Click here for more details.

by: Balogh Zoltan

These incredible images of lagoons, lakes, bogs and brooks are all winning entries in a competition to celebrate World Wetland’s Day today.

View all of the winning World Wetlands category autumn heat winners here.

View all the entries here

In the past, I’ve organised, run, managed and judged many photo contests, and this has given me a great insight, of which I’m about to share with you.

This is not a tutorial on how to produce a winning photo, there are hundreds of those around the internet, so I thought I’d share something different with you, and tell you why so many photos are rejected at the first stage from photo contests, and why many entries fail to impress the judges.

Get insight in to what the judges are looking for and learn how to avoid the mistakes many entrants make.

1. Photo requirements and specifications are a major factor, most contests will have a set criteria that you need to meet. See the list below for examples.

a. The size of the photo is quite common, some contests require that the photo be a certain size or within a range, they may also require that the file size does not exceed a specific amount, so making sure you size your photo correctly will ensure your entry is not rejected at the first stage.

b. You need to place close attention to any rules regarding modification, some contests are very specific about what you may and may not edit. Some will only permit you to modify colour balance and exposure, crop or resize the photo, some will permit full modifications, and other will not permit any at all. What ever they stipulate, make sure you adhere to this.

c. Keep a close eye for the format they require. Some competitions have specific rules on the format of your entry, be it film, digital. be it printed or submitted by email or whether it’s JPG – Gif.

d. Some contests will permit you to enter one photo only, but others allow you to enter multiple photos, if you’ve read all the details relating to the competition you could find out that you can submit as many entries as you wish, this can increase your chances of winning, so look out for this.

2. If the competition you are entering has a theme, make sure you understand exactly what it is the judges are looking for. Themed competitions will normally have a brief, which if read fully will normally give you clues and information as to what the judges are looking for. Now, although the best advise would be to follow the theme exactly, you shouldn’t let this dilute your creativity, and stop you from producing something unique, so the advice here is to read the brief fully and keep within the boundaries of the theme.

3. Eligibility, make sure you are eligible to enter the competition, check to see if there are any age restrictions, or if you have to be from a specific geographic location and check for experience, some contests are only open to professional or amateur photographers.

4. Terms and conditions (T & C’s) , who reads them? not many at all. Why would you? They can be long and boring, but, this is one of the main reasons entries are disqualified even before the judges have seen them. Terms and Conditions contain important information regarding your entry in to the competitions, and they should inform you of your rights and what you are giving them in return. You never know, but by entering the competition you could be giving them the keys to your home, so make sure you read the terms and conditions fully, and if you don’t understand something, contact the organiser and ask for clarification or seek advice.

5. When your photo was taken can also be an important factor for having your entry accepted. Some contests have time restrictions, such as, the photo must have been taken within the last two years, so make sure you follow their rule on time restrictions

6. If there are judges in the competition, and they are named, then give yourself an advantage and do a little research on each of them, find out what they like and what they dislike, this can be used to identify if your entry would appeal to them.

7. Choosing your entry should be based on the tips above and you should always submit your best work. Make sure it is strong in composition, exposure and focus. Try different perspectives and angles and don’t be afraid to break the compositional rules from time to time.

8. It’s always a good idea to seek others advice before entering a competition, maybe use some of the many photo forums around the net to get critique and feedback, or if you prefer ask family and friends their view on your photo, but remember they may be biased, so I’d recommend the former.

The most important thing about entering photo contests is to enjoy the process and enter as many as you can to improve your chances further.

‘the heroes of modern manufacturing’

The 2012 competition has garnered increased worldwide interest with over 112,000 entries from 171 countries, with the shortlisted images depicting the stories of extraordinary lives from around the world. The Professional competition reflects a turbulent year of global events with the war in Libya; the Greek and European economic crisis; the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and the fall of Gaddafi, in the Photojournalism & Documentary categories.  The shortlist for the Fine Art and Commercial categories gets to the very heart of daily life -  a small sheep-farming community in Iceland; the rice harvest in South China; a religious pilgrimage in Poland and gold diggers in Chile.

This year the honorary jury found the quality of work exceptionally strong across all categories, discovering many photographers new to the Sony World Photography Awards roster.  Manuel Geerinck (Belgium);  Lee Chee Wai (China); Alejandro Cartagena (Mexico), Irina Werning (Argentina); Gwenn Dubourthoumieu (Republic of the Congo) and Simon Norfolk (UK), are but a few of the new names to place as finalists and shortlisted photographers.

Returning photographers from previous years, include 2010 Professional Landscape winner, Peter Franck (Germany); who this year is a finalist in three categories; 2011 Professional Contemporary Issues and Current Affairs winner, Javier Arcenillas (Spain); and Chan Kwok Hung (Hong Kong) whose stunningly dramatic image ‘Buffalo Race’ won the  Overall Open Competition in 2011.

W M Hunt, Chair of the Honorary Judging Committee, commented: ‘As a judge, you bring an open mind and a passion for photography – its presence and its present, its past and its legacy.  You are hopeful and hungry to see great work that is fresh and full, expecting the exceptional.  The rewards are rich and delightful.  It is a pleasure to present this year’s selections.’

Astrid Merget, Creative Director of the World Photography Organisation added: ‘Looking at the vast collection of shortlisted work across the categories, is truly gratifying this year.  Within the Professional awards, the bodies of work are beautifully presented and distinctive, whilst in the Open categories, the single snapshots are diverse and demonstrate excellent skill within the amateur market.  The new Youth competition also delighted us, as we were thrilled to find some exceptional budding talent.’

In being shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards, photographers can now look forward to the invaluable support of the World Photography Organisation, which includes having their work exhibited at a major exhibition at London’s Somerset House, to coincide with the award ceremony in April 2012.

The shortlist for the Professional Competition was selected by the Honorary Judging committee which was chaired by esteemed photographic consultant W.M. Hunt.  This year the Open entries were judged by a pre-selection committee of inspectors from Shutterstock, WPO and representatives from Sony.  The Youth Competition was judged by a WPO and Sony selection committee.

The annual Sony World Photography Awards ceremony and gala dinner will take place on 26 April at the Hilton Hotel in London’s Park Lane.  The awards celebration will once again take place alongside World Photo, London, a month-long event which brings an eclectic mix of photographic events for all to enjoy.  The opening weekend of World Photo London will be held at Somerset House from 27 – 30 April with selected events including portfolio reviews, workshops, symposiums and the Sony World Photography Awards winners’ exhibitions, which continue through to 20 May 2012.  Honorary Judges for the 2012 Awards and other international industry experts will be leading many of the festival events.

View more here.

View photos here

It’s been an arduous task, but after thorough review, the selected photographers of EXPOSURE 2011 have been determined with the help of our jurors: Natasha Egan, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography; Stephen Walker, Photo Director of NYLON Magazine; Conor Risch, Senior Editor of PDN Magazine; Michael Shulman, Director of Publishing, Broadcast and Film at Magnum Photos; Susanne Miklas, Photo Editor; and Karen Irvine, Curator and Associate Director of the Museum of Contemporary Photography.

