Please help me get the word out on this years photography contest! We put a tremendous amount of time and money into making these special events and want to continue to do so. The best way to make these bigger and better each year (more prizes and sponsors) is by increasing the number of contestants. I would eventually like to get to the point where we have age categories, with each winner getting a Brand New SLR camera. BTW- (I am going to hold off on the Cell Phone Contest until early spring. It will be its own separate contest.)
(Please Read this VERY carefully. Failure to adhere to rules will result in disqualification from contest. I know some of these rules may seem a little harsh, but we expect between 5,000-10,000 entires this year. Last year with just 2,500 we had a lot of problems of organizing everything, so if we have a rule it is for a very particular reason that helps everyone have an enjoyable experience. 🙂
I normally prefer to give out a single camera as a grand prize, the first year it was a T1i, the Second Year it was a 7D and a T2i. I was considering a Canon 5Dii this year, however, I realize that there may be a replacement coming very soon. I also considered Canon 60D’s for each category, however, I also realize there are many photographers out there who may not want another camera, but would prefer a lens or other nice piece of gear. I also realize there are some people who would just like some $$. So, I thought we would try this to see what the response will be:
(We are still looking for sponsors in the TBD slots, if you are interested or know someone who is, please contact me at: mavencontest2011@gmail.com
Prizes per Category:
1st Place – $1000 CASH!! (Or Bhphoto.com Gift Card in restricted areas)
2nd Place – $300 Coupon to Michael’s Online Store –
3rd Place – Photography Business Crash Course DVD Set
(a $250 Value)
4th Place- $150 Coupon For Michael’s – Canon Training Download Video Store
5th Place- Think Tank Digital Holster (Thank you to Think Tank for Sponsoring!) – ($60 Value)
6th Place- TBD – $50 Value
7th Place- Custom Michael The Maven 16GB Bamboo Thumb Drive
8th Place- Angelina Hills Matted Print (Her Work is outstanding, I have it hanging in my own home.)
9th Place- Ocean Waves Relaxation DVD by Heath Snow
10th Place- TBD $15 Value
Honorable Mentions (2) – No Prize
All Winners will receive a PDF Certificate of their Achievement
Main Categories:-
Portraits –
Landscape-
Sports-
Animals-
Abstract / Textures-
Macro-
RULES (Rules are subject to change, but for now this is how I would like to run it this year) – READ THIS CAREFULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING!
1. There are no entry fees, however this is a family friendly website and we reserve the right to disqualify entries for any reason. This includes but is not limited to any image which may be deemed as inappropriate, offensive, pornographic, poor taste, cruel to animals, advertising, spam etc. We are looking for fantastic imagery that inspires all of us to get out and shoot. If you are under 18, you must obtain your parents permission before entering.
2. Entrants may submit up to 2 photographs in each category on the following condition; One image was taken in the last year (From the Period of October 9th 2010 to October 9th 2011) and a second image being taken during the duration of the contest submission dates, from October 9th – December 1st 2011. The whole idea of the contest is to get everyone out shooting, but I also recognize you may have some great shots taken earlier in the year. Contestants may submit only one image from either of those periods if they choose. This is an honor rule (meaning we expect you to play fair on this), but if we have evidence to the contrary, we will have to disqualify the entry.
3. Once your images(s) are submitted, these are your final entries. Contestants sending in multiple images, or changing submissions are disqualified. You should receive a confirmation email after submitting your images. Note; do not wait until the last day, it crashed our email account last time. 😉
4. Contest is open to all ranges of experience of photography, from beginners to amateurs, semi-pro or even professionals, however, we ask that semi pro and professional photographers do not submit images for the contest in the category in which they specialize. For example, if you are a wedding or portrait photographer, you may submit images in any category but “Portraits”. This is also an honor rule.
