Photo Competitions

Photography Competitions

2012-02-12T20:05:00.000-08:00

Hi. If you're an amateur or pro photographer who would like to try entering your photographs in competitions, you've come to the right place.

I'll be updating regularly as I find new photography competitions that you might like to enter.

Whether you win or not, entering competitions can be a great way to improve your photographic skills and to show your talents to a large audience. Take a look at the article: Tips for Winning Photo Contests. If you have any tips of your own, please leave a comment (see below).

Be sure to click on the "Older Posts" link right at the bottom of the page to see more photo contest opportunities.

Have details of a photography competition that you'd like to pass on?
Please email me at: editor (at) photocompetitions (dot) com (dot) au.

Reader wins Major Prize

2012-01-27T18:55:00.000-08:00

David Lazar's photo of Burmese fishermen

Congratulations to David Lazar who is a regular visitor to PhotoCompetitions.com.au. He has taken out the major prize in the Australian Newspaper's Travel & Indulgence / Abercrombie & Kent photography competition. You can read about it here.

David's prize, valued at $16,500 is a seven night luxury safari for two with Abercrombie & Kent (luxury tour operator) in Kenya and Tanzania.

See more of David's photos on his photo gallery page.

Weather Calendar Photo Competition

2012-01-26T20:52:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the weather has its own calendar? The Australian Bureau of Meteorology and the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society have produced a photographic weather calendar since 1985.

Entries for the 2013 Australian Weather Calendar photo competition are now open for photographers of all nationalities. So if you're considering visiting Australia or its territories, make sure you bring your camera. Look out for great photos of:

clouds
thunderstorms
lightning
rainbows and
tornadoes

DEADLINE: 31 March 2012

PRIZES
Winning photographers receive three calendars.

You also get the satisfaction of knowing that your photo (credited with your name) will be admired by thousands of people the world over as weather calendars are distributed throughout Australia and internationally.

NOTE:

Entries must include Australian landscapes and skies, (also Australian territories).

Copyright remains with the photographer and details of how the image will be used can be found on the Entry Form.

HOW TO ENTER:

Your entry needs to be a photographic print, minimum size of 10 x 15 cms and you can send in up to eleven separate photos.
Fill in an Entry Form
Post to:

Australian Weather Calendar competition

National Meteorological Library
Bureau of Meteorology
GPO Box 1289
MELBOURNE VIC 3001

WEBSITE http://www.bom.gov.au/calendar/contest/

CLOUDS

And I learned something else after looking at the Bureau of Meteorology website -- there is a Cloud Appreciation Society with over 28,000 members. If you've ever looked up and thought, "Nice clouds today - look an elephant!", have a look at http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/

Bribie Island Sunset

Burrard-Lucas 2012 Photo Competitions

2012-01-25T01:23:00.000-08:00

Esme

The very talented Burrard-Lucas brothers (William & Matthew) run a website called Burrard-Lucas Wildlife Photography which is definitely worth a visit. Take a look at what a lion did to one of their cameras - BeetleCam.

They also run regular photo competitions with some great prizes. Competitions themes for 2012 are:

Pets - deadline 31 March 2012
Landscapes - April to June 2012
Wildlife - July to September 2012
Travel - October to December 2012

The grand prize winner receives a Canon 60D camera. They also have a Facebook / Twitter @willbl competition and you'll find details of how to enter on their main competition page.

Return to main competition listing

Photography Competitions Index

2012-01-24T00:57:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone who sent in photo competitions to list on this site. Here are quick links for you with deadlines.

Check below this post for other photography contests that I've written about in detail.

