The 2009 Travel Photographer of the Year competition opens for entries

Entries are now open for the 2009 international Travel Photographer of the Year competition (TPOTY). This year’s competition has more categories and awards than ever, giving amateur and professional photographers worldwide even more chances to win great prizes, and the prestige of winning a TPOTY title.

With a new sponsor line-up, the TPOTY prize package is impressive. TPOTY 2009 winners will go to some highly photogenic locations, traveling to China, Costa Rica and Morocco with Intrepid Travel and to Slovakia’s Tatra Mountains with Mountain Paradise.

They’ll also receive some great equipment prizes. These include an Apple MacBook Pro 15″ with Aperture 2, 26” NEC Spectra View monitor, Wacom Cintiq 12WX interactive pen display and new Intuos4 pen tablets, Adobe CS4 Web Premium, Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom software, a total of £1,000 to spend with Jacobs Digital Photo & Video, Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio books, HARMAN PHOTO and ILFORD PHOTO paper, prints and darkroom products, LEE filters, Lexar CF cards and card readers, Photo Iconic photo courses, and £300 to spend with Linhof Studio.

TPOTY 2009 features three portfolio categories – Homeland, Natural Wonders and People of the World, and a One Shot category, on the theme Festival, Fiesta and Celebration. In addition, it features New Talent, the award for those who want to start a photographic career, the First Shot beginners’ single image category, and Young TPOTY (for kids with cameras)

Entry is via print submission or online image upload, and entries close on September 22nd, 2009. Entry fees start at £10, and entry to Young TPOTY is free.

About Travel Photographer of the Year

Founded in 2003, Travel Photographer of the Year is run by photographers for photographers. In 2008 alone, entries were received from amateur, semi-professional and professional photographers in over 60 countries. To date, the youngest entrant in the awards was aged 5, the oldest aged 88.

TPOTY winning and highly-placed images have been exhibited at the London Eye, at Focus on Imaging at the NEC, at the Exposure Gallery in London and at the Daily Telegraph Adventure Travel and Cruise shows, and are published in the ‘Journey’ series of books.

Awards, categories and prizes in detail

Overall winner – the Travel Photographer of the Year 2009

To be eligible for the title of Travel Photographer of the Year 2009, entrants need to submit images in two of the three portfolio categories. The winner will receive the latest 15” Apple MacBook Pro with Aperture 2 software, and travel to the Tatra Mountains of Slovakia with Mountain Paradise, where they’ll be able to photograph unspoiled landscapes, majestic waterfalls and emerald-coloured lakes set against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains. Their prize also includes the latest Adobe Photoshop CS4 Web Premium software suite, a beautiful, personalised, Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio book to showcase their images, the latest Wacom Intuos4 S pen tablet, a 16GB Lexar Professional UDMA 300x CF card and Professional UDMA Dual Slot Card Reader, plus a 40” x 30” ILFORD Lightjet silver gelatin print of one of their winning images.

Young Travel Photographer of the Year

Open to photographers aged 16 and under, Young TPOTY challenges youngsters to put together a portfolio of four images on the theme ‘A Place I Love’. The winner will receive private photo tuition with Photo Iconic, Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom, an 8GB Lexar Professional CF card and reader, and a Wacom Bamboo Fun pen tablet. Four runners-up will each receive a 4GB Lexar Professional CF card plus Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 & Premiere Elements 7.

New Talent: A Traveller’s Tale

This is the category for amateur or semi-professional photographers who are looking to start a career in photography – and winning it could also give a great boost to a photographic student. They need to construct their own Traveller’s Tale, on any subject they choose, in four images. The winner travels to the Tatra Mountains Photography Centre for a photography course in Slovakia with Mountain Paradise and Photo Iconic, receives Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom plus a £300 spend with Linhof Studio, Plastic Sandwich personalised leather portfolio book, and an 8GB Lexar Professional CF card and reader. And they’ll have their images showcased in the Travel Shooters Photographers’ Showcase online.

The runner-up, Highly Commended and Commended entrant in this category each win a 4GB Lexar Professional CF card.