Without further ado, congratulations to the Grand Prize photographer Laetitia Soulier! We’re also excited to present the selected recipients of the Early Entry and Category Awards, along with the Top 110 Finalists. We can’t wait to see what’s to come for these great photographers. Thank you again for being a part of Artists Wanted – we hope to continue providing you with new and exciting opportunities to get your talent discovered.

Click here to view other winners and photographers

Congratulations to gilchristyeotunboon for winning the contest with the photo “Focus”.

“This photo is fun, colorful, interesting and very well composed – showing good use of the “thirds” rule. The girl holding the camera is a playful element while the Asian food stall evokes a sense of travel and journey.” – Shelby Chan

Click here to see other entries

Click here to see other entries in a slideshow

‘Weather‘ was the theme for the last installment of Vanguard’s eight-week long photography competition and there was plenty of wind, rain, snow and rainbow shots for the judge to work their way through.

After narrowing down a shortlist it was decided that Engulfed by Tynnwrlluniau (Alun G. Davies) really summed up what the theme was all about.

Here’s what the judge said: “The power of the wave smashing into the sea wall can really be felt and Alun timed it extremely well to ensure all that energy would be captured in the final shot. It’s wild weather snapped at its finest and Alun is a well worthy winner.”

Well done to Alun who wins a Vanguard Alta Pro 283CT tripod and congratulations to all who were shortlised.
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/vanguard-alta-pro-283ct-week-8-competition-winner-announced-18360

The winners of the ‘Living Australian 2011/2012′ photo competition have been chosen.

Congratulations to the Junior and Open winners of the 2012 Living Australian Online Photography Competition. You have all made your mark on Australia. See all the winners here

Tamron USA announced the winner of the Tamron USA My Macro Exhibit Photo Contest. The contest, offered to Tamron lens users, required that entrants create a 3D virtual exhibit on www.MyPhotoExhibits.com showcasing at least 8-14 images. The winning exhibit would be based upon overall quality and originality of the collection. Professional photographer and My Macro Exhibit Photo Contest Judge, Mike Moats selected “Backyard Macros” created by Carolyn Derstine as the winner.

Mike Moats expressed his appreciation of her work through his remarks on the photographer; “Carolyn demonstrates an ability to produce excellent images with a variety of subjects in nature. All images are creatively composed in the frame, have good lighting, and nice sharp details. A well-balanced portfolio of subjects, beautiful colors, interesting textures, and nice blurred backgrounds.”

Carolyn Derstine will have her exhibit featured on the Tamron website, eNewsletter, Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/TamronLensesUSA) and will win a Tamron lens of her choice. To view the winning exhibit, please visit: http://tamron.myphotoexhibits.com/exhibits/4248-backyard-macros. Moats also selected 10 Honorable Mentions listed at http://www.tamron-usa.com/lenses/contests.asp.

As a leader in breathtaking you-are-there photography from across the world, National Geographic Traveller launched its inaugural photo competition last September in association with The Aurora Zone and Tesco.

UK photographers were asked to submit their entries in one of six categories: People, Culture, Nature, Landscape, Adventure and City, for a chance to win a once-in-lifetime trip to see the Northern Lights in Finland with The Aurora Zone and a top of the range camera and kit, courtesy of Tesco.

The judging panel consisted of Carol Enquist, National Geographic’s photo editor; Jonathan Briggs, editor of the British Institute of Professional Photography’s (BIPP) The Photographer magazine; Marina Syrmakezi from The Association of Photographers; and Chris Hudson, National Geographic Traveller’s art editor.

Chris Hudson said: “We had thousands of UK entries in this, the first National Geographic Traveller photography competition, and were truly impressed at the incredibly high standard of submissions, whether professional or amateur. Many were exactly what we were looking for: inspirational, high quality images capturing unique moments from all corners of the globe.

He added: “In just one frame, a photo can embody the essence, emotion and atmosphere of a destination and sum up a multitude of feelings in the flash of a shutter.”

The winners will be announced in the next issue and supplement on sale 9 February 2012.

Tessa K. Hessmiller

Founder, Kutoa

Grand Prize Winner – Ly Hoang Long

Fisherman, Hoi An, Vietnam

Photographer’s Description: Fisherman visiting the fishing nets in Cua Dai beach – Hoi An, Vietnam. There are hundred of nets hang along that beach and that makes a fantastic scenery every morning. August 2011.

Kutoa Judges’ Comments: This photo succeeds in taking what must be a mundane daily activity for the man who is the subject and portraying it as a serene, peaceful, and almost hypnotically breathtaking scene. This type of window into the life and culture of another truly exemplifies the joys of travel – finding the beautiful and uplifting in the daily sights and sounds of a place.

Ly Hoang Long won a 4-night jungle cruise in Borneo with Kalimantan Tour Destinations.  Kutoa will donate 50% of all contest proceeds directly to the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, an Indonesian non-profit dedicated to the conservation of the endangered Bornean Orangutan and its habitat through the involvement of local people.

Congrats and have fun in Borneo!

Runners-Up and Honorable Mention

Also, congratulations to the following entrants for their incredible shots:

Runners-Up:

• Erin Thomas – Trek on a Glacier, Argentina
• Yen Baet – Venice Carnival, Italy
• Ly Hoang Long – Three Champa Girls, Vietnam

Honorable Mention:

• Jerry Paskowitz – Family on the Move, Vietnam
• Alastair Swan – Cormorant Fishers, China
• Ly Hoang Long – Boy on Bus, China
• Ly Hoang Long – Elephant Race, Vietnam
• Alastair Swan – Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, USA
• Yew Kiat Soh – Joys of Kids, Malaysia
• Arvid Fimreit – Extreme Western Bus, Norway
• Halbert Bai – Dog Sledding, Alaska
• Jonathan Baet – Burnham Overy Staithe Sunset, England
• Kate Seibert – Colorful Worship, India
• Marlyana Glynn Brown – Washing Man, Turkey
• Ryan Kasak – Woman in Mexico
• Trung Tin Ngo Nguyen Huynh – View of a Fairytale, Sapa City, Vietnam

View the entire gallery here.  Feel free to post comments and share with friends!

Hasselblad today announced the eleven winners of the prestigious Masters Award, one for each of eleven categories. A distinguished and diverse panel of international judges representing different sectors of the photo industry selected the winning images.

As always, the decision-making process was challenging due to the high volume and high quality of submissions, but jury members approached their task with enthusiasm and great interest, acknowledging the importance of the Masters awards program. Photographer and Grand Jury member Colin Prior explains that, “The Hasselblad Masters Competition is a showcase for photographic excellence and provides both up and coming and established photographers the opportunity for their work to be seen like no other.” Australian portrait photographer Anne Geddes was excited to participate as a judge in this year’s awards saying that, “It was an honor to be invited to participate as a jury member and to be able to give back to the photographic community.”

For the second year in a row, the public was invited to vote for their favorite images-a practice that especially appealed to Grand Jury member Thomas Gerwers, Editor-in-Chief of ProfiFoto Magazine. “What is unique is that the public can view and judge the participating pictures online, so the Hasselblad Award is not happening in a black box but is all transparent,” says Gerwers. He also comments that, “What I like is that Hasselblad has opened the contest for all kinds of professional photography, even for those which have not been taken with a Hasselblad.”