Portrait Prize - Queensland Festival of Photography
Deadline: 29 February 2012

Burrard-Lucas Pet Photography Contest
First deadline: 31 March 2012

Weather Calendar
Deadline: 31 March 2012

Global Wind Day Photography Competition
Deadline: 6 May 2012

Macquarie Photography Prize
Deadline: 24 May 2012

Australian Traveller Magazine Landscape Photography Competition
Deadline: every two months

PicoPhoto Photo Story monthly Competition (look for the Facebook link)
Deadline: end of each month

Not quite a photo contest, but an innovative way for Brisbane based photographers to have their work distributed- Papergirl Brisbane

Intrepid Travel Photography Competition
Deadline: monthly and 30 June each year

Photo Continental Photo Competition
Deadline: end of each month

Magazines with Photo Competitions

Australian Digital Photo of the Day
Deadline: enter any time

Baby Express Photo Competition
Deadline: end of each month

Botanic Gardens - International Photography Competition
Closed: 10 December 2011

HostelBookers Surfing Photo Competition
Closed: 19 December 2011

Google Photography Prize
Closed: 31 January 2012

Travel Photography Competition from New Limited
Closed: 30 Dec 2011

Portrait Prize - Queensland Festival of Photography

2012-01-23T22:34:00.000-08:00

The Queensland Festival of Photography is asking Australian photographers to submit their best and most innovative photographic portraits.

Portraits from the top 50 photographers will be part of an online exhibition, while the top 20 will be exhibited in the Queensland Centre for Photography's Window Gallery during April 2012.

The judges of the competition talk about their favourite portraits in these videos.

DEADLINE 29 February 2012

PRIZES
1st prize FinePix X100 camera valued at $1,199.95
2nd prize: Fujifilm FinePix F550EXR camera valued at $399.95
3rd – 5th Prizes: Photographic Book valued at $66

Open to: Residents and citizens of Australia

Entry Fee: $10 per entry

WEBSITE Portrait Prize Competition

Terms & Conditions: here

Australian Traveller Magazine Landscape Photo

2012-01-14T19:34:00.000-08:00

"Fallen Arch" by Simon Beedle

In each edition of Australian Traveller magazine a double-page, glossy spread is devoted to a reader's winning Australian landscape photo. The winner also receives a great prize. In the past these have included a Canon 550D SLR camera with a twin lens kit, a Tamron macro lens, and an Olympus Pen camera with a twin lens kit.
Runners-up are also published in the magazine and receive prizes.

To enter, email a low res version of the photo directly to the Editor of the magazine. You can enter multiple images, but attach them to separate emails. If you win, they'll contact you for a high-res image.

I love this magazine, not just for the luscious photography, but also because their reviewers visit hotels/resorts anonymously without receiving special media privileges, so you know you're getting a genuine and honest review.

Deadline:
Magazine is published bi-monthly, so there's a deadline every two months. The first deadline of 2012 was January 13th.

Prize: varies, but usually camera equipment.

How to Enter:
Email a low-res image plus your name, address, phone number, where and when the shot was taken, equipment used, any post-production notes and why you love the landscape to Australian Traveller's editor, Elisabeth Knowles.

editor@australiantraveller.com

Web: Australian Traveller

Global Wind Day Photo Competition

2012-01-13T04:27:00.000-08:00

Wind Farm - Australia

I've always liked wind farms. They look like majestic kinetic sculptures. We did a road trip over the Australian summer holidays and at one stage followed a line of wind turbines. Night was falling and I snapped an image through the car window, using a Canon point and shoot camera set on 1600 ISO. The result was very grainy and dull...thank goodness for Photoshop!

To celebrate Global Wind Day, the "Wind in Mind" photo competition challenges you to "show the technology as it has never been seen before".

Deadline: 6 May 2012

Open to: photographers worldwide, 18 years and over

Prizes:
Global Winner - €1000 from Amazon
5 Runners Up (one from each continent) - €250 from Amazon
All winners photos will be published and become part of an exhibition

Note:
You can submit a maximum of three photos. Each photo must be between 1MB and 10MB and at least 2000 pixels wide or high.