Portfolio category: Homeland

To prove that you don’t have to clock up the air miles to take great travel images, this category requires entrants to shoot a portfolio of four images that captures the essence of the country they live in. The winner will take in the grand cities, archaeological wonders, lush riverside scenery and beauty of China with Intrepid Travel, and receive a Wacom Intuos4 M pen tablet, plus an 8GB Lexar Professional CF card and reader.

The second-placed entrant will win a 4GB Lexar CF card, plus £250 worth of LEE Filters, while Highly Commended and Commended entrants receive a 4GB Professional Lexar CF card.

Best Single Image, Homeland portfolio category

Every year the TPOTY judges spot some outstanding individual images within the portfolio categories. The photographer whose image is chosen as the best Homeland shot will win Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom, £200 to spend at Jacobs Digital Photo & Video, plus a 40” x 30” ILFORD Lightjet silver gelatin print of their image.

Portfolio category: Natural Wonders

This is the category for the wildlife and landscape photographers, requiring them to submit four stunning images that portray the natural wonders of this planet. The winner will explore the colonial streets, lush cloud forests and white sand, Pacific coastline of Costa Rica with Intrepid Travel. They’ll be able to review their images on a 26” NEC SpectraView® high-end professional widescreen LCD monitor, and also receive an 8GB Lexar Professional CF card and reader.

The second-placed entrant will win a 4GB Lexar Professional CF card, plus £250 worth of LEE Filters, while Highly Commended and Commended entrants receive a 4GB Lexar Professional CF card.

Best Single Image, Natural Wonders portfolio category

The photographer whose image is chosen as the best Natural Wonders shot will win Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom, £200 to spend at Jacobs Digital Photo & Video, plus a 40” x 30” ILFORD Lightjet silver gelatin print of their image.

Portfolio category: People of the World

Wherever we travel, it’s often the people we see that fascinate us the most, so in this category entrants need to produce a portfolio of four images that shows some of the people they’ve encountered on their travels. The winner will travel to Morocco with Intrepid Travel, where they can enjoy the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, the sands of the Sahara, the medieval old town of Fes and the spice markets of Marrakech. And they’ll receive a versatile Wacom Cintiq 12WX interactive pen display and an 8GB Lexar Professional CF card and reader.

The second-placed entrant will win a 4GB Professional Lexar CF card, plus £250 worth of LEE Filters, while Highly Commended and Commended entrants receive a 4GB Lexar Professional CF card.

Best Single Image, People of the World portfolio category

The photographer whose image is chosen as the best People of the World shot will win Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom, £200 to spend at Jacobs Digital Photo & Video, plus a 40” x 30” ILFORD Lightjet silver gelatin print of their image.

One Shot category: Festival, Fiesta & Celebration

Capturing the colour and spectacle of a festival or fiesta in just one incredible image isn’t an easy task. The successful photographer will receive Adobe Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom software, £400 to spend with Jacobs Digital Photo & Video, £200 worth of HARMAN / ILFORD products, and an 8GB Lexar Professional CF card and reader.

The runner-up, Highly Commended and Commended entrant in this category each win a 4GB Lexar Professional CF card.

First Shot: Postcards from Anywhere

This is for adults who are new to photography and for images taken on a mobile phone, compact camera or basic SLR or DSLR. They need to take a shot that they’d choose to send as a postcard to a friend – one single image which sums up a place or an occasion. Five winners will receive a Photo Iconic course or image critique sessions and also win Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Premiere Elements 7.

Five runners-up in this category receive Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Premiere Elements 7.

Competition Link / Set Reminder

Wanderlust are now inviting entries for this year’s edition of the UK’s longest-running amateur photography competition. This year, there are two categories:

Amateur – open to amateur photographers only. Photographs may be submitted for one or more of the following categories: People; Wildlife; Landscape; Travel Icons

Portfolio – open to amateur and professional photographers. Photographs may be submitted for one of the following categories: People; Wildlife; Landscape; Travel Icons. We’re after a set of five eye-catching images, all themed to fit one of the four categories.

