Calling All Amateur Photographers
Sigma, a manufacturer of photography lenses and accessories and Photographer’s Forum are announcing an open call to all amateur photographers to enter its 30^th Annual Spring Photography Contest.

This contest is open to individuals worldwide. There is no age limit but the contest is strictly for amateurs only. If you are a professional photographer, you may not enter.

Contest Details
The contest is open-themed and there are no specific categories for subject matter. Photographs that are submitted must indicate if they are being entered as a color or black and white entry.

Winning photos will be published in the November 2010 issue of Photographer’s Forum magazine. All contest finalists will be published in the hardcover edition of Best Photography 2010.

This is an entry fee of $3.95 USD per photo. There is no limit to the number of photos you may enter as long as each submission is covered by an entry fee. If you submit your photos by April 19, 2010 the entry fee is $3.95 USD. If you submit your photos after April 19, 2010 the entry fee is $4.95 USD per photo.

To submit your photos online, click here to register and upload your submissions. Online entries must have a long dimension of at least 1000 pixels and no larger than 3000 pixels. Save all work in JPG format at the highest quality setting. Requirements for color space are Adobe1998, sRGB or untagged color space. File size should not exceed 4MB.

To submit your photos or slides via standard mail, the sponsor states:

* Enter black & white or color prints or slides. Do not send disks.
* Prints must be unmounted 9×12 or smaller.
* Label every photo with your name and address, and indicate which edge is the top.
* Make checks payable to Photographer’s Forum.
* All entries MUST include payment, entry form, and photographs.

Prizes
According to the official details for this contest the awards are:

First Place Grand Prize
$2,000 cash award from Photographer’s Forum PLUS Sigma
24-70 mm lens

Second Place
$1,000 cash award from Photographer’s Forum PLUS Sigma
12-24 mm lens

Third Place
$500 cash award from Photographer’s Forum

Fourth Place
Five $100 awards

100 Honorable Mentions
All Honorable Mentions will be listed in the November 2010 issue of Photographer’s Forum magazine and will receive a gold embossed certificate of outstanding merit from Photographer’s Forum.

Other Information
For contest rules click here to download the PDF document. For the contest FAQs and additional guidelines click here. The contest deadline is May 17, 2010. Finalists will be notified by August 2, 2010. Winners will be notified by August 16, 2010.

The Contest
The Center for Fine Art Photography is announcing an open call for all photographers to enter its photo contest. The theme of the competition is “Consumption.” According to the sponsor:

“Consumption is a multifaceted term. While it can signify the influence of advertising and marketing on our pervasive consumer culture, the word also speaks to profound human instincts. To be consumed by something-be it illness, emotions, or beliefs-is to oftentimes confront one’s realities.

“What, why, when, and how we consume determines the ramifications of the choices we make. Additionally, consumption can simply suggest a transformation. The Center is looking for images that visually depict Consumption and what it means to you.”"

Entrants who have their works selected for this contest may have the opportunity to have their photographs displayed at the ClampArt art gallery located in Chelsea, New York. These works will be seen by an international group of art consultants, collectors, and curators interested in fine art photography.

Submission Information
* An entry fee of $35 is required for submissions of up to three images. Members of the Center for Fine Art Photography will have an entry fee of $20 for up to three images. Additional images will be accepted at $10 per extra submission above three. Contestants may submit as many entries as they like.

* Entries are to be submitted online at the Center’s website at www.c4fap.org. You will need to create a free account in order to upload your entries. Entry fees are charged via credit card.

* Resolution of uploaded images should be 72 dpi and 1280 pixels on the longest side of the image. Images must be in RGB or grayscale. File format should be in JPG saved with a quality of 8 or medium. The image title is restricted to 40 characters or less. The file name cannot be more than 25 characters long and must not include special characters such as %, #, @ etc. All images must be “flattened” or in other words, multi-layers must be collapsed to one master layer.

Awards
* liveBooks Website Award: Valued at $399 each, two artists will receive a 1 year subscription for ..a.website from www.livebooks.com
* Juror’s Selection Award: $300 and a Blurb book award from www.Blurb.com
* Director’s Selection Award: $200 and a Blurb book award from www.Blurb.com
* Honorable Mention Award: $100
* All exhibitors are included in the Center’s online gallery

Other Details
Important Milestones:
Entries due: April 13, 2010
Notice of acceptance: April 23, 2010
Exhibition dates: July 2 - July 24, 2010
Artists’ and Public Reception: July 2, 2010

Entries that are submitted for exhibition must be framed or mounted professionally. For a complete list of guidelines for this contest, download the PDF document here. For any questions about this contest send your emails to exhibitions [at] c4fap.org.

