as a judge on a photography contest. How to win photography competitions offers a set of suggestions for how to tell a story and make your entry stand out from competition in the process. It's a bit long, thoughtful, and worth the read if you're thinking of submitting images.

Snap That Spud: UN Potato Photography Contest

The United Nations is hosting a photography contest "to highlight the role of the potato, the planet’s fourth largest food source, in the fight against hunger and poverty," according to the organization. Nikon is sponsoring the contest, and there will be cash prizes. If you want details on the context, check here.

BBC Cancels Photo Challenge

The BBC has been dealing with a scandal about six shows that had staged phone-in calls and pretended that they came from regular people, not insiders. So the organization has decided to cancel all competitions that it was running. Unfortunately, that includes the annual photo challenge. Ah, well, maybe next year.

BBC Photographer of the Year Contest

The BBC has an annual contest for photography with no entry fee. There are specific themes and they're looking for things beyond the obvious. The first category competition is over, but the next - Hidden - has an entry date of July 22. You can enter up to three images per category. BBC staff pick a dozen images and then put them up to the Web for popular vote. The two most popular from each category go on to a final competition for a Nikon D40X, with an extra prize for the image that most catches their eyes. Details are here.