Winners will be given access to an H4D, lenses and Phocus software for this year’s project, creating a series of images based on their individual interpretations of the theme “evoke”. Paul Waterworth, Hasselblad’s Global Photographer Relations Manager explains, “The term evoke can mean many different things, so it will be very interesting to see how these photographers put their own visual spin on the theme.”

The public will have to wait until photokina in September when the final work is presented in a special exhibition to see the end results of this creative exercise. As part of the Masters Awards, winners will also have their images published in the third annual commemorative Masters book: Masters Vol. 3 – EVOKE, which will also be presented at photokina.
Given the success of the 2012 Masters Finalists Tour this past fall and thanks, in part, to the support of sponsors broncolor, SanDisk and Epson, further exhibitions are planned for the latter part of the year. Hasselblad and the winning images will travel near and far-from Los Angeles and New York to Berlin, Tokyo, Beijing, Mumbai, Moscow and São Paulo and points in between-to share some of the best images of the competition with the rest of the world. Be sure to visit the Hasselblad website, VICTOR online magazine and subscribe to the Hasselblad Bulletin to find out more about the tour later in the year.

At the end of 2011 we launched our unique Photo Contest Finder tool which helps our readers to find contests they are eligible to enter. Thousands of readers have already signed up to use the PCF tool, and we look to develop further improvements for you throughout 2012

During 2011 we reviewed thousands of photo contests, not all of them met our strict standards, but 994 of them met with our approval and were published on PCN. We expect to review and publish even more contests in 2012.

So with new developments & improvements on their way, along with the target of listing even more photo contests, 2012 looks to be an exciting year, and we look forward to sharing this with you.

Thank you!!

The PCN Team

Enjoy the viewing.

The establishment of New Jersey’s Green Acres Program is now celebrating it’s 50th anniversary. The Green Acres Program was created in 1961 to meet New Jersey’s growing recreation and conservation needs.  Together with public and private partners, Green Acres has protected 650,000 acres of open space and provided hundreds of outdoor recreational facilities in communities around the State.

The entrants range from 6 years and upwards, and clearly demonstrating talent at an early age!

This year, our winners’ locations were as diverse as their techniques, from Florentine snapshots to large-format landscapes of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. And despite their varied backgrounds and professions, all had this in common: For at least one moment, they captured something quite beautiful.

Sit back, relax and take a look through the very best images that you, our readers, had to offer in 2011: http://www.popphoto.com/photos/2011/12/18th-annual-readers-photo-contest

The Winners are shown here.

Visit The International Loupe Awards website for more details.

http://www.ephotoawards.com/exhibitions/wildlife-nature-2011-ephoto-awards-exhibition

Happy viewing.

PCN has developed a new and exciting tool aptly named Photo Contest Finder which is free to use, just like all other PCN services.

Photo Contest Finder will save you time and make your life much easier.  Say goodbye forever to scrolling through hundreds of contests on search engines to find those that are open to entry and for which you are eligible.

Join us today and Click Here to Start using the Photo Contest Finder.

Simon Smith

www.photographycompetitions.net

A little bit about our Winner

After finishing my 3 years apprenticeship as a photographer in 1973 I was working as a fashion and advertising photographer. In 1979 I made the master degree in photography and started to work as a tutor in the Photo Department of a vocational training school in Germany, which I left after 30 years. Now I live and work in New Zealand and run a gallery together with my partner in Woodville.

The main part of my private work was always B&W Photography and there in special B&W Infrared Photography. Since two decades I work with my 6x17cm Technorama cameras and take my landscape photographs worldwide. I still work on film and develop my negatives and my silver gelatine prints by myself. Meanwhile I published many books and calendars and part of my work goes to galleries or collectors all over the world.

Arizona-Saguaro

Utah-Aspen Trees

New Mexico-White Sands

To get more information and see more of Helmut’s work, go to : www.helmut-hirler.de

We received positive feedback, we also received negative feedback, and we received a lot of constructive feedback, all of which are exactly what we wanted, and It’s this feedback that has already prompted us to action some changes round here, and although it’s too early to mention in detail what we are working on, you will obviously be made aware as soon as we have finalised the details.

We did also promise a $100 cash prize which would go to a randomly selected survey participant, and that person is: Brennan Cooper from Cincinnati, Ohio, and a big congratulation goes to you.

Again, we’d like to thank everyone for their time in answering our questions, it’s been a massive help, thank you!

Simon Smith

Before entering, please consider that this is not a photo contest, it is not about any single photo, we want you to submit 3 photos of your best work so we can see what you are like as a photographer.

Oh yes!! and you could win $250 cash

For full details click here

You have only 10 days left in which to complete the survey as it will close on July 31.

ENTER HERE

Good luck to you all.

The Overall First Place Winner with the greatest combined total score is last season’s third-place winner Ove Alexander from Manchester, England

The Second Prize Overall winner is: Heidi M. Dickey from Great Falls, Montana, USA

The Third-Prize Overall winner is: Wilfredo Lumagbas Jr. from Bacolod City, Philippines

The six “Best Letter” winners (photographers not images) were determined by the greatest SUM of the Judging Phase scores for their images for every Letter period or category (“S-P-R-I-N-G”). Only one unique entrant was allowed in each letter category

“I was so stoked when I happened upon your photography contest! Finally found one I could enter that didn’t cost a dime AND it was a challenge each week when a new letter came into play…I had to get outside and find new ‘masterpieces’ for the letter G, for example. I only wish I had happened upon the contest sooner. I’m looking forward to the next contest. Bring it on!” — Cyndi Romey, Phoozl Award Winner, “N” Letter Category

To find out who the “Best Letter” winners are and to view the winning images click here

· Argentinean photographer Alejandro Chaskielberg wins the coveted L’Iris D’Or Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year 2011

· Chan Kwok Hung announced as overall Open winner

· Bruce Davidson receives the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award

PHOTOJOURNALISM & DOCUMENTARY

Current Affairs

• · Winner: Javier Arcenillas (Spain)
• · 2^nd: Robin Hammond (New Zealand) / Panos
• · 3^rd: Ahmad Masood, (Afghanistan) / Reuters

Contemporary Issues

• · Winner: Javier Arcenillas (Spain)
• · 2^nd: Christian Lutz (Switzerland) / Agence VU
• · 3^rd: Balazs Gardi (Hungary) / basetrack.org

People

• · Winner: Alejandro Chaskielberg (Argentina)/ Michael Hoppen Gallery
• · 2^nd: Denis Rouvre (France)
• · 3^rd: Lucia Herrero (Spain)

Sport

• · Winner: Pavel Wolberg (Israel)
• · 2^nd: Javier Arcenillas (Spain)
• · 3^rd: Palmer + Pawel (United Kingdom)

Arts and Culture

• · Winner: Amit Madheshiya (India)
• · 2^nd: Tommaso Bonaventura (Italy)
• · 3^rd: Mahesh Shantaram (India)