All (Digital) Portfolios Welcome
Eyemazing magazine is sponsoring the Jacob Riis Photography Portfolio Award Competition and is announcing an open call to all photographers for portfolios of their work.

The Contest Details
The images submitted will be critiques as part of the whole portfolio and their contribution to the photographer’s theme. According to the sponsor:

The Jacob Riis Award is named after the Danish-American photographer (1849-1914), and is organized by WPGA following its partnership with Save the Children, and sponsored by Eyemazing Magazine.

It will focus in portfolios (minimum of 8 and maximum of 12 images) inviting photographers working in all mediums, styles and schools of thought. Traditional, contemporary, avant-garde, creative and experimental works that include old and new processes, mixed techniques, and challenging personal, emotional or political statements will be welcome.

The Award is open worldwide to all professional and amateur photographers working with digital or traditional photography or combinations of both.

There is no theme for this Award, and the images will be evaluated as a cohesive body of work (a theme or images representing the artistic trajectory of the photographer), rather than individual images.

How to Submit
There is an entry fee of $60 for each portfolio and a minimum of 8 images and a maximum of 12.

All portfolios will only be accepted through online submissions via email or CD. The contest rules state:

* Digital image files must meet the following specifications: 8 bit JPEG files(CMYK and 16 bits files will not be uploaded), the largest dimension should be1280 pixels (width or height), resolution of 72 dpi, JPG compression quality of 7.

* Layers must be flattened. Images will be viewed by the jurors as RGB images; therefore Adobe RGB 98 or SRGB profiles should be used. Image title may not exceed 40 characters.

* Please note that image title is the name of the artwork, not the file name. Start the name with Porfolio 1 (Portfolio 2, Porfolio 3, etc, if you’re submitting more than one porfolio). i.e “Portfolio 1 name of image”.

* Files may contain a maximum of 25 characters, not counting .jpg. The file name may not include characters such as #, $, &, periods or other similar characters as part of the file. There will be only one period in the file name, just prior to the file extension (i.e. filename.jpg).

Awards
The winner will have his/her portfolio published in Eyemazing magazine sometime during the year of 2010. A cash award of $3,000 will be given to the winner.

Finalist in the contest will be published in the Jacob Riss Award 2010 photo book.

Any sales of exhibited work will be charged a commission of 40%. All selected images will be posted in the Gallery WonderPick for online sales.

Other Information
To register or submit your work to this contest, click here. For the official contest rules click here. The contest deadline for entries is January 24, 2010.

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The Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA) is a graphic design competition and computer application competition that seeks the best and the brightest student talent in the fields of graphic design, illustration, photography, animation, digital film, computer art, and computer applications.

If you are currently enrolled as a full-time student you are eligible to enter this contest for a chance to win cash prizes and Adobe software products.
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Entry Categories
There are three major categories in this contest with several linked subcategories:

Interactive Media

* Browser-Based Design
* Non-Browser Based Design
* Application Development
* Mobile Design
* Installation Design

Video and Motion

* Animation
* Live Action
* Motion Graphics

Traditional Media

* Illustration
* Packaging
* Photography
* Print Communication

Full detailed descriptions for these classes can be found by clicking here.

Contest Guidelines

• The contest is open to individuals 18 years or older that are enrolled as full-time students. (See full contest rules for restrictions)
• Submitted entries may be reclassified from one category to another at the judges discretion.
• Entries must be the original work of the submitter.
• Deadline for entries is June 4, 2010.
• Submitted entries must be created with at least 50% or more with Adobe tools in Adobe software formats.

The complete rules and guidelines for this graphic design contest can be obtained by clicking here.
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Judging
Adobe states on its website:

“The entries, whether submitted by an individual or a group, shall be judged together in each category on a points system, based on originality, effectiveness in meeting the communication objective, and contestant(s) skills in applying Adobe products as specified in their entry forms.”

The Awards
A $3000 cash prize will be awarded to the winners in addition to various Adobe software program packages such as Adobe design suites, web design applications, and other Adobe products.

Other Information
The deadline for this contest is June 4, 2010. Complete details and entry instructions can be found by clicking here.

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.

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.