Who Enters Online Photo Competitions?

[Viathelens]

Over the years I've entered and won in many local and regional photo competitions. I see all the online competitions and for some reason I think it's just a money-maker for them (as if it isn't for brick and mortar organizations!) and I don't enter them. Also, I often wonder if it's "real" in that it really is an organization that exists, not some guy on his couch trying to make a quick buck. I'd love to hear about any you've entered and if they were reputable, not just a quick money-making website. Please don't go into windy reasons why you don't enter into any competition, no one has to do it and many don't and that's fine. However, some people like to do this and that's fine, too. Thanks.

 

[splatbass]

I've entered a few of them. The best I did was a semi-finalist in one of them for a picture of a Hawaiian green sea turtle, I think it was Outdoor Photographer. They can be expensive, like $35 per image. I haven't entered any in several years, it just seems like throwing my money away. But maybe you can do better.

 

[Len Cohen]

I actually won an Outdoor Photography competition. It was legitimate and I got my prizes.I think thats the last oneI entered. Audubon is legitimate. I enter but have never even been mentioned. I belong to a few wildlife magazines in line and I will enter their competitions

 

[Craig McGowan]

I enter competitions, both online as well as print.
I am selective in which competitions I enter. By that I mean I align with competitions whose imagery from previous years results is the same style I like to shoot and I enjoy viewing. I enter competitions that provide a score result as well as some that also provide fuller written feedback. I suggest quality competitions always announce their judging process and judges at the commencement of the competition. Do you own due diligence...

For me I enjoy the process. Of course it is always nice when you score well, get a Gold or even better, win. However, just the process of curating which image(s) of mine to submit and finessing them to my own satisfaction is in itself educational and rewarding for me.

One last point, I always check respective competition's T&C's regarding image ownership and subsequent use of your submissions.

I suggest for anyone considering entering a photographic comp, find a competition that appeals to you. Look at its previous winning imagery. Does it align with your style of photography? If so, read their T&C's and make sure you fulfil their entry requirements. Give it a go, enjoy and good luck!

 

[dabhand16]

I never now enter competitions as usually you sign away the rights to your images. Indeed I see many competitions that are, in my view, nothing more that to get some pictures for their own use as they are too tight to pay a working photographer to shoot some images for them. Not every competition, but enough. Another reason is to drive traffic to a web site. I see a few of them in the UK.

Having said that, many years ago my local radio station in conjunction with Kodak ran a competition (no pages of Ts & Cs back then) that I won. Then Kodak wanted to use my picture when they took The Living Body TV show on the road initially to the RPS (My name was on the list of photographers at the entrance just above Lord Snowdon!) where it ran for 6 months then it went to the Science Museum in London for another 6 months. There were many contributing photographers and Kodak made just 4 postcards, one of which was my picture. Every time they did a print run they gave me £50 (this was in 1984, so a decent amount) and my postcard outsold all of the others 10:1! The end result was I bought an Olympus OM-2 SP and a couple of Tamron Adaptall lenses. 24-70 and 70-210. Until then I was using a Pentax SV that I bought in around 1964/5 and the winning picture was taken with the Pentax and a £20 something to 200mm lens bought from a friend.

While I accept that this is a rare event, if this happened now the entrant would get nothing and this has swayed my thoughts.

 

[Winston Churchill (Sir)]

I don't enter competitions as a rule - but when I have looked at entering - the fee simply put me off. I don't know if I am being unreasonable - and neither do I know what the money is used for. There is no transparency (AFAIK) and that has been one of the 2 reasons I don't enter. The other being I love Photoshop too much. (and that's not their fault )

 

[Steve W]

I don’t do competitions at all. That’s one of the reasons I shy away from camera clubs as well. The only one I’m in competition with is myself.
My work evolves and my skills and processing improve. I shoot for me and my love of it, not for anyone else.

 

[dabhand16]

I don’t do competitions at all. That’s one of the reasons I shy away from camera clubs as well.

You don't have to enter or attend competitions in camera clubs! In my camera club they are just a bit of fun, but sometimes a judge will offer suggestions that are really useful and outside of your normal thinking.

 

[Steve W]

You don't have to enter or attend competitions in camera clubs! In my camera club they are just a bit of fun, but sometimes a judge will offer suggestions that are really useful and outside of your normal thinking.

Yep, understand what you say but that is not my experience. They have a heavy bias towards internal contests and judging. A bit of a p#ssing contest for bragging rights. “sometimes a judge will offer suggestions........” they may, but you’d need to have entered their contest.
I’m not backward in asking others to critique work or studying others and asking for help, particularly in post process.
I’m glad yours is working out for you.

 

[philippe]

Deleted

 

[EricBowles]

I've been pretty deep in this through board membership in several organizations.

As pointed out here, the T&C are important. Some contests are image harvesting for marketing purposes and claiming rights to use images in ongoing publications or marketing unrelated to the contest and without remuneration. In other cases, the T&C simply allow the organization to show submissions on their website and publicize the contest - which to me seems both reasonable and practical.

