The International Aperture Awards is Running the World’s Richest On-Line Photographic Competition With a Total Prize Pool of USD$200,000 and a Massive USD$100,000 for the Winning Image! Early Entry Fee is $250 during September, Regular Entry Fee $290. Online Entries Open Monday 1st September and Close Wednesday 29th of October.

The International Aperture Awards on-line photography competition is open to ALL professional and aspiring photographers, photographic students and anyone with a hidden gift for capturing a winning photograph. Enter up to four images from the following categories for your chance to win – People and Portrait; Sport; Landscape; Science and Nature; Commercial/Advertising; Abstract/Illustrative; Photojournalism/Press.

In addition, there will be a People’s Choice Award so everyone can become involved, photographers and viewers alike. The Entry voted the People’s Choice will receive USD$10,000 and four (4) Voters in the People’s Choice Award, selected at random, will each receive USD$1,000.

A team of a 100 international industry professionals will judge the photos. Along with an overall winner, the top five entries from each category will be selected and the following prizes awarded:  USD$6,000 (1st prize), USD$3,000 (2nd prize), USD$1,000 (3rd prize), USD$500 (4th Prize), USD$250 (5th Prize). And for the photographers just outside the winners circle, there are internationally recognized Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze merit awards to be earned for high scoring images.

If you think you have what it takes to capture a winning photograph, get your entries in on-line from September 1st till October 29th 2008.  The entry fee is USD$250 throughout September (the early bird special) and then rises to USD$290 during October.

Competition Link / Set Reminder

Small World is regarded as the leading forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope. For over 30 years, Nikon has rewarded the world’s best photomicrographers who make critically important scientific contributions to life sciences, bio-research and materials science.

The Nikon Small World Competition is open to anyone with an interest in photography through the microscope. Truly international in scope, entries have been received from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Winners have included both professionals and hobbyists.

The subject matter is unrestricted and any type of light microscopy technique is acceptable, including phase contrast, polarized light, fluorescence, interference contrast, darkfield, confocal, deconvolution, and mixed techniques. Entries submitted to Nikon are then judged by an independent panel of experts who are recognized authorities in the area of photomicrography and photography. These entries are judged on the basis of originality, informational content, technical proficiency and visual impact.

Winners will receive one of 20 prizes, sorted according to rank in the competition. First prize is $3,000 toward the purchase of Nikon equipment. In addition, the winner is invited to attend an awards presentation ceremony in New York City as Nikon’s special guest.

The subject matter is unrestricted and any type of light microscopy technique is acceptable, including
- phase contrast
- polarized light
- fluorescence
- interference contrast
- darkfield
- confocal
- deconvolution
- mixed techniques

Deadline for Entries: April 30, 2008
Prize winners will be notified by August 15, 2008.

Competition Link / Set Reminder

Update: Sony World Photography Awards 2009 

The World Photography Awards, sponsored by Sony, is an international showcase of the best images taken by renowned and undiscovered photographers alike. From landscape to music and photojournalism to fashion photography, the WPA is the first awards of its kind and is supported by hundreds of the industry’s top photographers, critics, gallerists, directors, founders and more.

Featuring eleven different categories, both professional and amateur photographers will be invited to enter work to the World Photography Awards from 9th October 2007 until mid-January 2008. The winners will be announced at a black tie awards ceremony in Cannes at the Palais des Festivals on 24th April 2008.

The aim of the World Photography Awards is to unearth the images of the future while paying tribute to the visions of the past. “Photography plays a vital role in defining and documenting the world around us”, says Shaun Dorrington, General Manager, Sony Digital Imaging, “and by sponsoring the inaugural World Photography Awards we can support talented photographers across the globe and give them the recognition they deserve.”

The awards and subsequent exhibition will become to photography what the Oscars are to the film industry. With an annual ceremony and black tie gala taking place on the prestigious Cote d’Azur, the World Photography Awards is set to become the largest and most important awards in the industry.

For the inaugural year, the World Photography Academy will comprise of over one hundred of the most respected photographers, critics, picture editors, gallerists and other industry leaders, including Phil Stern (US), Terry O’ Neil (UK), Chien-Chi (China), Sylvia Plachy (Hungary), Carl de Keyzer (Belgium) and Esko Mannikko (Finland).

