Photo Competitions - Are They Worth The Effort?
The decision to enter your creative art into a photo competition can be a tricky one. It brings up all sorts of emotions; excitement, fear, ambivalence, dissatisfaction, just to name a few.
For some of us, the thought of putting our personal work in front of a line-up of judges to be scrutinized can seem daunting, if not terrifying.
Then there’s the question of exploitation. While there are plenty of honourable contests out there, its undeniable that there will always be a few that take advantage of eager participants, with entry often amounting to little more than a rights grab and ‘exposure’ the only prize.
(Let’s not bring up the cringe-worthy morals behind the owner of Shutterfest a few years back! If you are unfamiliar with this news story, read up on it here)
So, with all these seemingly futile prospects, why bother entering at all?
Surprisingly, there are many benefits to be gained should you choose to put your work out there. Aside from the obvious, like the potential to win prizes, be part of an exhibition, or even a grant, there are valuable opportunities for growth and inspiration if you seek them out. Let's run through a few of them...
SELF-EVALUATION OF YOUR WORK
One of the first things you will need to do when considering entering a comp is to meticulously go through your body of work and analyse your photographs. You'll need to study the work you have created and break it down to see if it might be a good fit. This practice can lead to you curate smaller bodies of work within your larger collection which is a great opportunity to step back and look at where you are at with your creative journey. Something we often don't dedicate enough time towards.
Above Image: International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2021 Top 101
GET YOUR WORK SEEN
Most competitions will celebrate the selected finalists in some way or another. This may be by way of a physical exhibition in a gallery, or top 10 printed in a magazine, or online sharing of the winners, for example. And beyond this, competitions judged by industry professionals are a great way to have your work viewed by influential leading experts.
Above Image: From a series awarded 3rd place in Capture Magazine’s Emerging Photographer of the Year Portrait Category 2020
CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK
There are some contests that will provide participants with direct feedback from the judging panel. As photographers, we usually work on our practice solo and very rarely get an opportunity to hear the genuine opinions of others (those insta-friends chummy comments don't count!). While it can be hard (read #excruciatingly difficult!) to read constructive feedback about your personal work, it certainly is one invaluable opportunity for growth, should you allow it to be.
Above Image: Finalist in the National Photographic Portrait Prize 2020
NETWORKING / CREATING YOUR COMMUNITY
Over the years, I've entered a number of various photographic competitions, some international, and some locally based. In time I have made many connections through this process, often seeing the same entrants across differing competitions. An unexpected outcome is that I have now built up some beautiful friendships with like-minded creatives that support each other and champion the work we all continue to create.
Above Image: Shortlisted in the Siena Creative Awards 2021