Palm Springs Celebrates Earth Day’s 40^th
In honor of Earth Day’s 40^th anniversary Palm Springs, California is sending out an open call to all photographers to enter its Earth Through a Lens Competition.

Rules, Guidelines, and Contest Forms
According to the Palm Springs Sustainability Commission’s event description, the following guidelines, information, and rules apply to this contest:

“Earth Through a Lens” is a juried photographic competition sponsored by the Sustainability Commission of the City of Palm Springs (CA) to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Earth Day. We will display the photographs of approximately 30 finalists for the month of April, 2010 on world famous Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs.

“The images chosen will focus on beauty in the natural environment, the degradation of the environment by human activity, and attempts to reclaim or restore spoiled habitats. In sum, the photographs will highlight the importance of developing a sustainable environment.”

Awards and Prizes

“The 30 finalists will be asked to provide a print photograph and matt to allow uniform framing of the work. Their photo and descriptive and contact information will be published in an exhibit catalog. Three winning photographs will be selected with these photographers receiving cash prizes ranging from $500-$1500, plus a travel stipend to attend the award ceremony on April 22, 2010.

“Photographers may submit up to 3 images with an entry fee of $35 for the initial image and $10 for each of 2 additional images.”

Entry Categories and Submission Advice
Thee categories for this photography contest are as follows:

* The Natural Environment - Water, Desert, Mountains
* The Adverse Effect of Human Activity on the Environment
* Restoration of Environmental Damage

The contest sponsors state:

“The purpose of the show is to underscore the need to improve stewardship of the earth in order to create a sustainable environment.

“Entrants should pay close attention to the subcategories listed. Entries will be judged on the relevance to the show’s goal and on artistic accomplishment. A catalog will be printed and will include the photographer’s description of their work, a brief biographical sketch, contact information and price of the work (if desired).”

Click here for a full description of entry guidelines. Click here for information on how to enter. Click here for legal information and FAQs about this contest. The contest deadline is January 15, 2010.

Slam Dunk!
Whether or not you are a fan of basketball, the Arizona Sun Devils are looking for a unique and interesting design for their team. All artists, (professional, student, or amateur) are eligible to enter this graphic design contest.

A listing of contest guidelines and details can be found here. A FAQ document regarding the contest can be found by clicking here.

What to Submit
This graphic design contest is seeking submissions for a T-shirt design. The file formats accepted for your design must be JPG, GIF or PNG. Image size should be 650 x 500 pixels and must be under 25MB in file size. According to the contest sponsors:

* The design must be placed only on the front of the shirt
* Do not use the identity of players or coaches in design
* The design can contain up to 5 colors
* There should be no mention of any other university in the design
* Download the Photoshop design template by clicking here

The Awards and Other Information
The winning design will be used to produce the new Sun Devils T-shirt. A cash prize of $500 will be awarded the winner plus a 2% royalty of the winning t-shirt design sold by The College Store. The entries are judged for originality and creativity. The deadline for this contest is January 25, 2010.

Show Your Photos to the World
If you are a photographer seeking an opportunity to display your images at an art gallery for art connoisseurs, potential buyers or the public to view, you may be interested in the Focal Resolution-1 Photography Show.

Focal Resolution-1  is calling for photographers from around the world to submit their images for the exhibition.

The entries will be shown at the Scalamandre Silks Building located in Long Island City.

The Exhibition Details and Awards
The photography show will be held January 9-24, 2010. All photographers who submit their images by the deadline will have their works exhibited at the gallery.

Ten photographers will be selected for distinction and will be published in the Bonni Benrubi Gallery’s catalog and featured on its website for one month. All other participating photographers will be included in its catalog with a thumbnail image of their work along with their name and place of origin.

What to Submit
The Focal Resolution-1 contest states:

We are looking for any and every type of photography in order to fill this exhibition with as many methods and mediums as we can. Any actual photographic method for realizing a photographic image or any aesthetic position will be welcomed, including:

• Digital
• Traditional
• Ancient methods
• Photo-montage
• Straight, Art
• Polaroid
• Toy camera

Also acceptable includes: Panoramic, photo essays, time, landscape, Nikon, architectural, Pinhole, handcrafted, Leica, Monochrome, tinted, Ambrotype, Collodian, Kodak, gum bichromate, Platinum/Palladium, Gelatin-Silver, egg tempera, Portrait, reporter, cityscape, chloride contact, Cyanotype, Kallitype, Bromoil, Ziatype, carbon pigment, stereoscopic, and all!

We will not accept purely digitally (computer) generated images.
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Other Information
For full details about submission guidelines for this photography show, click here to download the PDF document. The deadline for entries is until all exhibition spots are filled or the date of December 28, 2009. There is an entry fee of $40 for up to three submissions.

