2018 Focus Awards
Competition summary:
The annual Focus Awards is now one of the most popular and most valuable amateur landscape photography competitions in Australia.
The 2018 competition opens on 1st September and closes on 30th September 2018.
Here are just a few reasons why entering the 2018 Focus Awards could be good for you and your photography:
Amazing prizes for the best images in each of the six Amateur Awards categories, the Photographer of the Year and the Open competition for Image of the Year.
Every entry receives judges’ feedback and a score, designed to encourage photographers to assess their own work and improve their skills going forward.
Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards are assigned to images in each category which receive the requisite scores. Many Members share these Certificates on their websites or via social media, to celebrate their achievements.
A gallery of the Top 50 images in each category will be available on the Focus website.
At just $12 per entry, plus a five-for-the-price-of four discount, the cost of entering the 2018 Focus Amateur Awards is significantly lower than most other major photography competitions.
Category details:
There are two competitions run in parallel; The Amateur Awards, which includes the Photographer Of The Year competition, and the Open Competition for Image Of The Year.
The 2018 Amateur Awards categories are:
Landscape
Urban Landscape
Seascape
Black and White
Sunrise/Sunset
Creative
Landscape
Images must depict the natural environment, and may include rivers or closed bodies of predominantly fresh water.
Urban Landscape
Images must depict the urban environment. The images may include people, showing their relationship with the structures of the town or city, but people should not be the primary subject.
Seascape
Images must include as a major element any large open body of salt water.
Black and White
Images must be Black and White.
Monotone and tints/tones are allowed, however, overuse may have points deducted.
No selective colour images accepted.
Sunrise/Sunset
Images depicting a sunset or sunrise scene.
Images to be presented in colour only.
No black and white, mono or selective colour accepted.
Creative
Images should be highly creative in technique and/or appearance.
Diptychs and triptychs accepted.
Professional photographers may only enter the Open Competition for Image of the Year.
Entry requirements:
Entry into the Amateur Awards is restricted to amateur photographers who are members of the Focus Facebook and/or Flickr groups and who are a permanent resident in Australia or New Zealand.
Check https://focusphotographers.org/membership/ for details on how to join.
Entry into the Open Competition for the Image of the Year is open to both amateur and professional photographers who are a permanent resident in Australia or New Zealand.
Entrants may submit images into one Amateur Award category or several categories, as they wish. However, note that an image can only be entered ONCE into any of the six Amateur Award categories.
Images may have been taken anywhere in the world.
Entry fee:
The entry fee for the Amateur Category Awards is $12 per image and there is no limit on the number of images that can be entered.
There is also one free entry for every four paid entries - so enter four images and you receive a fifth entry free. Enter another four entries and you get the tenth entry free and so on.
There is no additional cost associated with entering the Photographer Of The Year competition.
The entry fee for the Open Competition for Image of the Year is $20 per image.
Prize details:
The 2018 Focus Awards prize pool is expected to exceed AUD $35,000 in value, comprising cameras, lenses, photography accessories, educational courses and photography tours, donated by our Long Standing Partners and Sponsors. The final allocation of prizes will be published on the Focus Awards website before the competition launches.
There are prizes for the winner of each of the six Amateur Award categories, plus runners-up prizes for second and third-place winners.
In 2018 there will be a prize for the winner of the Photographer Of The Year competition, plus prizes for second and third-place winners.
There will be one prize for the winner of Image Of The Year in the Open competition.
Terms and Conditions
The Rules
There are two competitions run in parallel; The Amateur Awards, which includes the Photographer Of The Year competition, and the Open Competition for Image Of The Year.
1. Entry into the Amateur Awards is restricted to amateur photographers who are members of the Focus Facebook and/or Flickr groups and who are a permanent resident in Australia or New Zealand.
Check https://focusphotographers.org/membership/ for details on how to join.
Entry into the Open Competition for the Image of the Year is open to both amateur and professional photographers who are a permanent resident in Australia or New Zealand.
Images entered into the Amateur Awards may also be entered into the Open Competition for Image Of The Year.
An Amateur is defined for this competition as someone who earns less than AU $20,000 per year from photography as an occupation or business.
Amateurs may enter the six Amateur Awards categories, and the Photographer of the Year competition, and the Open Competition for Image of the Year.
A Professional is defined for this competition as someone who earns more than AU $20,000 per year from photography as an occupation or business.
Accredited members of the AIPP, including Emerging AIPP Members, are regarded as professionals regardless of their earnings related to photography.
Professional photographers may only enter the Open Competition for Image of the Year.
A professional photographer who deliberately or inadvertently submits images into the Amateur Awards competition will have those images removed. Entry fees will not be refunded.
2. By entering the competition, you accept these competition rules and their terms and conditions.