Website: Global Wind Day

Entry: Competition Entry Page

Terms & Conditions here

Macquarie Photography Prize

2011-11-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

Best Live Action winner by Craig Parry

The 2012 Macquarie Photography Prize is open to photographers of any age from any country. Finalists and winners will have their images shown at exhibitions in Sydney, Dubbo and Orange in Australia. Winners also receive cash prizes with the People's Choice winner being able to choose $3,000 worth of camera equipment.

The judge for this year is Craig Parry.

Deadline: 24 May 2012

Categories

Funny Faces
Storms
Architecture
Arthouse - digitally manipulated images

Open to: Photographers of any age from any country

Prizes
Best in Show - $5000
Each category - $500
People's Choice - Camera equipment to the value of $3,000

Entrance Fee - $5 online

Previous Winning Images

Web: here

Competition Rules and Terms & Conditions and Entry Form

Book on How to Win Photography Competitions

2011-10-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

I recently bought the book Winning Digital Photo Contests by Jeff Wignall. It had great reviews on Amazon and I think they're all well deserved.

If you're serious about improving your chances of winning photographic competitions, this book will definitely help.

How To
There is specific information on what will catch a judge's eye. For example, the author tells us how to create an element of surprise, how to engage the viewer, how to create an image that will make the viewer laugh and how to open a window into a rarely seen world.

Easy Reading
Most of the information on each page is contained in just a few paragraphs, so it's easy reading. There is some technical information for the more advanced photographer, but even if you're a beginner, you won't have any trouble working out how to create a winning image.

At the back is advice on what types of photo contests to enter and scams to watch out for.

Interviews
Interviews with photographers who have been very successful in winning photo contests give you some insider tips.

Inspiring Photos
Perhaps the best part of the book is the collection of inspiring photos that the author has sourced for the book. They're all winners of various photo contests and all of the technical details are listed.

Improve Your Photography
Even if you're not particularly interested in entering photo contests, this book is worth owning for its wealth of practical tips on how to photograph landscapes, wildlife, people, travel, sports and close-ups and much more. I love flipping through it for inspiration.

OPEN - Intrepid Photography Competition

2011-10-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Intrepid Travel, which has its head office in Melbourne, Australia specialises in adventure travel. They are inviting travellers from all over the world to send in their photos for this photo competition.

In case you were wondering, the alien photo was taken on Earth, in a shop window in New Zealand.

Open now
Closes 30 June each year*

* If you miss the deadline, Intrepid will automatically submit your photo for the next competition.

THE PRIZES

There are a bunch of prizes you can win with this contest.

Have a look at their website for inspiration and to see the monthly winners so far.

Each month a photo is chosen to appear in Intrepid's online newsletter, and be displayed in Intrepid Travel stores. Apart from your 15 minutes of fame as a travel photographer, you'll receive a travel photography book pack from Lonely Planet. So it's worth sending a photo in each month.

Five Categories -- At the end of the photo competition there will be individual prizes for the following categories:

1. Real Life Experiences
2. Families
3. Local Friends
4. Landscapes
5. Icons

The overall winner will go on an Intrepid trip worth up to AU$3,000 and also a book pack.

HOW TO ENTER

Only digital images saved onto a CD will be accepted.

Check out the terms and conditions and download an entry form from:
http://www.intrepidtravel.com/inspirations/win/photocomps/

Post your entries to:
The Editor, Intrepid Travel
PO Box 2781
Fitzroy DC
Victoria 3065 Australia

You can enter four photos in each category, each month. So that's a total of 20 images each month.

WEBSITE

http://www.intrepidtravel.com/

Photo Continental Photography Competition

2011-10-13T01:31:00.000-07:00

Photo Continental is a Brisbane camera shop and one of my favourite places to browse for and buy camera gear. The staff are all very knowledgeable and they seem to hold a greater variety of stock than most other local retail outlets. It's really just a huge toy shop for we photographers.

Photo Continental hosts a monthly photo competition which is open to Australian residents.

DEADLINE: end of each month

THEME: Each month has a different theme...for example, previous themes have been Rush, Shadows, Colour and Desolate.