Members of the academy will form the judging panel for the awards, and winners will automatically gain membership to the academy. The academy will be governed by the Honorary Board which comprises of eleven members, including Tom Stoddart, Mary Ellen Mark, Bruce Davidson, Martin Parr, Elliott Erwitt, Susan Meiselas and Stephen Cohen. These eleven board members will represent the academy, promoting excellence within photography and setting the standard for award selections.

Providing an unprecedented international platform in the world of photography, the aim of the World Photography Awards is to unearth the images of the future while paying tribute to the visions of the past.

“It’s a great honour to be part of the inaugural Sony World Photography Awards. The awards will showcase the very best imagery from around the world and will undoubtedly inspire and excite anyone who is passionate about photography.” (Tom Stoddart)

World Photographic Academy
Some of the world’s leading photographers, public gallerists, curators and major picture editors have been invited to become members of the WPA. A full list of current academy members can be found on the website.

Categories
From the 9th October 2007, photographers both professional and amateur will be invited to submit work to be judged in the eleven different categories. From this the academy will nominate a shortlist of photographers who will then be invited to attend the awards ceremony. The shortlist will be announced in
February 2008.

The eleven categories are:

• Abstract
• Advertising
• Architecture
• Fashion
• Music
• Nature
• Nude
• Portraiture
• Photojournalism
• Science
• Sport

The Awards

Professional Awards
All submitted works will be judged by academy members and three finalists will be nominated in each of the eleven categories.

• l’iris d’or
• One photograph will represent the image of the year and win l’iris d’or which comprises:
• The title Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year as well as $25,000
• Entry into the World Photographic Academy for future years
• Exhibition showcase of winning image and 25 picture portfolio at the 2009 World Photography Awards
• Winning images exhibited on the World Photography Awards’ website and promoted to creatives worldwide
• Individual Category Awards
• Lifetime Achievement Award

Amateur Awards
The awards will be international and interactive, allowing people from across the world to submit photographs online via the WPA website to an amateur competition that will run in parallel to the Professional Awards. Each photographer can submit up to three photographs per single category. The site aims to create an online community and social network in which people can interact, creating a destination point for amateur photographers across the globe.

The awards night will be a black tie event bringing together the crème de la crème of photography and the media on 24th April 2008 in Cannes. An exhibition of all finalists’ work will be held at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes from the 21st-25th April and will be open for public viewing.

World Photography Awards is delighted to welcome Sony as its headline sponsor.

“Photography plays a vital role in defining and documenting the world around us”, says Shaun Dorrington, General Manager, Sony Digital Imaging, “and by sponsoring the inaugural World Photography Awards we can support talented photographers across the globe and give them the recognition they deserve.”

Update: Sony World Photography Awards 2009 

Competition Link / Set Reminder

Capture an original ‘vision of science’ image on camera and you could have a winning entry for the UK’s premier photographic awards scheme for science and technology. The first prize is £1000 in each category and entries are invited from amateur and professional photographers alike. The competition will run from 23 April until 1 July 2007.

The photographic awards are organised by the Engineering and Technology Board (ETB) and sponsored by the Science Photo Library and the Daily Telegraph to promote ongoing discussion about science and technology. Back for 2007, the competition has been expanded to reflect the broad scope of science within the fields of engineering and technology.

As John Morton, Chief Executive of the ETB explains: “We believe this competition is a great vehicle for communicating the importance of science and technology to our understanding of the world. It also allows the stunning world of scientific imagery to be broadcast to a wider audience.”

This year’s judging panel of scientists, photographers and picture editors will again be looking for striking images, giving new insights into the world of science and technology or the natural world. Indeed, the winning images could demonstrate a scientific phenomenon, a visual representation of data or possibly something which has never been shown before.

Previous winning images include a visual representation of a migraine, a balloon popping, the path of a pendulum over five minutes and a close-up of a grain of salt next to a peppercorn.

There are five main categories as follows:
Action Capturing a scientific, technological, engineering process or event as it happens in the natural world.
Close-up Revealing the world in a way that cannot be seen with the naked eye, which may include close-ups or satellite/astronomical images.
People Communicating the impact of science, technology, engineering or medicine on peoples’ lives.
Concepts Illustrating a scientific, engineering or technological concept which may include manipulated or generated images.
Art Illustrating the beauty of science, engineering or technology.

In addition, there are two special prizes this year, Best in Show will be awarded to the best overall picture and Young Photographer will go to the best under 18 entry.

Winners will be invited to an awards ceremony at The Royal Society on 20 September 2007 and the winning images will be published nationally.

http://www.visions-of-science.co.uk/

Competition Link / Set Reminder