In the saturated world of photography competitions, knowing which ones are worth entering can be a challenge. Fortunately, we’ve hand-picked the cream of the crop for the upcoming year, with all the dates, details and winning insights you need to succeed.
Whether you shoot animals or architecture, taking part in prestigious competitions gets your work noticed. Preparing photos for judging is also a great way to set yourself a new creative challenge and curate a strong body of work. The requirements are diverse, and there are no shortcuts to success. Heed the advice of the past winners and judges we speak to.
We’ve done our homework to make sure that in all the competitions featured, you retain copyright of your images by entering. So whether you’re looking for industry recognition, or just want to share your passion and perspective with others, discover what’s happening in the next year, and photograph your way to victory!
1. Landscape Photographer of the Year
Take A View is the ultimate UK landscape competition. Founded in 2006 by genre pro Charlie Waite, it’s the highlight of the competition calendar – but its real beauty is that it attracts entrants from all walks of life and skill levels. The winners reveal a fresh and diverse portrait of the British landscape, from serene seascapes to buzzing cities. Breathtaking scenery can often be found – relatively speaking – on our doorstep. Take time to chase the perfect location and light for your entries.
To keep things nice and simple, there are only four main categories that you can enter work into: Classic View, Living The View, Your View and Urban View. Whether you live in a city or a remote island, or whether you prefer scenes with people, close-up details, abstract frames or traditional landscapes, there’s tons of scope for creativity. The best images will be displayed at the Waterloo train station in London towards the end of the year, and will also appear in a stunning book.
Judge's comment "Attend to everything. Everything should be either intended, or not intended, to be there. This seeing process remains the cornerstone of all landscape photography.”
Charlie Waite
Winner's tip: Matthew Cattell, 2016
“A winning image needs to be more than a well-executed photograph. Technique has to be combined with that extra element – emotion, dramatic weather, an unusual viewpoint, or a unique moment in time – which invites the viewer to take a closer look.”
Prizes
There’s a total fund of over £20,000 (around $24,000), including £10,000 ($12,000) for the overall winner, and £1,000 ($1,200) and £500 ($600) for the first and second places in each category.
More info
Visit: www.take-a-view.co.uk
Opening date: 1st May 2017
Closing date: 14th July 2017
Entry fee: £35 ($43) for up to 25 images