PRIZE: Prizes vary from month to month

HOW TO ENTER:
Email your photo to comp@photocontinental.com.au
The maximum file size in 500kb.

Take a look at the Competition website for more details and the winners gallery.

Magazines with Photo Competitions

2011-10-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

Quite a number of magazines, both Australian and international, have regular photo competitions. I'll be adding more to this list as I find them. If you come across any in your travels, let me know: editor (at) photocompetitions.com.au.

Thanks,
Dianne

Australian Photography magazine

Burke's Backyard magazine
Reader's photos can win a one-year subscription and another monthly prize.

PhotoReview Australia

Digital Photography + Design

Way2go magazine

Australian Traveller magazine

New Scientist - International

Popular Photography

NEW IDEA - Australian

There are a few opportunities to submit photos to Australia's New Idea magazine:

Take a photo of yourself or a friend reading a copy of New Idea magazine, prefereably in an exotic location, and if it's published, you receive $100.
Submit a photo of your children with a short comment about what's happening in the picture. Best image receives $100 and all published photos earn $25.

Email photos and comments to:

letters (at) newidea (dot) com (dot) au
childrensworld (at) newidea (dot) com (dot) au.

My tip is to buy or borrow a copy of the magazine ($4.00 in Australia) to see what the editors are after before submitting your photograph.

CLOSED - Travel Photography Competition

2011-10-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

Seaworld Show - Gold Coast

If you've always wanted to be a travel photographer and have your image printed in a major newspaper, here's your chance.

News Limited is running a weekly Your Holiday travel photography competition. The top ten images each week will be featured on Escape.com.au. Reader votes determine the weekly winner who will collect $200 and have their photo printed in the Escape section of the newspaper. The best photograph of the year receives $1,000.

Deadline: Each Thursday at 5pm and the competition will end on 31 December 2011

Note: You can only enter one photo each week.

Prizes: Weekly winner $200. Best photograph of the year $1,000

Photo size: 3 - 10MB jpg

Email to: escapepics@newsltd.com.au

Info to include: Brief description, your name, address and phone number

Terms & Conditions: http://www.news.com.au/travel/comp-terms/your-holiday

Website: Your Holiday travel photography competition

This competition is being run in conjunction with a travel writing competition, so if you have up to 500 words on a fascinating travel destination, you'll find entry details on the website as well.

CLOSED - Gardens in Focus

2011-10-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

Brisbane's City Botanic Gardens

The Friends of the Botanic Gardens - which supports three gardens including the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, Australia - is after photos of your magic moment in one of the world's botanic gardens.

Deadline: 10 December 2011

Prizes

First prize $8,000
Second: $1,500
Third $500

Entry fee $6 per photo

Categories:

Plant Portraiture
Garden Views
Garden Creatures
Youth Competition (under 21 years)

Above categories are open to all photographers, amateur and professional, whose photographs have been taken in an Australian or New Zealand Botanic garden.

International Botanic Gardens

International category is open to all photographers, amateur and professional, whose photographs have been taken in a botanic garden other than in Australia or New Zealand.

Open to

All photographers worldwide
Amateur
Professional
Students
Youth
Adults

Website: Gardens in Focus

Terms & Conditions - here

CLOSED - Surf Photography - Win private surfing lessons

2011-10-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

Sunshine Coast Surfing, Australia

This is probably the only surfing photography contest in the world which doesn't require a surf board, or even waves. HostelBookers want to see your best surfing pose (board and water optional) and the most creative wins surfing lessons for four on Queensland's beautiful Sunshine Coast .

If you've never visited Australia's Sunshine Coast, it's one of the most beautiful places in the world to learn to surf. The beaches are uncrowded and there's plenty to do away from the surf as well. I've popped some photos of the area at the end of this post.