As always, we have fantastic prizes up for grabs for this year’s winners. The Mexico Tourist Board and British Airways will whisk the top photographer (and a companion) in each of the four amateur categories to the wave-lapped shores, Mayan delights and dusty badlands of Mexico, on a mission to capture some of its magic.

The winner of the Portfolio category will walk away with £5,000.

The Amateur competition is free to enter; the Portfolio competition has an entry fee of £10.

The winners and short-listed entrants will see their images printed in Wanderlust and The Independent, and exhibited at Destinations 2009, the UK’s top holiday and travel show. There are also great Nikon cameras to be won.

Sound good? Then get snapping!

THE CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES FOR THE 2008 COMPETITION IS 1 DECEMBER 2008

NEW CATEGORY ALERT!
This year, alongside the People, Wildlife and Landscape categories, we’ve introduced a new theme. The fourth category will be Travel Icons – classic shots of places, events and people that have achieved an iconic visual status in the world of travel. Whether its an original shot of Machu Picchu, a cowboy riding across the US plains or sari-shopping women in an Indian market, these shots should sum up the essence of the destination.

Competition Link / Set Reminder

In 1999, British publisher Hodder Headline (now Hachette Livre) held a global photographic competition called M.I.L.K. (Moments of Intimacy, Laughter and Kinship). Inspired by the 1950s landmark photographic exhibition, ‘The Family of Man’, M.I.L.K. began as an epic global search to find unique and geographically diverse images on the themes of friendship, family and love. It was not only the richest in photographic history, but also one of the most significant, drawing participation from 17,000 professional and amateur photographers in 164 countries. In total over 40,000 images were received by M.I.L.K., including at least four Pulitzer Prize winners. The 300 winning images were chosen by the Chief Judge, Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt, and were the basis for three books entitled Family, Friendship and Love and an international touring exhibition launched at New York’s Grand Central Terminal in 2001.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the original M.I.L.K. competition, M.I.L.K. Licensing, again in association with Elliott Erwitt, is conducting a new competition founded on the themes of friends, families, lovers and laughter to create a new collection of 150 images. The 150 winning images will be published in a new book entitled Fresh M.I.L.K.: Friends, Families, Lovers & Laughter in Fall 2009, and on selected licensed products.

We are seeking outstanding images that capture authentic, spontaneous and humorous moments shared between friends, families and lovers around the world. The judges will select images on the basis of the following:

Images that celebrate friendship, family and love.
Images that tell stories and convey real emotion.
Images that evoke a humorous response.
Technical quality.

The Prizes

The total prize pool is US$125,000 made up as follows:

One Grand Prize winner will receive US$50,000; All 150 winners, including the Grand Prize winner, will receive US$500 for each winning image.

All prize money will be treated as a non-refundable advance against future royalty earnings. Photographers will retain copyright in their images but in order to become prize winners they must grant M.I.L.K. a 10-year non-exclusive licence for the use of their image in book publications and selected licensed products in exchange for ongoing royalty payments. All 150 winners will share equally in royalty income which will be reported, and any monies owing paid, annually.

The competition closes on 31 December 2008

Competition Link / Set Reminder

Enter the WeSay Best of Citizen Photojournalism Photo Contest.

Unlike some other photo contests online, this one is free. You can win a real prize – one of THREE Apple iPhones for the grand prizes, one of three gift certificates for $100, $75 and $25 from Photographer’s Warehouse or a $68.95 Photo Book from dotPhoto. There will also be several Editor’s Choice awards issued. In addition, amateur photographers will be considered for publication on the homepage of the news site – WeSay.

Our photo contest has plenty of categories for everyone – six in all. And you retain complete ownership of the photos you submit to WeSay. So get out there, capture some great photos and enter them to win before the contest ends Oct. 17.

Read the six category descriptions below and enter your photos today for a chance to secure a place in online news history…

News: Enter any news-related photograph.
Special Category: Community activism. Is there a pothole swallowing cars in your town? A dilapidated building that gives the area a worn-down image? Give us a photo of something that you think gives your town a black eye and needs to be fixed.