Adventure Cycling is holding its first annual Bicycle Travel Photo Contest and is asking for digital photos from photographers that show the wonder and fun of bicycling through touring and travel.

What to Submit
According to Adventure Cycling:

“These images can be taken anywhere in the world.  Photos that focus on the scenery of an area must include some connection to or indication of bike travel. We are especially interested in images that showcase the wide range of bike-touring experiences: road and dirt riding, rural and urban settings, scenery, people, and the emotions.”

How to Submit
Adventure Cycling will accept digital image via email or through its Flikr image site. According to the guidelines:

“Via Flickr^TM - If you have multiple photos to enter in the competition, please consider using this method to enter the contest. After logging in, upload your images using the mechanism provided.

“If you are not already a member of Adventure Cycling’s Contests group on Flickr^TM, join by clicking “Join this Group?” on the group’s homepage. Browse to the image you wish to submit for the contest, and use the “Send to Group” function to add your images to Adventure Cycling’s Photo Contest photo pool.

“Once added to the group, tag each photo with Adventure09. If you do not upload your photo to Adventure Cycling’s Contests group on Flickr^TM, or do not tag your photo with an appropriate tag, it will not be considered for the competition.

“Via Email Submission Process - If you choose not to use Flickr^TM to submit your image, you may email your photo to flickr_contest@adventurecycling.org. Send a low-resolution version of the image (72dpi) along with the subject of the image, the location the image was taken, and the name of the photographer(s).

“You will also need to be able to provide a print quality high-resolution version of the photo upon request, no less than 2250 pixels wide and no less than 3000 pixels tall, preferably at 300 dpi.”

Prize
The winner of the contest will have his or her photo published in the 2010 March issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine and Adventure Cycling’s website. The total readership of the magazine and website is over 1 million annually.

Other Information
Entrants retain all rights to their photographs. All individuals, 18 years or older, are eligible to enter. There is no entry fee. The deadline for this contest is December 31, 2009.

The Rings and Things “Your Design Rocks!” contest is for all professionals, students and fans of jewelry design. Rings and Things is announcing an open call for designs in one or more of the following categories of jewelry:

* Glass and Crystal
* Gemstones and Crystal
* Mostly Metal
* Metal Clay
* Found Objects/Miscellaneous

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Contest Guidelines

The rules of the contest as stated by Rings and Things are:

• Entry must be an original work for which you retain all rights, and which you have the legal right to submit to us.
• Entry must be a newly-made creation (made since March, 2009).
• Piece may not be currently entered in another competition or have won any contest in the past.
• Entry must be primarily made from items purchased or available from Rings & Things, with the exception of found objects and parts you have made (handmade glass or ceramic parts, wood carvings, etc.). See our frequently asked questions if you’re unsure about what materials you can use or which category you should enter.
• 2009 winners may not enter a category in which they won first place during 2009. We do, however, encourage you to move out of your “comfort zone,” expand your creativity and enter a different category in 2010!
• Entrants under 18 years of age must provide a parent or legal guardian co-signature on a print version of their entry form, ensuring that all guidelines have been read and agreed upon.
• Limit three entries per person or design team.
• Incomplete entries and entries that do not follow these guidelines and our image requirements will be disqualified from judging and disqualified from our Early Bird raffle and New Entrant raffle.
• Rings & Things employees are not eligible for “Your Designs Rock!”

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Judging

Submissions are critiqued on three parameters: originality, craftsmanship, and aesthetics. The panel of judges offers these tips and advice to contestants:

“We’re looking for something different, something eye catching and attention grabbing. Something that hasn’t been seen everywhere.”

“I assume that every detail of your design is something you decided belongs there. In other words, ask yourself: is the piece 100% the way I want it?”

“We love seeing designs that use components in unusual ways. In other words, think outside the bead!”

“A good photo says it all! There are a ton of jewelry images online and in magazines. The jewelry that inevitably catches my eye is what has been well photographed with crisp color and good focus.”

“A major difference between winners and also-rans is how professionally finished the piece is. Are the ends of wires and head pins clean cut and tightly bent into place? Are dents from pliers visible on the wires? If working with a high polish, is it bright and scratch-free?”

Awards and Other Info

Grand Prize: $750 R&T gift certificate
Category First-Place Prizes: $250 R&T gift certificates
Honorable Mentions: $75 R&T gift certificates

The contest is accepting entries starting on January 1, 2010. The deadline for entries is February 28, 2010. Winners will be announced during the first week of June 2010. Winning entries may appear in the 2010 edition of the Rings and Things catalog. For complete details about this contest, click here.