Deadline: 19 December 2011

Read more »

CLOSED - Google Photography Prize

2011-10-01T03:10:00.000-07:00

Google is running a photography competition for students in higher education, 18 years and older, worldwide. They want to see photographs that will "make us laugh, cry, listen, hop on a plane, start a conversation, or start a revolution."

Deadline: 31 January 2012

Open to: Students in higher education, 18 years or older on the submission date.

Prizes:

There are heaps of prizes. Photographers of the top 100 entries receive Samsung Galaxy Nexus phones. Top 10 finalists have their photographs exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in London and will be flown to London with a friend to see the exhibition. Overall winner receives all of this, plus, a photography trip to their favourite destination with a professional photography coach.

Web: Google Photography Prize

Competition Rules and Terms & Conditions

Categories - you can submit 8 photos into one of the ten categories

Me
Food
Travel
Fashion
Action
Street
Sport
Night
Sound/Silence
Point of View

FAQs here

iPhone Photography Competition - CLOSED

2011-09-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

iPhone Photo by Naomi Irvin

I've always said I'd like a really good SLR camera, with a phone attached. Alas the major camera manufacturers aren't doing this, yet.

However, I've been seeing some pretty good images coming from iPhones lately. If you're a keen photographer with an iPhone, you can almost turn it into an SLR camera by adding an iPhone Lens Kit, giving you a telephoto lens, a wide-angle lens, plus macro (extreme close-up) and fish-eye (extreme wide-angle) lenses.

This month - October 2011 - you can win a lens kit from the folks at Hide & Seek who create cute and useful guide books for Australian cities. They're written by locals who reveal the hidden treasures that you'll find off the usual tourist trails.

Read more »

Living Australian Photo Competition CLOSED

2011-09-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

This contest was closed in December 2011. Take a look at the winning entries and get some inspiration for next year's competition.

The winning photo for this contest will be featured on an Australia Post Stamp and the photographer will receive $4,000.

Junior photographers - have a go at this competition because the prize is $1,000 and a Canon EOS 600D camera which is a fantastic camera. I have an earlier version, the 450D and I love it. The 600D allows you to shoot HD video.

The theme is ‘Make Your Mark Australia’. Your photos should explore and capture what makes us truly ‘live as Australians’ and ultimately showcase the many contributions Australians have made locally, nationally and globally.

Have a look at the previous winning photographs.

Deadline: 6 December 2011

Open to: Australians everwhere and foreign citizens living in Australia on long-term visas (check the Competition Rules to see if you are eligible).

Prizes:
Open
$4000 and Image featured on an Australia Post Stamp

Junior - Under 18 years
$1000 and a Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera

Web: Living Australian

Competition Rules and Terms & Conditions

Brisbane Open House Photo Competition - CLOSED

2011-09-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

If you're interested in architecture and architectural photography, you won't want to miss Brisbane Open House Day on Saturday 1 October 2011.*

*Entries are open for photos taken on Brisbane Open House Day until Monday 18 October 2011. I've written about my experience of the day and posted some photos on www.BrisbaneAndBeyond.com.au.

This special event, which coincides with World Architecture Day, is when the doors of many Brisbane buildings, usually closed to the public, are flung open for the day.

Take your camera along to Brisbane Open House, because your photo of one of the buildings could win you $1,000 in the photographic competition.

Take photos: Saturday 1 October 2011

Submission deadline: Monday 18 October 5pm

Categories:

Exterior
Interior
Detail
People /crowds

Prize: Winner receives $1,000

Note: Show your program map to a CityGlider bus driver to receive free travel on the day

Website: http://www.brisbaneopenhouse.com.au/photo-competition

Some of the places you can visit during Brisbane Open House include historic buildings such as the Commissariat Store, Customs House and Old Government House. Some of Brisbane's beautiful churches are on the list, including Saint John's Cathedral which has a spectacular stone vaulted ceiling. There are also architectural practices opening their doors and modern buildings including Santos Place which offers spectacular views from its Sky Terrace.