COMMERCIAL

Campaign

• · Winner: Adam Hinton (United Kingdom) / Saatchi & Saatchi
• · 2^nd: Richard Bailey (United Kingdom)
• · 3^rd: Tomg Meng (China)

Travel

• · Winner: Liz Loh-Taylor (Australia)
• · 2^nd: Javier Arcenillas (Spain)
• · 3^rd: Andrew McConnell (Ireland) / Panos

Lifestyle

• · Winner: Saja Seus (Germany)
• · 2^nd: Frank Bayh & Steff Rosenberger-Ochs (Germany)
• · 3^rd: Fabrizio Cestari (Italy)

FINE ART

Architecture

• Winner: Alnis Stakle (Latvia)
• 2^nd: Frank Meyl (Germany)
• 3^rd: Frank Bayh & Steff Rosenberger-Ochs (Germany)

Portraiture

• · Winner: Alain Willaume (France)/ Tendance Floue /Galerie Vu
• · 2^nd: David Kretschmer (Germany)
• · 3^rd: Paolo Verzone (Italy) / Agence VU

Landscape

• · Winner: Florence Iff (Switzerland)
• · 2^nd: Guido Castagnoli (Italy) / Periscope Creative
• · 3^rd: Frank Day (United States)

Still Life

• · Winner: Renhui Zhao (Singapore)
• · 2^nd: Peter Franck (Germany)
• · 3^rd: Charles Emerson (United Kingdom)

Conceptual

• · Winner: Paul Gisbrecht (Germany)
• · 2^nd: Ana Cop (Canada)
• · 3^rd: Zhongyin Gao (China)

Visit Website

They received a varied selection of great photos and videos, some of which followed their suggestion of ‘The Power Of Nature’ and others choosing to go along with the winter theme.

WINTER PHOTO COMPETITION – THE WINNER

Congratulations to….  AUSTIN THOMAS for his photograph titled Cheetah Chasing Gazelle

WINTER VIDEO COMPETITION – THE WINNER

Congratulations to….  LUCY NADEN for her film titled Red Native

Click here to view the Winners

The exhibition will be displayed at the State Library of NSW from 21st of April to 26th June 2011.

The winner and highly commended works will be announced 10:30am Tuesday 3rd May at a press conference at the State Library of New South Wales which all finalists are invited to attend. The semi finalist selection will also be viewed on a large screen at the exhibition.

Beating competition from over 51,000 submissions from 148 counties, the winners are:

• Action: Chan Kwok Hung (Hong Kong)
• · After Dark: Chumlong Nilkon (Thailand)
• · Architecture: Marek Troszczynski (Poland)
• · Arts & Culture: Hubert Januar (Indonesia)
• · Fashion: Edina Csoboth (Hungary)
• · Nature & Wildlife: Andiyan Lutfi (Indonesia)
• · Panoramic: Wolfgang Weinhardt (Germany)
• · People: Raghuranjan Sarkar (India)
• · Smile: Carlos Henrique Reinesch (Brazil)
• · Travel: James Chong (Singapore)

All the winning images will be exhibited as part of the World Photography Festival at London’s Somerset House from 26 April – 22 May alongside the winners of the Sony World Photography Awards Professional competition.  The photographs will also be published in the Winner’s Book and each winning Open photographer will receive Sony digital SLR camera equipment as part of their prize.

The overall winner of the Sony World Photography Awards Open Photographer of the Year title will be announced on 27 April at a gala ceremony held at the Odeon Leicester Square in London.  They will receive a $5,000 cash prize as well as Sony digital SLR camera equipment and will be brought to London to collect their award.

Also at the ceremony, the winner of the coveted L’Iris D’Or / Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year will be announced. They will receive $25,000 and professional Sony digital SLR camera equipment. The final presentation of the night will be in honour of the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography.

View the wining images here

Overall winner/Digital Art category winner

Amy Fokinther – Imagination

“The inspiration for this image came from the word ‘imagination’: I have included two prominent characters in the story, The Hatter and the March Hare, and incorporated them within Alice’s face to emphasise that they are all characters in her imagination.”

Photography category winner

Timea Porubszky – Alice
“Alice found herself in wonderland, but this magical world exists only on her own imagination, which is why I used an old style mirror where she can look at herself with curious interest. I would like to show her as a strong, confident character rather than an innocent little girl.”

Facebook favourite (poll taken from 07 March – 13 March, received 280 votes)

Laura McKinnon – Warp

“When I discovered that Scottish Ballet were running an Alice-themed photography competition, I immediately knew that my photograph would need to have sinister undertones. Having read Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass as a child, I distinctly remembered being disturbed by the surreal and disorientating content of the book. My own personal interpretation of the book itself reflected very much a dreamlike, erratic narration, of which led to a degree of panicking my younger self – the sheer random content of the book was unsettling and thought provoking as a child and ultimately influenced my interest in surrealism as I grew older. I suppose, the older I aged, the less enamoured I became with the simplicity and pleasantness of popular fairy tales and I found myself seeking the originality that Carroll had offered up to me.”

Digital Art category finalist

Annette Rubery – You’re Nothing But a Pack of Cards!

“This image didn’t start out as an Alice in Wonderland-themed composition. Having long been interested in surreal self-portraiture, I set myself the challenge of picturing myself ‘levitating’ (an effect achieved by blending multiple images in Photoshop and masking out the object I’m lying on). I knew I wanted flying playing cards somewhere, too, but it wasn’t until I got to the processing stage that the rest fell into place. Something about my position reminded me of Alice falling down the rabbit hole; the pose might look easy but the effort of keeping my limbs elevated was better than a workout!”

Digital Art category finalist

Claire Davidson – Alice

“I am inspired by the idea of Alice falling through the lens of a camera: how the beginnings of photography brought questions about our perception of reality and how Lewis Carol’s stories reflect this. The increasing use of digital manipulation of images brings new questions about our perceived visual reality and I wanted to explore this in my image. My drawings are inspired in part by Victorian naturalist’s illustrations that I imagine Alice would have been familiar with, but with a playful twist- a sense of the creatures forming and morphing in her imagination in a fluid, tumbling, dream-like space.”

Photography category finalist

Agnes Kliczka – Alice

“As a student of Stevenson College Edinburgh I received good education in constructing image which I used trying to fill the brief. My attempt was to visualise an idea of celebration in dream like place. Alice, who is an explorer (I use symbol of binoculars which lay on the ground) is accompanied by two surreal characters (they symbolise opposite forces). I constructed image in which I tried to avoid clichés. My picture is full of details which I have set up carefully, and the most unexpected for viewer is a dog in front door. Camera angle gives unusual perspective. My inspiration comes from fashion photography and allegorical oil paintings.”