Politics: Enter any politically-related photograph.
Special Category: Political rallies. This is politics at the grass roots level. Who’s holding a rally in your town? Are they McCain or Obama supporters? How about a local candidate for commissioner or some other office? Take some photos and give them some coverage.
  
Environment: Enter any environmentally-related photograph.
Special Category: Who’s going green? Here’s an opportunity to spotlight someone in your town who is doing something to improve the environment. Are they installing solar panels? Driving a hybrid? Send us a photo and make them feel good for what they are doing to help solve global warming one person at a time.

Sports: Enter any sports-related photograph.
Special Category: Summer sports. It’s summer. It’s hot. Who in your town is out there playing sports in the summer heat? Give us some shots of local athletes of all ages who love to sweat and are active during the summer months.

Celebs: Enter any celebrity-related photograph.
Special Category: Local musicians. We’ve all seen thousands of photos of the big names acts from Britney Spears to Bruce Springsteen. What about the musicians in your town who are struggling to make a living and perhaps break out into the mainstream? Time to give them some recognition.

Far Out: Enter any far-out photograph.
Special Category: Weird pets. They say pets are a reflection of their owner. Do you know some people who own weird pets? How about people who dress up their pets? Here’s a chance to get your own or someone else’s pet in the news.

You may not enter or win if you are a professional photographer.  WeSay considers you to be a professional photographer if you make more than 50 percent of your income from photography.

Competition Link / Set Reminder

We’re looking for YOUR Summer Music Moment! Show us the crowds! Show us the artists! We’re looking for the moments, the music, the scene through your eyes.

Billboard and PDN have joined forces to produce the first annual SUMMER MUSIC MOMENT photography contest, the ultimate music photography contest for amateur shooters. The SUMMER MUSIC MOMENT photography contest is the premium source for music lovers and photographers alike.

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
- Performance
- Crowd
- Place
- Spontaneous Moment
There will also be one grand prize winner overall.

Amateur Prizes
Grand Prize: $1,000 cash, an iMac 24 inch 3ghz with photoshop, a point and shoot camera, published on Billboard.com and in a September 2008 issue of Billboard Magazine.
First Place in Each Category: A digital camera, published on Billboard.com and and in a September 2008 issue of Billboard Magazine.
Fan’s Favorite: (professional and amateur categories will be combined. There will be ONE winner) A digital camera, Billboard and PDN-branded items, published online.

Amateur Fees
Single Entry: $15 per image
Series: $20 per series

Professional Prizes
Grand Prize: A professional D-SLR Camera, image(s) published in a September 2008 issue of Billboard Magazine and a one-year subscription to Billboard. Winning images will be published in the December 2008 issue of Photo District News and online.
First Place in Each Category: A digital camera, image(s) published in a September 2008 issue of Billboard Magazine and a one-year subscription to Billboard. Winning images will be published in the December 2008 issue of Photo District News and online.
Fan’s Favorite: (professional and amateur categories will be combined. There will be ONE winner) A digital camera, Billboard and PDN-branded items, published online.

Professional Fees
Single Entry: $35 per image
Series: $50 per series
Students: $20

A professional photographer:
- Earns more than 50 percent of his or her income from photographic sales.
- Is a member of such professional photo organizations as the National Press Photographers Association.
- Publishes photographs in books, magazines, newspapers, or online regularly.

International entries can be submitted.

Photos must be shot between May 1st 2007 (last year) and the deadline.

Competition Link / Set Reminder

World in Focus – The Ultimate Travel Photography Contest. Brought to you by National Geographic Traveler & Photo District News.

