Hey fellow photography grinders, i’m here for another post on how to increase your profits within this tough but still captivating business! This post will be dedicated to entering and winning photography competitions.

Competitions are a great way to benchmark your work, win prizes and promote yourself

One of the chapters of my book is dedicated to “Opportunities Outside of Microstock”, where I write at length about other ways to monetise your photography with the skills learned from painstakingly submitting to various Microstock agencies. This includes learning from rejections.

Here’s one of the paragraphs within the book which explains the merits of submitting to photography competitions:

“Not only does winning a competition give you a feeling of accomplishment, but it is also a great way to build your brand within the photographic community. On top of the potential networking opportunity, you may win prizes, including cash of course. Your work would certainly be noticed and you may then be invited to display and sell some of your work at established commercial fine art galleries. One of the tips I give is enter into photography competitions to win prizes & cash and most importantly to try to make a name for yourself.”

---

Try, try and try until You Succeed!

Talk is cheap and I’ve yet to win a major photography competition, but have come close numerous times! It’s frustrating since even though I’m often shortlisted, it’s not enough…

One of my favourite competitions, which I submit every year, is the Travel Photography of the Year Competition. I’ve had some success in the past and one of my images was shortlisted:

Here’s the image in full higher resolution:

The Photography of the Year Competition is one of the largest and most reputable travel photography competitions around, with 7 different categories, including the overall prize of Travel Photographer of the Year 2017 (must enter two categories to be eligible). Top award and a prize is worth around £5000 (approximately Euro 6000), but more importantly is the marketing status that comes with winning such a prize. 

---

My Submission to the Travel Photographer of the Year Competition

I’m really determined to win this time and the following category has stood out for me:

“Celebration of Humanity

In a shrinking world the diversity of cultures around the globe is inspiring. Our differences are something that we should celebrate and share. This category is all about diversity, interaction, communication within cultures and across borders – what do we share, what makes us different and what makes us human? Show us what makes humanity and celebrate it in a portfolio of four images.”

I’ve looked through my portfolio and have selected the following four images, which I believe meet the above criteria:

Do you agree with the above selection in terms of meeting the category specifications? Are you thinking of submitting as well, if so I’d love to hear from you.

The competition is open until September 25th, so you still have time, if you’re so inclined. Make sure to read the T&Cs and FAQs carefully before submitting.

As for a comprehensive list of other reputable photography competitions and advice on being shortlisted, purchase a copy of my book today, with the link below!

Wish me luck!

Until next time,

 

Alex

Travel Photographer and perhaps future winner of the Travel Photographer of the Year 2017