contests

As a photographer, you’ve got plenty of opportunities to gain exposure. Many opt for the social media route, and you should certainly consider creating profiles on at least one platform. Building a website to showcase your work is also a good idea, but have you thought about entering photo contests?

To an up-and-coming photographer or creative, an award win can feel like a make-or-break point in their career. It could be a chance – or THE chance - to be elevated to the next career level, earn the respect of peers, the attention of agents, and attract new clients, with some free PR to boot.

After an extended absence from the online space, veteran photographer Zack Arias is back, and he's offering some advice to photographers who are frustrated that they aren't winning any of the photo contests that they've entered into.

Late Winter and early Spring bring another cycle of photo contest season – that time of year when many major prizes are announced (especially in the photojournalism realm). And with each year brings another round of punditry regarding the value of photo contests and an almost inevitable controversy regarding the winners.

In recent years I’ve been privileged to be on the jury for a whole range of photography competitions. These include single image competitions such as WPS International Excellence Awards, Masters of Wedding Photography, and the Irish wedding photography awards (In association with Learning to Fly).

I'm Allen Murabayashi, the co-founder of PhotoShelter. We recently launched our Guide to Photo Contests 2019, an annual look at contests around the world that we think are worth your consideration. Here's an excerpt from this year’s guide that looks at the sometimes controversial world of contests.

In a break from the past, World Press Photo (WPP) released the short list of finalists in advance of naming the winners to their annual contest – arguably the most prestigious in all of photojournalism. The photos are remarkable for their composition, exposure, and intimacy. But judging by the subject matter one might surmise that we’re living in a hellish dystopia, or that the jury believes pain and suffering is the most valid form of photojournalism.

I had the honor of getting to judge a recent international wedding photography contest for Fearless Photographers, a great organization I’ve been a part of for the last few years. Fearless contests run several times a year and typically receive thousands (if not tens of thousands) of entries from around the world. There is no quota to meet for Fearless judges, so if an image is awesome, it gets an award. The judging is incredibly selective, and seems to get more selective with each round.

Shaofeng Xu’s photo of a protestor climbing a high-voltage electricity tower won Honorable Mention in the Contemporary Issues category of the World Press Photo 2012 contest.

Photo editor Michael Davis on why clichés win photo contests: I think one …