Amateur Photography Contest
GRAND PRIZE
15-day trip for two to Antarctica aboard the National Geographic Endeavour.
FIRST PRIZE
5-day trip for two to The Cliffs Preserve in Patagonia, Chile.
SECOND PRIZE
6-day cruise for two on a Maine Windjammer Schooner.
THIRD PRIZE
7-day Photography Workshop for one in Oaxaca, Mexico.
SEVEN MERIT PRIZES
Nikon Coolpix P60 Camera and a Bogen Prize Package, including a National Geographic Tundra Monopod, a National Geographic Tundra Tripod with 3-way head, and an Earth Explorer Medium Shoulder Bag.
BONUS AWARDS
Winning images will be featured in the January/February 2009 edition of National Geographic Traveler, and displayed at the World in Focus Gallery Exhibit at PhotoPlus Expo October 23-25, 2008, in New York. All winning images will also be featured on the World in Focus Contest website, and the National Geographic Traveler website. In addition, winners will receive a one-year subscription to Photo District News.
ENTRY FEES
$12 per entry
Deadline: August 21, 2008. Pay $10 additional per entry for an extended deadline of September 8.

Professional Photography Contest
GRAND PRIZE
Free tuition for a 6-day professional photography workshop for one in Santa Fe, New Mexico. One Nikon D-80 Digital SLR (body only) or equivalent. Expedition Carbon Fiber Tripod NGET2, Edpedition Hydrostatic Head NGEH1, Large Backpack NG5737, A PDN PhotoServe porfolio.
EACH CATEGORY WINNER
One D-60 Kit (including 18-55mm VR lens), Tundra Photo/Video Tripod NGTT2, Med Shoulder Bag NG2475, PDN PhotoPlus Expo Gold Pass
BONUS AWARD
Winning images will be features in a special winners gallery in PDN’s February 2009 issue, online at pdnonline.com, and select winners will be displated at the World In Focus Gallery at PDN PhotoPlus Expo.
ENTRY FEES
$35 per entry
Deadline: August 21, 2008. Pay $10 additional per entry for an extended deadline of September 8.

Categories
Travel Portraits – People in their environment, celebrations, parades, and ceremonies.
Outdoor Scenes – Landscapes, wildlife, underwater, and aerials.
Sense of Place – Cityscapes, towns, villages that suggest a feeling or place.
Spontaneous Moments – Photos that capture fun, quirky, unpredictable moments.
Photo Essay – Up to six images that convey a story around a particular theme.

Definition of a professional photographer:
* Earns more than 50 percent of his or her income from photographic sales.
* Is a member of such professional photo organizations as the National Press Photographers Association.
* Publishes photographs in books, magazines, newspapers, or online regularly.

Competition Link / Set Reminder

The focus of this year’s expanded competition is travel with winners sharing more than $70,000 worth of prizes from major sponsors including Abercrombie & Kent, Tarraleah Lodge, Nikon, SanDisk, AsukaBook, Asus and Vibe hotels. As well as a bigger prize pool, we’ve extended the opportunities for photographers – both professional and amateur – to be recognised for their exceptional work.

Finalists in all categories will also be part of an end of year winners’ exhibition with photos and video presented by Pixel Perfect Prolab. A selection of the winners’ images and stories will feature in the Australian Traveller magazine, be displayed in the stunning RovingEye coffeetable book by Asukabook and have the opportunity to be represented by RovingEye.

Winners this year will vie for two magnificent experiences from Abercrombie & Kent and Tarraleah Lodge in Tasmania. The winner of the newly introduced Single Shot category will take part in a trip-of-a-lifetime with A&Ks Turtle Rescue program, a seven day 5-star experience in Queensland’s Cape York region. The Lodge at Tarraleah has just recently been voted one of the 65 top new resorts by Conde Nast UK. The winner of the Photo Essay category will not only take home the sensational Nikon D300 DSLR but will spend five nights, all inclusive, lapping up the luxurious surrounds set in the heart of Tasmania’s wilderness area.

RovingEye believes in encouraging new talent and supporting the industry and the search for Young Australian Photographer of the Year does just that. The overall winner will take home a Nikon D60 DSLR with an AF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED II lens. The winner will choose a Vibe hotel in any Australian capital city to spend five nights shooting the urban life of the city, which will be feature in the Australian Traveller magazine. To be judged by Alan Davies, the curator of the State Library of NSW, this is the ideal opportunity to be seen and judged by the best, to fast-track a young career and to be part of this exclusive community of winners.