5. Images which have been submitted and placed into other contests are not eligible.
6. By submitting your images for either division, you give Michael The Maven and its representatives, permission to reproduce & show on websites, social media or other materials for promotional purposes. We also reserve the right to print your image to inspect image quality if necessary. Copyright remains property of photographer of course.
7. We reserve the right to expand the number of winners and make adjustments to the rules and prizes at our discretion.
8. You can use any type of camera, dSLR, Point and Shoot, Cell Phone etc. (Photoshopping is allowed, HDR is allowed, presets/actions are allowed, heavy compositing is NOT (this is where many images and components are assembled together into one image.) It should pretty much more or less look like a single image. Please make sure it is a JPEG, and properly submitted & you are good to go!
9. There will be an initial selection process by Michael, which will narrow contestants down to 20 or 25 per category. The Final round of voting will be done by viewers (1/3), Our Judges (1/3) and Michael (1/3)
A. –> Entries must be submitted digitally as a JPEG image by email to mavencontest2011@gmail.com. All other formats (RAW, TIFF, PNG, ETC)will be disqualified. Be absolutely sure to include the Category in the Title. We are not accepting prints this year.
B. —> Very, very important: Please submit only one email with per Category, with the year and Category division in the subject of the email. For example, if you are entering 2 Portrait Images, we would ask that you submit both together, and title the email “2011- Portrait . This allows us to organize submissions and greatly speeds things up.
If you have questions, please ask below in the comments box and I will update with answers.
Even if you are not interested in entering, please help me get the word out because I do all of the marketing for this on my own, sometimes people would love to enter and just don’t about it.
These contests take up a tremendous amount of time and money to put on and I would like to make it a yearly event, getting bigger and better each year. This is the 3rd year and so far we have done this. We are super lucky to have the following celebrity photographers on board to help with judging and I am extremely grateful to them for offering to help:
Judge Panel-
Michael Andrew
Shannon Morgan – 2009 Grand Prize Winner
Fely Simion – 2010 Grand Prize Winner
Angelina Hills – World Class Maui Portrait and Wedding Photographer
Arden Ward – World Renown Alabama Portrait and Wedding Photographer
BTW- If you are feeling intimidated, Fely won last years contest. She was 16 years old at the time and won a Canon 7D Kit. If I am not mistaken, it was her first contest as well.
We must have your submissions no later than Dec 1st, 2011 at midnight Hawaii Standard tIme! Thank you for your support!
Can we see past year’s winner’s work?
Amey ..Google her name:)
Is there a max size (MB) or pixel size you want us to e-mail you? Should we re size for e-mail then if needed/asked we send the full size jpeg?
Hey There,
Is this comp open for all countries??
I’m in Australia and would like to enter.
Thanks
Hi Michael, looks like it will be a good contest, and i will also pass the word around for you, for you have good prizes and all..well amateurs like myself, should have a go. My Question is…how do you give such good prizes, if everyone enters for free ?. Also maybe as a prize, you should do something not many have done…give trophies as well with engraving of person it is for..just a thought. For money can come and go, and so to can a camera, but to show people a trophy, gives a massive smile to one, when showing friends and family.
Wow expecting 5000-10000 entries, we’ve come a long way since our first contest, amazing, good job M.
@Amey, here are some links to previous year’s contests:
2009 Contest Finalists:
http://www.michaelthemaven.com/index.cfm?q=MA+Photography+Contest%20-%20Finalists+&x=0&y=0
2009 Overall Contest Winner:
http://www.michaelthemaven.com/index.cfm?q=MA+Photography+Overall&x=11&y=12
2010 Contest Nominees:
http://www.michaelthemaven.com/index.cfm?q=2010+Photography+Contest+-&x=14&y=8
2010 Contest Winner:
http://www.michaelthemaven.com/index.cfm?q=MA+2010+Grand&x=0&y=0
Enjoy…
what are the categories?
I am a 16 yrs old girl from Bangladesh.
Can I participate in this competition?
