AOP Photographers Awards 2010 – Call for Entries has commenced with new categories and online entry

Click here to register and upload your images.

There are a lot of photography competitions out there but the AOP Photographers Awards is still regarded as the original and the best - a celebration of exceptional work by the industry’s elite.

Building on this solid foundation, for 2010 we have made some bold changes to the Awards format to inject a more contemporary feel to the whole competition, while still retaining its reputation for excellence and its core values of impartiality and value for money.

First, as you will no doubt have noticed by now, we have rescheduled the dates of the competition! The Call for Entries has now commenced, online entry opens at the beginning of February, judging will place from May to July and the exhibition will be held during October, when the winners will be announced and the Book will be launched.

Secondly, we have introduced a range of brand new categories for you to choose from, including Innovation, which opens the competition up to fields such as CGI and moving image, areas in which we know our membership is becoming increasingly involved.

As always, the competition is open to Full and Provisional Members of the Association of Photographers but this year, taking inspiration from the requests of a cross section of the Membership, we have also included category for non-members, open specifically to commissioners of photography. The Best Commercial Use of Photography category will be judged in three sections: Advertising, Design and Publishing, and we hope that the industry creatives out there will submit the work that they believe really pushes the boundaries and makes the very best use of photography.

To see a full list of this year’s categories, please click here. We are sure that there is something there for everyone and that they will provide some fresh challenges to AOP Members and the creative industry as a whole! You can also click on the following links to access the Terms & Conditions plus FAQs.

Another change that we have implemented is to provide an on-line entry system which will modernise and greatly simplify the whole submissions process. On-line entry opens on Monday 8th February and the deadline for first round entries is midnight on Sunday 28th March. This year we have also reduced the entry fees across the board so that despite the rise in VAT it costs less to enter the competition than last year, plus if you submit your work by Sunday 21st February you can take advantage of our early-bird discount offer which gives you an extra reduction of around 15%.

Clear instructions are available on the On-line Submissions system to guide you through the entry process, so click here to register, read the guidelines and upload your images.

While the above changes represent a movement away from the customary format, we have taken every step to preserve the heritage of the Awards. The bedrock of the competition is the Judging process and as always, all the work will be judged by a team of respected industry professionals, overseen by a Chairman who will ensure that the process is fair and just. All first round entries will be judged on-line this year but second round entries will still be judged as prints, which we feel is important in order to maintain continuity, tradition and the very highest standards. The Judges will be announced here on the Awards website in April.

The judges will, of course, be looking for images that convey beauty, creativity, technical skill and originality and all entrants will have the opportunity to win Best in Category. The winners will be announced in October 2010 when all the selected work will be showcased in the exhibition and the Awards Book, offering major exposure to art buyers and the creative industry as a whole. In addition, all selected entrants will have an extensive presence on the Awards website www.the-awards.com.

For more information on the 2010 Photographers Awards, please click on the links below. For information on how to join the AOP, please go to the AOP hub: www.the-aop.org.

Useful links:

Category Descriptions
Innovation Category Specifications
FAQs
Terms & Conditions
General CD ID Form & Entry Form
Moving Image CD ID Form & Entry Form
Important Dates