RovingEye’s 2008 Expose your World photo competition is setting new benchmarks in providing opportunities to profile the works of known photographers and unearthing new talent both here and around the globe.  It’s a company on the move, and it wants to take as many talented photographers, writers and filmmakers along with them for the ride! 

Photography categories:

Photo Essay
- Australian Story
- A Traveller’s Tale
- Environmental Issue

Single Shot
- People
- Place
- Event

Young Australian Photographer of the Year
- People
- Place
- Event

Entry Fees:
Photo Essay (open category). $A20.00 per entry. No limit on entries
Single shot (open category). $A20.00 per entry. No limit on entries
Young Australian Photographer of the Year (aged 21 or under). FREE. Limit 10 entries

Copyright:
Entrants retain all copyrights and other equivalent rights to entered photographs. RovingEye reserves the permanent, non-exclusive right to publish, reproduce, display, distribute, and show on screen any winning photographs on websites, in photo exhibitions, tradeshows, or any other media which is under their management for the purpose of promoting the contest.

Competition Link / Set Reminder

The 2008 Travel Photographer of the Year competition is now open for entries, giving amateur and professional photographers worldwide the chance to win superb prizes and gain international exposure for their photography.

There are three portfolio categories – Life, Call of the Wild and Joy of Travel – a One Shot category, Destination Anywhere, and Young TPOTY. For the first time, this year TPOTY has introduced a new category, First Shot: Wish You Were Here, for less experienced photographers, and three special £1,000 awards for the Best Single Image in a Portfolio.

This year’s prizes include a place on the 2009 High & Wild Everest Skydive Expedition and fascinating Intrepid Travel trips to India and Cuba and to see the mountain gorillas of Uganda. TPOTY 2008 prizes also offer a chance to get into fine art photography with a large format Linhof Technorama panoramic camera, Adobe professional imaging software, Wacom interactive pen displays and pen tablets, photographic and digital imaging tuition from Iridius and PhotoIconic, Lee filters, Lexar Professional CompactFlash cards and Dual-slot USB card readers, and Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio books. And the winners and other highly-ranked photographers will see their images feature in the new Travel Photographer of the Year book, Journey Three.

TPOTY organiser, Chris Coe, said, “Over the last five years TPOTY has established the very highest standards. Whilst maintaining these standards we are also looking to help less experienced photographers, so we’ve introduced First Shot. This is a new single image category for images taken on basic SLRs, compact cameras and mobile phones, with tuition-based prizes designed to encourage these photographers and to help them improve their photography.

“2008 also sees the introduction of awards for the best single images entered in the portfolio categories. Every year we see strong images in the non-winning portfolios, so these awards recognise this and reward great photography whilst still challenging photographers to test their skills at shooting and putting together a portfolio.

“It will surprise many people that we are offering a film camera as part of the top prize. However, we receive about half our entries shot on film, and the Linhof is no ordinary camera, giving photographers the chance to shoot high quality, fine art images in the challenging panoramic format.”

CATEGORIES AND PRIZES IN DETAIL

Overall winner
The photographer with the best entries in two separate portfolio categories will become Travel Photographer of the Year 2008 and win an amazing prize. They will receive a Linhof Technorama panoramic camera and join High & Wild on the Everest Skydive expedition in 2009. They will be part of the ground crew on this unique adventure, as the world’s elite skydivers dive amongst some of the world’s highest mountains, giving the award-winning photographer unrivaled opportunities to shoot outstanding and unusual images in the Himalayas with the Linhof. They will also receive Adobe CS3 Web + Lightroom software, a personalised Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio book and £250 worth of Lee Filters, to enable them to take their images to even greater heights.