The condition is that photos should be of two ti,e periods. I s it necessary that the subject should be same?
For example, If I send photos on landscape. I s it necessary that the place or the content or the subject of both the photos should be same?
Please enlighten me with your answer.
THANKS
hey hi i am from India is this competition open for me. plz do let me know thanks mitwa
Do I need to take pictures with a Canon?
Sir,
Is it for photographers all around the world or limited to any region??
and Please let us know what should be the Max.file size and Pixel ratio (Width & Height)
Hi, I’m from England and would love to enter, I’m just wondering if I’m eligible to do so? Thanks.
Hello! I was trying to submit & my email says your address is not a valid one?
Can I submit 3 animal images? I can’t decide between the three…
Let me know the maximum size of file?
Tried to email images but showed error on the page
if i send images taken by a cell phone with out editing, is it accepted?
1.What will be the image size for enter into the competition ?
2. Black & White picture is allowed ?
Can I add the water marks?
Any restriction of Size?
sorry,your email is not valid.permanent error.every time e mail delivery failur notice.have you other valid email?
thanks
yours truely-mohdshahidulla47@gmail.com
Tried to send in submissions but it says email "mavencontest2011@gmail.com" is invalid can you please let me know the correct address. Thankyou
Michael, is this Contest open for Non US people?
Hi everyone. The link for submissions is working now. Michael should be back next week and will be able to answer all your questions regarding the contest.
Hi Michael,
I have sent 2 pics for categories Portrait, Landscape and Animal.
Bu by mistake I have sent both pics which were taken in last year, how do I remove one pic of the submitted 2 pics for each category ?
Please help, This is my first competition and I really don’t want to get disqualified… please
@Yusuf just resubmit the photo that you want to enter and just note in the email that you sent the other two by mistake.
Adam
@Adam, Thank u so much, I have resent the mails with a note in it mentioning about the mistake.
Once again Thanks a lot
hi micheal there is a little problem please guide me well i don’t have any photograph of LAST year i have started my photography this year in such case what would i do??
Is is contest valid in India?
Hey Michael!! Ive been looking for contests to enter for a while now. I am 16 years old, so i was wondering how I have to show you that I have my parents permission?
Hello everybody,
I would very much like to take part in the contest, but why are you limiting period of taking the photos? It is not logical! I could produce a fanatstic photo taken , say, in the 2009, or 2010? what is the big difference, if you are going to judge the quality of the picture?
Thanks everyone for your questions- Ill try to answer now:
@ Karine- We have the contest each year. It doesn’t make sense to allow contestants to enter the same images year after year and the whole idea is to get people out shooting.
@Tara- If you enter, we have to assume you already have permission. If you win a prize and havent gained permission, we cannot award the prize or mention your name and you would therefore forfeit your prize. Not a big deal, just make sure your parents are ok with it.
@Sid- YES
@Muhammed- Read the instructions carefully. You are still ok.
@ananthnag- Yes
@Debarpan- Yes, watermarks are OK
thank you for the oppertunity of entering your fantastic contest.
does the winner/s get an email or do we have to keep checking the blog??
sir when the result will going to be announce..
Hi Michael, I’m really excited about this contest! Thank you for hosting it. I’m wondering if you could be more specific about the category definitions.
Thank you!
Is it okay if we only submit 1 photo for a category ? If we submit 1 photo , do we have a rule in which the photo must be taken during which time frame ?
Please read the rules carefully. Most everything is outlined there. One image is fine, but it must be within the last year. Categories are as listed. We will be announcing the winners Mid to late December.
Hi Michael (: I was wondering if the picture is of the ocean, would that still count as landscape, though it’s more of a water..scape..?
Hey Michael, you might be busy but please tell me where to see entries and where to vote there is no link in your block to see entries please tell.