Photography category finalist

Ania Mroczkowska – My Alice

“My picture of Alice had been obviously inspired by the magical story by Lewis Carroll especially the part when she enters the world of Queen of Hearts. I used playing cards as a main prop; after many shots where cards weren’t in a right place (my assistant was throwing them) I captured this one where cards created kind of circle – at that moment I knew I have my Alice shot. I wanted this picture to be simple and eye catchy; I hope that I achieved that and after looking at my photograph no one will have a doubt that it is Alice, my Alice…”

Photography category finalist

Jon Davey – Stories Come to Life

“For my competition entry I returned to the originals – Lewis Carroll’s words and John Tenniel’s illustrations. All subsequent interpretations of the story stem from the books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There first published in the mid nineteenth century and therefore my photograph returned to the source and the magical inspiration the words and pictures have provided for generations over almost 150 years. A selection of characters, with Alice herself in the foreground, are seen springing out of the pages of the book. Alice is lit as if in a theatre spotlight and the open book itself resembles a stage, upon which the story unfolds, while in the background a simple teapot becomes a starlit backdrop. Overall the image has an almost timeless connection to the magic of Lewis Carroll’s stories and the world of the imagination.”

Digital Art finalist

Kerry Calder – Curiouser and Curiouser

“I have always been interested in the story of Alice in Wonderland and the most poignant character for me is the Rabbit, he is the one who attracts Alice’s curiosity and leads her into Wonderland. He is symbolic of innocence and the urgency of time, he is a constant reminder to Alice that she must return home and continue to grow up. The clock represents the fears and struggles of adulthood and that it is inevitable, Alice cannot run away from it. I chose to shoot the image of the Rabbit in a new age and dreamlike approach, incorporating oversized clocks to stress the importance that time has within the story. I also chose to use a female model suggesting that the rabbit could have been an alter-ego of Alice within her dreams. The mask helps to create visuals in a candid manner, confirming the subject matter to the viewer.”

Office favourite!

Sophie and Annie Barber – Barbie does Alice!

“We hope you like our photo! We have made the backgrounds, and used Barbie and Bratz dolls as the dancers. We are always putting on Barbie Ballet Productions so this is a fantastic opportunity!”

The winning entries will feature in:

- The Alice programme

- A private exhibition for friends and sponsors of Scottish Ballet

- A virtual exhibition on Scottish Ballet’s website

The overall winner will also receive two tickets to an Alice performance of their choice and a copy of our book Scottish Ballet: Forty Years, and their image will feature in the Scottish Ballet Alice exhibition, to be displayed in the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh.

View the winners here

The Association of Photographers believes that unless the rights of creators are secured and respected as a prerequisite, any growth and innovation will be suffocated.

In November 2010 David Cameron announced yet another review into the intellectual property framework in the UK and specifically how it does or does not support growth and innovation. This review is chaired by Professor Ian Hargreaves and is due to report in April 2011. A public consultation process and Call for Evidence has just closed (Friday 4 March) and The Association of Photographers has submitted its evidence as well as being involved in many round table discussions and meetings with the Review Team and others.

It is an economic necessity that creators’ businesses are viable, sustainable and profitable.

The creative industries contribute about 8% to GDP – more than the banking sector.

Whilst there is not a great deal wrong with current IP legislation in the UK, particularly in relation to Copyright, The Association of Photographers believes that the existing legislation must now be strengthened to protect the rights of creators and to give simple, effective legal redress to those whose rights are infringed.

The Association of Photographers calls for:

•  Equal bargaining power between commissioners/users and suppliers to be facilitated by a change in Unfair Contract Terms legislation to now include IP

•  The UK Government, and the bodies it wholly or partly funds, to set an example by accepting licenses and ending the current widespread practice that takes copyright by assignment and moral rights waivers, from creators

•  Moral Rights legislation to be strengthened to remove (i) the formal assertion requirement for the Attribution Right; (ii) exclusions for the Attribution and Integrity Rights; and (iii) the contractual ability of a waiver to prevent future ‘orphan works’

•  The introduction of effective sanctions against those who purposefully and knowingly strip metadata (identifying data within the work) from photographs to remove traces to their ownership

•  Funding to be made available to aid research into stronger, universal software solutions to input, secure and maintain robust metadata for all types of digital image formats

•  Fewer exceptions to copyright legislation to ensure a better understanding of what is a legitimate use of copyright work

•  A punitive element be introduced into copyright legislation to deter infringements, particularly in the digital domain

• An effective and affordable legal remedy with easy access to be made available in the format of a small claims copyright court, where infringement has taken place

• Mandatory copyright education in schools and Further Education/Higher Education establishments

• A Government-led public-facing copyright and IP rights education campaign

Visit the AOP Website here

Under the theme “Light is my language”, Carl Zeiss encouraged photographers from around the world to illustrate and capture their ideas in exciting images between December 15, 2010 and January 16, 2011. Anyone could participate provided the image was taken with a ZEISS lens. That the expressive forms of light can be so diverse was evident in the numerous submissions with impressive light reflexes, messages in the out-of-focus area of the image (the bokeh), colorful accents created from long exposure times, and the soft glow of barely discernable light. “The three winning images exude both creativity and conscious composition,” says Klottig.

Winner Tim Poulton will receive a ZEISS Makro-Planar T* 2/100 ZF.2. The second-prize winner, Carl de Souza from Great Britain, will take home cinemizer Plus video glasses including a Nokia N8. The third-place winner, Clarence Lam from Singapore, will receive a Sony DSC-TX9 compact camera with ZEISS optics.

View Winners Here

Scott Gray, Managing Director of the World Photography Organisation comments: “We are proud to honour Bruce Davidson at the forthcoming Sony World Photography Awards for his truly outstanding contribution to photography. As a founding member of our World Photographic Academy, Bruce has been part of our family since we first launched the awards. We are thrilled to be awarding a friend and true master of photography.”

In a career spanning more than half a century, Davidson is one of America‟s most distinguished photographers. He joined a circus in 1958, followed a gang in Brooklyn in 1959; chronicled the civil rights movement from 1961 to 1965; documented one neglected block of East Harlem from 1966 to 1968; discovered colour in the NYC Subway in 1980 and explored Central Park from 1992 to 1995.

Bruce Davidson was born in Oak Park, Illinois in 1933. He attended the Rochester Institute of Technology and Yale University. After completing his military service in 1957 he worked as a photographer for Life Magazine and in 1958, Henri Cartier-Bresson invited him to join Magnum Photos. He continues to be an active member.

His work has been exhibited at many major institutions including The Museum of Modern Art, The Smithsonian Museum of American Art, The International Center of Photography, The Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, The Aperture Foundation in New York, and The Foundation Cartier-Bresson in Paris and Tate Modern in London. He has received two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Guggenheim Fellowship, The Lucie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Photography in 2004 and the Gold Medal Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Arts Club in 2007. His photographs have appeared in numerous publications and his prints have been acquired by major museums worldwide. He has also directed three films.

At the age of 77, Davidson continues to lecture, conduct workshops and produce astounding images. He lives in New York City with his wife, Emily.

An exhibition of Bruce Davidson‟s work will be on display in the Terrace Rooms at Somerset House in London from 26 April – 22 May as part of the World Photography Organisation festival. The exhibition, selected by Bruce Davidson with Simon Baker, curator of photography and international art, Tate, will include some of his most famous works from the East 100th Street and Circus collections.