Call of the Wild Portfolio
The winner of this category will answer the call of the wild as they join Intrepid Travel on a Gorilla Encounter in Uganda and Kenya, seeing the magical mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. They will also receive a Wacom Intuos3 A5 Wide pen tablet, Adobe Photoshop CS3 + Lightroom and a beautiful Plastic Sandwich leather portfolio book. The runner-up wins a 4GB Lexar Professional 300x UDMA CompactFlash card and Dual-slot USB card reader plus £250 to spend on Lee Filters, while the 3rd and 4th-placed entrants each receive a 4GB Lexar Professional 300x UDMA CompactFlash card and Dual-slot USB card reader.

Joy of Travel Portfolio
The winner of this category will join Intrepid Travel on a ‘Slowly Down the Ganges’ trip along India’s legendary river and receive a Wacom Cintiq 12WX Interactive Pen Display and Adobe Photoshop + Lightroom software. The runner-up wins a 4GB Lexar Professional 300x UDMA CompactFlash card and Dual-slot USB card reader plus £250 to spend on Lee Filters, while the 3rd and 4th-placed entrants each receive a 4GB Lexar Professional 300x UDMA CompactFlash card and Dual-slot USB card reader.

Life Portfolio
The winner of this category will join Intrepid Travel on a ‘Rum and Rumba’ trip to discover the best of Cuba and receive a Wacom Cintiq 12WX Interactive Pen Display and Adobe Photoshop + Lightroom software. The runner-up wins a 4GB Lexar Professional 300x UDMA CompactFlash card and Dual-slot USB card reader plus £250 to spend on Lee Filters, while the 3rd and 4th-placed entrants each receive a 4GB Lexar Professional 300x UDMA CompactFlash card and Dual-slot USB card reader.

Best Portfolio Image Awards
The photographers with the best individual images in the three portfolio categories (not necessarily the photographers with the winning portfolios) will each win £1,000.

Destination Anywhere
A one shot category for those great individual travel shots. The winner of this category receives £1,000, plus Adobe Photoshop CS3 + Lightroom software. The runner-up and the 3rd and 4th-placed entrants each win a 4GB Lexar Professional 300x UDMA CompactFlash card and Dual-slot USB card reader.

First Shot, Wish You Were Here
A new single image category for less experienced amateur photographers aged 17 and above. Photographers submitting entries for this particular category will, for the first time in the competition’s history, be able to submit images taken on a mobile phone. The ten top-scoring entrants in this category will each take part in a PhotoIconic Shoot, Edit, Print three-day photography course, receiving intensive photographic and digital imaging tuition from TPOTY judge and professional photographer, Chris Coe, and Adobe Photoshop expert Terry Steeley of Iridius.

Young TPOTY, Journey
For photographers aged 16 and under. The Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2008 will take part in a PhotoIconic Shoot, Edit, Print three-day photography course, and will receive Photoshop Elements + Premier Elements +Lightroom and a Wacom Bamboo Fun Medium pen tablet. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th-placed Young TPOTY entrants will each win a 4GB Lexar Professional 300x UDMA CompactFlash card and Dual-slot USB card reader.

Entry dates and entry fees
Further information and entry forms are available from the website. The competition closes on September 9th. Entry costs £10 for a single image category and £15 for a portfolio category, and entry to Young TPOTY is free.

TPOTY background
Travel Photographer of the Year was launched in 2003, and rapidly became one of the world’s most prestigious photographic competitions. Entries are received from amateur and professional photographers in over 60 countries every year. The prize packages always combine imaginative travel and the latest photographic equipment. The overall winner of TPOTY 2007, Cat Vinton, is currently preparing for her High & Wild prize trip to Dharamsala, India, where she will photograph the Dali Lama.

Copyright
“TPOTY does not make any claim whatsoever on the copyright of YOUR images. The copyright will, at all times, be retained by the photographer and, where an image or images are reproduced by TPOTY, the photographer will be credited. The organisers and sponsors reserve the right to free reproduction and exhibition of entered images in all media, but only in connection with this competition. Where image reproduction is unrelated to the competition then a fee will be agreed with the photographer in advance.”