Terms & Conditions: here

Red Balloon Winning Photographs

2011-09-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Alison Crea, who captured this amazing photograph that took out first place in the Red Balloon photography contest.

Red Balloon asked for "fun, creative and unique" photos which included an image of a red balloon, to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Let's hope they make it into an annual event!

You can have a look at the People's Choice winner and runners up here.

Smithsonian Magazine photo contest - CLOSED

2011-09-16T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'll never forget visiting the Smithsonian Institution museums in Washington DC. My favourite was the National Air and Space Museum. I was amazed the Apollo lunar modules, which carried astronauts to the moon's surface, looked so flimsy.

The Smithsonian has its own magazine and this year they're running their annual photo contest for the 9th time.

There are five categories, including one called Altered Images which allows the use of special effects for artistic purposes - great for you Photoshop experts.

DEADLINE CLOSED 1 December 2011

CATEGORIES

Altered Images
Americana
Natural World
People
Travel

PRIZES First prize trip to Yosemite or approx $3,000 cash with category winners receiving $500 each.

OPEN TO Everyone 18 years and older

NOTES For inspiration, have a look at the amazing finalists' images from the 8th annual photo competition.

WEBSITE Smithsonian Magazine Photos

FAQs and Rules - Check this page before entering, particularly if you have people in your photo because you may need a model release.

RedBalloon Photo Contest - Closed

2011-09-16T03:12:00.000-07:00

As the name of this photographic competition suggests, there is a red balloon involved.

RedBalloon is a website where you can buy gifts that are experiences, for example, hot air ballooning, race care driving, a cooking class or a luxury retreat.... a bit of change to socks, jocks and perfume.

To celebrate 10 years in business, RedBalloon is holding a photography contest and the theme is pretty straight forward - take a "fun, creative or unique" photo of a Red Balloon. There are plenty of creative interpretations on the website so far. Take a look at:

The sky's no limit! by Emma

Into the Masterpiece by Jo Todd

Red Balloon Dreams by Sophie

The photo competition is open to Australian and New Zealand residents.

There is only one entry allowed per person, so make sure you upload your best shot.

The photo contest is divided into People's Choice and Judges' Choice categories. To be in the running for the People's Choice prizes, you need to encourage friends to vote for your image.

Deadline: Monday 24 October at midday

Eligible Photographers: Australian and New Zealand residents

Prizes: Gift Certificates from RedBalloon ranging from $2,000 to $500 plus 17 photography workshops.

More Info: FAQ page

Website: Competition

Terms & Conditions of this competition.

Return to main competition listing.

Wotif Photo Competition - CLOSED

2011-09-16T02:19:00.000-07:00

Cairns Esplanade Lagoon Pool

Wotif.com, a website for booking discounted accommodation, is hosting a photo contest on their Facebook page. You can also submit a video. The prize for the winning entry is five nights at any Mantra hotel in Australia. (I really enjoyed my stay at the Mantra Esplanade in Cairns earlier this year. It's in a great location, opposite the huge lagoon pool on Cairns' esplanade.)

All you have to do is answer: 'Wot would you do for a room?' Some of the photographic answers so far include a lady kissing David Hasselhoff, a disturbing number of people dressing and painting themselves in green (Wotif's colour) and someone promising to roller skate to work for a week.

This is more a competition about having fun and getting your friends to vote for your entry, rather than photographic skill. The picture with the most votes wins.

Deadline: Monday 7 November 2011 (5pm)

Prize: 5 nights at an Australian Mantra hotel

Website: Wotif Photo Competition

Note: You have to be over 18 to enter and an Australian Wotif.com Facebook fan

Terms & Conditions

Photo Competition Winner

2011-08-05T07:12:00.000-07:00

Congratulations David Lazar, a regular Photocompetitions.com.au reader who has taken out first prize in the Ted's Cameras Panasonic Travel Photo Competition with his image 'Vietnamese Boatman'.

You can see David's other travel photos on his PBase gallery.