Simon Baker comments: „Bruce Davidson is undoubtedly one of the foremost photographers living today and richly deserves this Outstanding Contribution Award. His work shows the rare combination of absolute commitment to his subjects, and a sophisticated visual sensibility. This is nowhere more evident than in the stunning three-volume catalogue raisonnée of his work Outside Inside, only recently published, but already acknowledged as a landmark publication.‟

Bruce Davidson will also be one of five photographers to take part in the “In the Photographer‟s Studio” series at the World Photography Festival. Hosted by Simon Baker the event, on Tuesday 26 April, will uncover the personal story behind Bruce‟s distinguished career.

Details can be found at www.worldphoto.org

Student Focus has established itself as the world’s most high-profile student photography award and is open to universities worldwide that hold a photography programme.  The 2011 competition attracted entries from over 200 institutions across six continents, increased from 120 in 2010 and grown from just ten European universities  in 2007, its inaugural year.

Created in partnership with the Young Tate Online, Tate’s digital programme for young creatives, this year’s student competition brief was based on the critically acclaimed photographic exhibition EXPOSED at Tate Modern, London. The 2010 Student Focus partnership project represents Tate’s aim to reach beyond the walls of the Tate galleries, working across platforms to engage audiences in new and innovative ways. Students were asked to submit images drawn on themes explored within the exhibition, resulting in a highly impressive shortlist.

Ten burgeoning photographers from each of the shortlisted institutions have now been chosen to take part in the final competition with the winner being announced at an awards ceremony in London on 27 April 2011.  All shortlisted photographers will take part in the World Photography Festival at Somerset House, London.  Students will receive lectures, talks and master classes led by, industry figureheads and Academy members.

Their winning and shortlisted images will also be exhibited as part of the World Photography Festival London.

The ten shortlisted institutions are:

Europe

Finland, Novia University of Applied Sciences, Linda Varoma

France, École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie, Juliette Martin

France, Ecole Nationale Superieure Louis Lumiere, Louis Boulet 

Russia, St Petersburg State University of Film and TV, Nadya Gorodetskaya

UK, London College of Fashion, Nicol Vizioli     

Oceania

Australia, RMIT, Rory Gardiner             

North America

New York, Tisch School of Art, New York University, Jonno Rattman

South America

Argentina, Motivarte, Escuela de Fotografía, Juan Troncoso

Asia

Bangladesh, Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, Tushikur Rahman

Africa/Middle East

South Africa, Tshwane University of Technology, Frank Marshall

The shortlist was selected by a prestigious judging panel from the photographic community including:  Deborah Willis – Chair and Professor of Photography and Imaging at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University; Eder Chiodetto, Curator of  Photography at the Museum of Modern Art of Sao Paulo; Roger Tooth, Head of Photography of The Guardian, The Observer and guardian.co.uk; Simon Norfolk, winner of the Foreign Press Club of America Award and Le Prix Dialogue at Les Rencontres d’Arles and Shizuka Yokomizo, photographer known for her portrait series Strangers and exhibited worldwide.

The brief for the next stage of the competition is ‘Actions speak louder than words’.  The ten shortlisted photographers will be asked to produce a series of images on the subject of actions and movement with Sony Alpha cameras.  They have a month prior to the awards in April to submit their images before they and their tutors fly to London to compete for the 2011 title.  The overall winner will be announced at the Sony World Photography Awards ceremony in London’s Leicester Square Odeon on 27 April where they will be awarded approximately 45,000 Euros worth of Sony digital imaging equipment.

Deborah Willis, judge, comments: “Over the last ten years, I have had the opportunity to imagine notions about the camera experience and the photographic moment through the eyes of student photographers. The opportunity to look at works by students throughout the world was indeed a pleasure and enlightening.  What it means to be Exposed is explored and realized in the finalists category; we see spectacle and the body; pleasure and sexuality represented in studio portraits and street life.  We also image being looked at on subways and through open windows.  Hidden behind these wonderful young photographers works is how fantasy is realized and implied as well as the effects of voyeurism has had on art and journalism.  The pose is revealed as expressive and performative, collapsing ideas about being seen, being looked at and the return of the gaze.  The Student Focus explores everyday life and the imaginary in compelling ways and it was indeed a pleasure to view all of the entries and to identify what it means to be Exposed!”

Ania Wadsworth, World Photography Organisation Student Focus Award Coordinator comments: “The student focus programme continues to engage with hundreds of students of photography worldwide.  Each year, we are continually surprised and delighted with the overwhelming response to the programme and the quality of the work submitted from around the globe.  The international platform for Student Focus is ever expanding, this year we welcome an extra four commended schools to the Festival, alongside the usual six student winners, to further broaden the experience of the students involved and enabling the further reach of communication between the international students, tutors and schools”

Key Dates

World Photography Festival London

Tuesday 26 April – Sunday 1 May

Student Focus winner’s announcement

Wednesday 27 April

The World Photography Organisation

Chris Mole from mid Sussex is the proud winner of £5,000 for his stunning photograph of ‘Swimming in December, Sussex’.

We would like to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to everyone that has participated in this competition. All of the judges were truly outstanded by the fantastic photographs that were submitted.

The Winning image and The Local Winners from the competition can be seen by clicking here

The portrait of Bibi Aisha was also awarded First prize in the category Portraits Singles in this year’s contest. It was shot for Time and was featured on the cover of the 1 August issue of the magazine.

Her winning picture shows Bibi Aisha, an 18-year-old woman from Oruzgan province in Afghanistan, who fled back to her family home from her husband’s house, complaining of violent treatment. The Taliban arrived one night, demanding Bibi be handed over to face justice. After a Taliban commander pronounced his verdict, Bibi’s brother-in-law held her down and her husband sliced off her ears and then cut off her nose. Bibi was abandoned, but later rescued by aid workers and the American military. After time in a women’s refuge in Kabul, she was taken to America, where she received counseling and reconstructive surgery. Bibi Aisha now lives in the US.

Jodi Bieber has previously won eight World Press Photo awards and is only the second South African photographer to win the highest honor in the contest. She is a former participant of the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass where she returned as a master in 2010. Bieber is represented by Institute for Artist Management and Goodman Gallery.

The conclusion of the jury
Jury chair David Burnett said: ‘This could become one of those pictures – and we have maybe just ten in our lifetime – where if somebody says “you know, that picture of a girl…”, you know exactly which one they’re talking about.’

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The shortlist for this year’s Professional competition was selected by the Honorary Judging Committee, comprising world-renowned figures from the international photographic industry including photographers, picture editors, agents and critics. The jury, who came together in London to make their selection, was chaired by the British photography critic Francis Hodgson. The winners will be announced on 27 April.

The 2011 competition has attracted more submissions than ever before, reaching all corners of the globe, with over 105,000 entries from 162 counties. The shortlist includes a number of winners and finalists from previous years including Amit Madheshiya, Peter Frank, Denis Rouvre , Giulio Di Sturco and Tommaso Bonaventura.
Astrid Merget, Creative Director of the World Photography Organisation commented on the Professional award selections: “This has been an extraordinary year for the competition. With the highest number of entries since the awards were founded, we are clearly reaching a vast international community of photographers. Even so, the honorary jury continues to push the level of quality accepted into the shortlist extremely high, selecting only the best. All within the shortlist should certainly be very pleased with their accomplishment.”

