Let's admit it. Photography is not an inexpensive hobby to fund, with all that expensive camera bodies and lenses. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have fun capturing great pics while getting rewarded with prizes from winning photography contests? And if one is starting out as a professional or freelance photographer, winning photography contests will certainly help boost your credentials and portfolio too.
In normal economic times, it is easy to regularly find photo contests listed on magazines, newspapers, facebook, posters, websites, websites, blogs, etc. Organisers and sponsors could be distributors of camera equipment, photography clubs, universities, book publishers, community clubs, etc. The prizes that are commonly offered include cash, cameras, product vouchers, lenses, trophies, exhibition opportunities and even special overseas assignments.
Some photographers are contest junkies while others find them a waste of time, feeling they will never win. The truth is that some contests provide a reasonable chance at winning prizes or money or attention(!), especially if you have an eye for regularly producing pretty nice photos. This advice will help boost your chances of winning.
Make a plan for the exact type of competitions you wish to focus on based on what you are good at. For example, if you do great macro closeup photography of insects, you might wish to concentrate on nature photography contests. Look for contests that are not very publicized or are restricted to certain geographical regions or age groups (e.g. youth/student category). Also, aim for contests that offer multiple prizes beyond just the Top 3 (e.g. merit, consolation, honorable mentions) to further increase your chances of winning.
Draw up a schedule with the various contest closing dates, and going through, weeks ahead, which pictures to submit to which contests. A proper archival system with appropriate tagging and categorisation will ease your troubles in finding the images in the long run. Also, note that most contest rules have a clause disallowing multiple submission of the same picture to other contests.
Examine the regulations carefully for the contests you wish to enter. It is worth a couple of minutes to ensure that your entry is not technically disqualified. Check if the rules require a certain image file size (in pixels or KB), aspect ratio, file type (Jpeg or Tiff), print size (8R vs 8RS), etc. Don't leave it too late to send in your entries - send out at least a week prior to the closing date.
Reflect on why you want to enter contests and solidify your goals in writing. Often the goal is the prize money, but in some cases it is fame and personal glory. Regardless, it is necessary to have a mental attitude that will keep you motivated and visualizing your goals. Imagining life as a winner can make a difference.