Competition Link / Set Reminder

The campaign “Cultures on my street”
How many times have you walked down a street in your neighbourhood and wondered just how so many different people came to live together in this particular place? Everyone has a story. Now that the borders within Europe are fading, people from an even greater mix of cultures and backgrounds are coming together, mingling their voices in an ever growing dialogue of their unique stories and experiences.

The competition
As Europe grows together in its diversity, the European Commission challenges YOU to capture your vision of intercultural dialogue and share it with the world in the competition “Cultures on my street”. All European residents, regardless of age or origins, are invited to participate. It’s as easy as grabbing your camera and stepping outside the front door.

Your photo
Inspiration for the theme could be found in the fields of education, religion, migration, science, culture, minority groups or youth. And remember, there are no borders to your imagination, so feel free to explore the possibility of retouching and editing your photos, or making photo collages and montages.

Voting and winning
Everyone who visits the official competition website has the chance to cast their vote for the photo they feel best captures the idea of Intercultural Dialogue. So after you’ve submitted your photos, tell all of your friends and family to check out your work … and vote you to the top!

A jury made up of established artists, leaders on intercultural dialogue issues and representatives of the European Commission will also select three photographers, recognising the creativity and technical quality of the photos, as well as the photographers’ ability to portray the theme of intercultural dialogue. The jury will review all submissions and select the winning entries at the end of June.

The prizes
Your photos could be used in materials that will encourage people from different cultures across Europe to breakdown the barriers of communication and start a meaningful conversation. And did we mention that you could also win fabulous prizes?

As if being able to share your creative masterpieces with the world was not enough, you could also have the chance to win one of the following, fabulous prizes!

Jury selected winners
The 1st prize is a professional digital EOS 5D camera from Canon with a 24 -105mm zoom lens. The first prize winner will also be rewarded with a trip to three European capital cities (2 days per city, for 6 days in total).
(The first prize has an equivalent value of approx. €5,000)
The 2nd prize is a professional digital D300 camera by Nikon with a 18-200 zoom lens. The winner of the second prize will receive a trip through two European capital cities (2 days per city, for 4 days in total).
(Second prize has an equivalent value of approx. €3,000)
The 3rd prize is a digital K10 D camera by Pentax with a 18-55 mm zoom lens and 55-200mm zoom lens, along with a two-day trip to one capital city in Europe.
(Third prize has an equivalent value of approx. €2,000)

Public’s Favourite award winner
The winner of the online voting will win a professional digital E3 camera by Olympus with a 14-54 zoom lens. The winner of “the Public’s Favourite award” will also be rewarded with a trip to three European capital cities (2 days per city, for 6 days in total).
(The prize has an equivalent value of approx. €5,000)

All winners will also be invited to the official competition awards ceremony, which will take place in September 2008.

The competition is open to all EU residents.

Competition Link / Set Reminder

The Geographical Photographer of the Year 2007

Enter your best shots to win a £10,000 trip to Zambia, a £5,000 trip to Dubai and Oman or an Olympus Camera

Winning photographs will be published in a future issue of Geographical, while a selection of the best images will be showcased at a special exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society from 3 to 7 March next year.

Closing date for entries: 16 November 2007

Categories:

People and culture
From customs to people in their environment, your photograph should capture the essence of people from across the globe.

Travel
We want to see images that depict your travel adventures – either a destination or form of transport.

Wildlife
From deepest Africa to your back garden, your photograph should capture animals in the wild or animal conservation efforts.

Environmental issues
Renewable energy, polluted cities – we want to see humanity’s effect on the environment, as well as attempts to conserve it.

Landscape
Show us the wonders of the natural world, from desert dunes to mighty forests.

Expeditions and fieldwork
Your photographs should show evidence of geographical fieldwork – aid work, teaching in schools and research.

First prize: a £10,000 12-day Zambian safari
Second prize: a £5,000 ten-day trip to Dubai and Oman, courtesy of Hilton Hotels
All category winners: will receive an Olympus camera

Each photograph must be submitted as an A4 print.

Competition Link / Set Reminder