Francis Hodgson, Chair of the Honorary Judging Committee, added: “It is remarkable that a suite of awards with such a broad reach produces imagery of such quality, but it does. Submissions came from across the photographic spectrum, and it was obvious that the judging panel would meet a great deal of variety. But we met vigour, too, and that was perhaps less to be expected. It is pleasing to be able to report that the photography we saw was not only made with great photographic skill; it showed great communication skills as well, and that, surely, when all is said and done, is the point.”

In the Professional competition there are 15 categories within the three subject genres: Photojournalism & Documentary (Current Affairs, Contemporary Issues, People, Arts & Culture and Sport); Commercial (Campaign, Travel, Lifestyle, Still Life and Fashion) and Fine Art (Architecture, Portraiture, Landscape, Still Life and Conceptual).
There are ten categories in the Open competition for anyone with an interest in photography. They are: Action, After Dark, Architecture, Arts & Culture, Fashion, Nature & Wildlife, Panoramic, People, Smile and Travel. This year the Open entries were judged by a pre-selection committee of inspectors from iStockphoto. The category winners and the
overall Sony World Photography Awards Open Photographer of the Year will be chosen by the final selection jury comprising Francis Hodgson, Andrew Saunders, Vice President, Creative Imagery, Getty Images; Joseph Jean Rolland Dubé, Vice President, Content Development, iStockphoto; Yann Salmon-Legagneur (Sony Europe Marketing -DSLR) and Paul Genge (Sony UK Technical Marketing – DSLR).

Of the Open competition, Joseph Jean Rolland Dubé, comments: “This is iStock’s third year in reviewing these open entries. The competition is getting more fierce every year and the best images are the epitome of creativity and skill. Congrats to the World Photography Organisation for compelling such amazing entries and let there be such a venue dedicated to raw talent for years to come.”

The Sony World Photography Awards winners will be showcased as part of the World Photography Festival and Exhibitions at Somerset House in London. With an emphasis on creating a social networking and meeting place for photographers, the festival programme, which runs from 26 April to 1 May, promises an eclectic mix of talks, screenings, portfolio reviews, peer critiques and workshops, led by many of our internationally renowned Academy Members. The Sony World Photography Awards winners’ exhibition will stay open until 22 May 2011. Tickets to the festival and exhibition are available via www.worldphoto.org from 4 February 2011.

The winners of the Professional categories will be announced on Thursday 27 April at the Sony World Photography Awards ceremony. For the first time this will be held at the Odeon Leicester Square in London having been in Cannes, France in previous years. Also on the night, the winner of the coveted L’Iris D’Or / Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year, will be announced. They will receive $25,000 and professional Sony camera equipment. The overall winner of the Open competition will receive a $5,000 cash prize as well as Sony camera equipment. The final presentation of the night will be in honour of the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography.
A number of tickets to the Sony World Photography Awards ceremony will be available to the public. Tickets, starting at £22, are available via www.worldphoto.org from 4 February.

Professional shortlisted photographers
In each category the judges could select up to three finalist photographers and up to
seven additional shortlist photographers. From the finalists, the winners plus 2nd and 3rd
place will be chosen and announced at the awards ceremony on 27 April.

Photographers are listed alphabetically.
PHOTOJOURNALISM & DOCUMENTARY
Honorary judging committee: Chair, Elisabeth Biondi (US), Visuals Editor, The New Yorker
Magazine; Pedro Meyer (Mexico), photographer and founder of ZoneZero: Stephen
Mayes (US), Managing Director, VII Photo Agency; Rena Effendi (Azerbaijan), awardwinning
social documentary photographer.

Current Affairs
Finalists:
Javier Arcenillas (Spain)
Robin Hammond (New Zealand) / Panos Pictures
Ahmad Masood, (Afghanistan) / Reuters
Shortlisted:
Filip Daniel (Poland)
William Daniels (France)
Adam Dean (United Kingdom)
Giulio Di Sturco (Italy)
Emiliano Larizza (Italy)
Angelos Tzortzinis (Greece)

Contemporary Issues
Finalists:
Javier Arcenillas (Spain)
Balazs Gardi (Hungary) / basetrack.org
Christian Lutz (Switzerland) / Agence VU
Shortlisted:
David Chancellor (United Kingdom)
Sebastian Liste (Spain)
Anastasia Taylor-Lind (United Kingdom)
Riccardo Venturi (Spain)

People
Finalists:
Alejandro Chaskielberg (Argentina)
Lucia Herrero (Spain)
Denis Rouvre (France)
Shortlisted:
Mathieu Asselin (France)
Jodi Bieber (South Africa)
Tommaso Bonaventura (Italy)
Espen Rasmussen (Norway)
Martin Roemers (Netherlands)
Alnis Stakle (Latvia) / Photographer ru
Hormis Tharakan (India)

Sport
Finalists:
Javier Arcenillas (Spain)
Palmer + Pawel (United Kingdom)
Pavel Wolberg (Israel)
Shortlisted:
Dilip Bhatia (India)
Alexey Bushov (Russian Federation)
Viktor Fischer (Czech Republic)
Radek Kalhous (Czech Republic)
Alex Kudenko (Russian Federation)
Vladimir Pomortsev (Russian Federation)
Bernd Seydel (Germany)

Arts and Culture
Finalists:
Tommaso Bonaventura (Italy)
Amit Madheshiya (India)
Mahesh Shantaram (India)
Shortlisted:
Jacek Świerczyński (Poland)
Fabio Cuttica (Italy)
William Daniels (France)
Radek Kalhous (Czech Republic)
Spencer Murphy (United Kingdom)
Wojciech Grzedzinski Bartek Sadowski (Poland)
Les Slesnick (United States)

COMMERCIAL
Honorary judging committee: Chair, Mike Trow (UK), Photo Editor, British Vogue;
RJ Muna (US), photographer; Terri Manducca (UK), photographers’ agent; Elizabeth
Zeschin (UK), photographer.

Campaign
Finalists:
Richard Bailey (United Kingdom)
Adam Hinton (United Kingdom)
Tomg Meng (China)
Shortlisted:
Kaveh Baghdadchi (Iran)
Helen de Vries (Netherlands)
Helen Doick (Australia)
Fernando Bayona Gonzãlez (Spain)
Anke Luckmann (Germany)
Gustavo Millon (Chile)
Dzmitry Rusak (Belarus)

Travel
Finalists:
Javier Arcenillas (Spain)
Andrew McConnell (Ireland) / Panos Pictures
Liz Loh-Taylor (Australia)
Shortlisted:
Gmb Akash (Bangladesh)
Celia de Coca (Spain)
Charlie Mahoney (United States)
Raza Milani (Iran)
Jehad Nga (United States)
Aga Pajor (Poland)
Helmut Wachtarczyk (Germany)