Fees serve several functions. Some organizations are setting fees and using contests to make a profit. Costs are relatively fixed, so the more entries the better. Well established contests with good prizes can be quite profitable. Fees can also be used to limit entries. I've seen people enter 10-20 images in a single contest even though there is a fee for entry. There are many different reasons - including supporting the organization. I like the idea of allowing lots of entries but using fees to impose a cost. Of course, fees also are used to cover the costs of the contest - software or tech support, judge honorariums, administration, marketing, and prizes.

Contest competition is very different. In a national or international contest, only exceptional images rise to the top. For example, with the NANPA Showcase, among the top 100 images more than 75% of wildlife photos involve action, with relatively few images that are portraits or environmental images. Landscape images need to be exception - with wonderful composition and lighting. With this in mind, making photos for competition means if lighting is not perfect, don't bother making images. Likewise for wildlife subject matter, it's all about great subjects in action. I like a point system for photos - much like PPA - where excellent photographs of ordinary subjects are recognized with points even if there are similar images. But in a large competition, it's only exceptional images that move to the top.

Another thing to consider with subject matter is the degree to which subjects are common or even cliches. Forget submitting iconic locations, large wading birds, or big mammals unless they are truly spectacular and unique. I judged a recent regional contest and there were 65 wading bird images, 11 osprey images - 9 of which had a fish, etc. In a national contest there are always many images of elk, deer, and black bears. Black bears don't catch fish. Brown bears catching fish are common, but often have good action. African mammals are popular but rarely unique. For landscapes, forget the common locations unless your image stands out compared to Ansel Adams or similar iconic photographs known by judges.

 

[MrFotoFool]

Sometimes yes, sometimes no, it depends on the contest. If they want exclusive rights to the image, then no. If they are a commercial product wanting images to promote their product (cough - Red Bull competition - cough), then no.

If they are a legitimate organization that lets you retain rights to the image where placing might give me good exposure, then yes. The world's most prestigious (and most competitive) nature competition is Wildlife Photographer of the Year, hosted annually by Natural History Museum, London. They get over forty thousand entries, all vying for the coveted one hundred spots. But if you do make it, you get top notch exposure and they claim some photographers have launched professional careers by being represented. I have entered twice and have had one image make it to the final round of judging each time, but sadly did not make the final cut.

A top notch American competition (though it is open to overseas photographers) is Nature's Best Photography magazine. I was a finalist in their national parks competition a couple years ago, though sadly the finalists were only printed online and the print magazine just featured the top three winners (except for a thumbnail composite of the finalists).

 

[dabhand16]

Yep, understand what you say but that is not my experience. They have a heavy bias towards internal contests and judging. A bit of a p#ssing contest for bragging rights. “sometimes a judge will offer suggestions........” they may, but you’d need to have entered their contest.
I’m not backward in asking others to critique work or studying others and asking for help, particularly in post process.
I’m glad yours is working out for you.

I was not very clear with my post Steve. When I said that you don't have to enter or attend competitions then went on to say "sometimes a judge will offer suggestions that are really useful and outside of your normal thinking", obviously you will have to attend to hear the comments, but I was not referring to comments on your images, a comment on other people's images can be relevant and useful.

Sounds like you have had a bad experience and are judging all clubs from that.

 

[Steve W]

I was not very clear with my post Steve. When I said that you don't have to enter or attend competitions then wen on to say "sometimes a judge will offer suggestions that are really useful and outside of your normal thinking", obviously you will have to attend to hear the comments, but I was not referring to comments on your images, a comment on other people's images can be relevant and useful.

Sounds like you have had a bad experience and are judging all clubs from that.

Yeah, you’re probably right. You get tired of trying another only to find it’s largely the same. I do value comments, they help challenge our norms.
I look at the results of some photo competitions and, for some entries, their placing is obvious....superb work. For others I struggle to see the merit at all. Hard to figure out the judges thinking at times.
I have seen way better images on this site than many of the top placegetters in some comps. Cheers...

 

[dabhand16]

Hard to figure out the judges thinking at times.

Absolutely!! With one of my recent entries the judge completely missed the subject and the point of the image. Everyone else in the room were biting their toungues. I'll disagree with a judge's opinions fairly often. At the end of the day it is all subjective and how everyone sees what is in an image and what it is all about. Although the judges have the same training some will be better than others at digging into an image.

Another local club had members who threw their toys out of the pram if they did not win a competition so their solution was ti stop holding competitions. My club takes a far more lighthearted attitude. It's not as if we are competing for high value prizes after all - and in our case- kudos or bragging rights either.

 

[RichF]

Absolutely!! With one of my recent entries the judge completely missed the subject and the point of the image. Everyone else in the room were biting their toungues. I'll disagree with a judge's opinions fairly often. At the end of the day it is all subjective and how everyone sees what is in an image and what it is all about. Although the judges have the same training some will be better than others at digging into an image.

Another local club had members who threw their toys out of the pram if they did not win a competition so their solution was ti stop holding competitions. My club takes a far more lighthearted attitude. It's not as if we are competing for high value prizes after all - and in our case- kudos or bragging rights either.

A prez of one club, separated nature-oriented images from non-nature images. Nature image won often, not because judges were biased (I compared scores from the same club members in both nature and non-nature) but because stronger club members shot nature.