ASMP’s MSP Squared Event Next Week Is a Unique, 24-Hour In-Person Photo Contest
The American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) is hosting a very special event in Minneapolis on October 23 and 24 called MSP2. 75 photographers will have 24 hours to capture and edit a photo captured in their designated section of Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The MSP Squared event, supported by Adobe and Fujifilm, is part photo contest and part photography community event. While participants will certainly be trying to win prizes, part of the competition’s appeal is meeting fellow photographers. ASMP CEO Thomas Maddrey and COO Melanie Porter will also attend to chat with photographers.
This isn’t ASMP’s first City Squared Event. After a lengthy hiatus following a City Squared event in 2019, ASMP brought the event back last year and again earlier this year.
Unlike a traditional photo contest, ASMP’s City Squared event brings all competitors to the same place and gives them the same 24-hour time limit to create new work. Winning relies on speed, creativity, and serious photographic chops.
Five “Wildcard Squares” are also available for all participants to photograph. These include some of the most popular and beautiful areas in Minneapolis and St. Paul. A trio of Commemorative Squares also marks locations of historical significance in Minneapolis.
Entrants receive a randomized, designated square and then have just 24 hours to explore their area and create their best work. The event includes group editing sessions, food trucks, and live judging to cap it off.
The event offers six main award categories and $10,000 in total prizes. The six main award categories are: Styled Image, Documentary Photography, Portrait, Natural World, Urban Landscape, and Minnesota Nice. A Best In Show photo will be selected from the six first-place category winners.
Title sponsor Adobe also has its own awards, the Adobe Craft Awards. These recognize interesting photographic techniques across all categories, such as photos that creatively used light or shutter speed, or were shot and edited using Lightroom Mobile.
The MSP Squared event starts on October 23 and finishes on the 24th. It is open to all photographers, not just professionals or ASMP members. However, ASMP members do get a discounted entry fee of $89, versus the $119 for non-members. Students can enter for $39, while non-participants can attend the live judging and awards on the 24th for $10. Complete registration and entry info is available on ASMP’s website.
A $24.95 MSP Squared 2026 Photo Book will be available for purchase after the event, featuring all the photographs people enter.
Image creditsASMP. Individual photographers are credited in the image captions.
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