Lifestyle
Finalists:
Frank Bayh & Steff Rosenberger-Ochs (Germany)
Fabrizio Cestari (Italy)
Saja Seus (Germany)
Shortlisted:
Radek Burda (Czech Republic)
Lukas Maximilian Hueller (Austria)
Tanya Ilina (Russia)
Alessandro Puccinelli (Italy)
Thomas Steuer (Germany)
Zbigniew Szczerbetka (Poland)
Izabela Urbaniak (Poland)

Still Life
Shortlisted:
Joel Devlin (united Kingdom)
Adrian Samson (United Kingdom)
Carsten Klein (Germany)
Alessandro Puccinelli (Italy)
Julia Unkel (Germany)

Fashion
Shortlisted:
Liam Arthur (United Kingdom)
Marcus Bleasdale (Norway)
Patrizia Doubek (United Kingdom)
Martina Giammaria (Italy)
Tobias Hutzler (United States)
Dejan Kutic (Croatia)
Adrian Loh (Singapore)
Elizaveta Porodina (Germany)
Tomasz Slupski (Poland)
Jack Younger (Australia)

FINE ART
Honorary judging committee: Chair, Francis Hodgson (UK) Photo Critic, Financial Times;
Liu Heung Shing (Beijing), Author and Pulitzer Prize winning photographer; Julia Fullerton-
Batten (Germany/UK), an established photographer with a worldwide reputation.

Architecture
Finalists:
Frank + Steff Bayh +Rosenberger-Ochs (Germany)
Frank Meyl (Germany)
Alnis Stakle (Latvia)
Shortlisted:
Marcus Buck (Germany)
Bayerl Günther (Germany)

Portraiture
Finalists:
Alain Willaume (France)
David Kretschmer (Germany)
Paolo Verzone (Italy) / Agence VU
Shortlisted:
Liam Arthur (United Kingdom)
Abel Ruiz de Leon Trespando (Spain)
Bogdan Gîrbovan (Romania)
Kai-Uwe Gundlach (Germany)
Amir Hossein Keihani (Islamic Republic of Iran)
Haylee Lee (Republic of Korea)
Leonardo Liberman (Argentina)

Landscape
Finalists :
Florence Iff (Switzerland)
Guido Castagnoli (Italy) / Periscope-Creative Berlin
Frank Day (United States)
Shortlisted:
Misha Japaridze (Greece)
Alexander Gronsky (Latvia)
Marissa Rocke (United States)
Thomas Steuer (Germany)
Daniel Traub (United States)
Aleksandra Wojcik (United Kingdom)

Still Life
Finalists:
Charles Emerson (United Kingdom)
Peter Franck (Germany)
Renhui Zhao (Singapore)
Shortlisted:
KIrill Golovchenko (Germany)
Olaf Kreinsen (Germany)
Andrzej Maciejewski (Canada)
Goutal / Leriche Vincent / Olivia (France)
Jasper White (United Kingdom)

Conceptual
Finalists:
Ana Cop (Canada)
Zhongyin Gao (China)
Paul Gisbrecht (Germany)
Shortlisted:
Meghan Boody (United States)
Isaac Contreras (Mexico)
Nerea Martinez de Lecea (United Kingdom)
Mark French (United Kingdom)
Vincent Vittecoq (Germany)
Malaïka Weber (Switzerland)

Open shortlisted photographers
In each category judges were able to select up to ten images.

Action
Robert Günthe (Germany)
Chan Kwok Hung (Hong Kong) (two entries)
James Kydd (South Africa)
Federico Modica (Italy)
Anton Mukhametchin (Russian Federation)
Stanislaw Pytel (Poland)
Huu Tri Tran (France)
Alex Goh Chun Seong (Malaysia)
Lee Sie (United States)

After Dark
Aneek Anwar (Bangladesh)
Juergen Buergin (Germany)
Marcos Calamato (United States)
Atle Gaarder (Sweden)
Kostadin Luchansky (Angola)
Chumlong Nilkon (Thailand)
Dael Oates (United States)
Bibek Paul (India)
L. Ranieri Jr)Iberê (Brazil)
Ekaterina Solovieva (Germany)

Architecture
Urs Albrecht (Switzerland)
Rob Cherry (United Kingdom)
Rafal Marcinkiewicz (United Kingdom)
Andras Neiser (Finland)
Alexander Ossia (Germany)
Bjoern Pretzel (Germany)
Marc Siewior (Germany)
Marek Troszczynski (United Kingdom)
Reginald Van de Velde (Belgium)
Wolfgang Weinhardt (Germany)

Arts & Culture
Aislinn Clifford (United Kingdom)
Matt Coppin (Canada)
Hubert Januar (Indonesia)
Veselina Kertikova (China)
Piotr Krysiak (Poland)
Samarendranath Mandal (India)
Javier Martin (Spain)
Susana Righi (Argentina)
Ollie Smith (United Kingdom)
Alam Syah (Indonesia)

Fashion
Marina Adyrkhaeva (Russian Federation)
Gde Wira Brahmana (Indonesia)
Stefania Cruceru (Romania)
Edina Csoboth (Hungary)
Nick FitzPatrick (Australia)
Tomek Jankowski (Poland)
William Lukaitis (Australia)
Kimberley Mennen (Australia)
Jaroslav Svoboda (Czech Republic)
Madalina Toderascu (Romania)

Nature & Wildlife
Alex Bernasconi (Italy)
Antoine Beyeler (Switzerland)
Stephan Fürnrohr (Germany)
Cedric Favero (Switzerland)
Andiyan Lutfi (Indonesia)
Luca Neve (United Kingdom)
Dmitry Miroshnikov (Russian Federation)
Kieran O’Connor (Australia)
Nenad Saljic (Croatia)
Tanja Zech (Germany)

Panoramic
Rana Harfoush (Egypt)
Anton Hazewinkel (China)
Fabian Sixtus Körner (Germany)
Gareth Kingdon (United Kingdom)
David Millard (United Kingdom)
Andrew Scriven (United Kingdom)
Sergiu Sechel (Romania)
Jadranko Silic (Australia)
Ignacio Tejerina (Spain)
Wolfgang Weinhardt (Germany)

People
Danny Cohen (Australia)
Peter Dazeley (United Kingdom)
Paul Dooley (United Kingdom)
Chan Kwok Hung (Hong Kong)
Kal Khogali (Belgium)
Katerina Lomonosov (Israel)
Petar Popovic (Croatia)
Eugene Reshetov (United States)
Raghuranjan Sarkar (India)
Gundega Sundew (Latvia)
Domenico Chiapperini (Netherlands)
James Chong (Singapore)
Pascal Fiechter (Switzerland)
Arup Ghosh (India)
Christoph Herby (Benin)
Martin Hudak (Slovakia)
Prasad Mahale (India)
Carlos Henrique Reinesch (Brazil)
Syaza Mohammed Shakharulain (Malaysia)
Viktorija Vaisvilaite Skirutiene (Lithuania)

Travel
James Chong (Singapore)
Valarie Curty (Switzerland)
Sauro Fiorani (Italy)
David Lazar (Australia)
Yap Wai Leong (Malaysia)
Glenn Losack MD (United States)
Christopher Martin (Canada
Nara Pratama (Indonesia)
Saeed Salem (Saudi Arabia))
Wolfgang Weinhardt (Germany)

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