We all love entering Photography Competitions but do we really sit back and look at the merits of each competition?
When entering photography competitions, here are the five things you really should consider before entering:
- Credibility
- Terms and Conditions
- Judges
- Cost
- Motivation
Credibility
The more credible, longer running and the more prestigous the competition the better. Sadly today there are more photo competitions than you can poke a stick at and all too often the photography competitions are firmly aimed at getting free images to use for other purposes (travel companies and airlines are notorious for this). I always recommend that you enter the more credible competitions especially the ones highly regarded within the photographic and press industries.
Terms & Conditions
Just what exactly does entering this photography competition mean with regards to the use of your photographs? By entering are you agreeing to give the organisers full perpertual exclusive rights usage for your image? Unlimited Rights Usage? Or do you only confer rights to only use the image in relation to the promotion of the photography competition? It’s good to know exactly what you are agreeing to when you enter a photo competition as all too often we hear about photography competitions that are just a rights grab to get your photos for free.
Cost
Some photography competitions are expensive, requiring matted prints, or if you’re selected as a finalist prints to be delivered for assesment. Make sure you know the costs up front before you decide to enter. We all have a budget regarldess of size. How you chose to spend your money is up to you. But theres also a time consideration. Entering 12 matted prints into a competition is not only an out of pocket expense, its a big time investment too. Entering a large number of competitions is costly on both fronts so you really want to make sure you pick the best of the bunch to maximise your investment!
Judges
Many photography competitions publish a list of who makes up their judging panels. Do some research. If you’re never heard of them and noone else has it can be a warning sign. Highly regarded photographers and experienced judges hopefully will result in more consitent judging and hence a score that presents a more valuable tool to measure your photo. That said many highly regarded competitions do no list their judging panels so do not fear when the World Press Photo, Australia Professional Photography Awards, Nature’s Best or the likes of other extremely credible competitions don’t publish a complete list of judges.
Motivation
So what is your motvation for entering photography competitions? It may seem like a funny question to ask, but really what is in it for you? Are you entering the competition to compare your photographs with those of your peers? Are you hoping to win the grand prize? Are you entering it because you are required to to seed into another competition? Are you entering it for exposure? Everyones motivations are different so its good to take a step back and ask yourself why you are entering each competition and whether each competition will be suitable.
Photography Competitions can be have many benefits, but there can also be quite a few downsides. So by taking a step back and considering the above 5 things before entering a photography competition should help you to ensure you make the most of your financial and time investment.