There are different categories on the internet. Im a beginner at photography and would like to know what the category definitions for this competition are.
eg. portraits and landscapes
Hello Micheal, my name is Derrick and I’ve been following your work for a couple years now. I’m really glad to have found your site you always have cool things brewing for us photographers, I’m a little intimated by the contest but what the heck it won’t hurt to enter.
If we are wanting to enter more than one category, would we send in one email per category?
Hey,
Started photography 4 months back and getting addicted to it as days pass buy…
Thanks to all your video’s that help me understand various aspects of Photography.
Looking forward to participate in my first ever contest….
Are entries OK from the UK?
Yes, entries are allowed from all over the world. Yes, one email per category.Ocean would be landscape. Thanks!
The winner is announced in mid december, but Im wondering if they will be contacted via email?
If you want to sumbit photos in more than one catagory, do you send two emails? Or do you put the subject as 2011-Catagory1-Catagory2?
please tell the resolution of the images to be submitted for the competition. what will be the size of the .jpeg files?
what does the macro category mean? thanks
What are the size requirements please? pixel w/L? resolution? Total size in kb or Mb?
is it okay to use lightroom on the pictures?
well yea here is my question …can I submit pictures for all the categories…
In that case … I have to submit ’12’ pics rite.. plz … ans to this…
please tell the resolution of the images to be submitted for the competition.
Please reply asap
can u enter a still life in portrait category?
Should I write the exif data on the body of the email?. Where does my name should be written?
@Kyla- Yes we will try to contact you, however, there have been problems in the past so it helps to check back. @Abbey- Yes, one email for each category @Ayan- Less than 5MB is all I care about @analy- super small objects magnified to look huge @Mercedes – Big enough to show on my blog but less than 5MB @Paco- Yes- Lightroom and Photoshop are k @Seshu Yes- you can submit up to 12 images, 2 for each of the 6 categories @Marion- sure! @Mario- wouldnt hurt, but we dont need it. Thanks!
Is this international?
I forgot to add the title in the subject line, will my entry be disquilfied?
The email id to send the images is invalid… Is there any other id ?
Could you please define what a portrait shot would be? I always assumed it was just a photo of a person, but I’m not quite sure what qualifies or if I’m right.
As for the rule about photos going to other contest and such, I can understand that, but what about photos you’ve shared on a personal photography site?
Most of my photos are up on my blog, so any older ones would have been shown to the world already.
Nothing has been entered into any contests though, I’m only starting to think about getting into contests.
Finally (sorry for all the questions) is it acceptable to have very light watermarks on it or should the image be totally clean?
do we need to attach any personal information, like our name?
@ Marina – A name would be good. @Elegy – Portrait = Person. As long as it hasnt been entered in another contest and was taken in the last year, you are ok. Watermarks are fine. @siddhi- Email is working fine, please try again. @Sheena- Please send with title @Joel Yes. It is international. Thanks!
Michael, really? A "watermark" is okay? In the past it was a "no" so I guess I’m surprised and confused that it’s okay now.
Whoops I forgot one picture had to be taken within the contest dates. Will my other picture be disqualified? Do I need to resubmit with just one picture?
1st question, would an insect be considered an animal?
Second, would a dead insect in the photo be deemed as inappropriate? Sorry if it this is a weird question. The insect was dead already when I found it (so no I did not kill it just to submit a photo of it) And the insect isn’t in any gory state.
Watermarks are ok but they are discouraged for the simple reason that it identifies the photographer / person who submitted it, and this in turn can lead to unfair judging (usually in the negative sense) by myself as well as the other judges. I prefer to see images fresh, without knowing who sent them in, so judging can be perfectly unbiased and fair. If we personally know who the photographer is, we tend to want to eliminate it simply because we do not want to be preferential. Additionally, if a watermark is obnoxious and dominating, we will disqualify it. So yes, watermarks are ok, but typically they will not help.
do we have to send only one email or one email per category…plzz reply…
i have already sent my email…but i want to submit more pics in different category,can i send another email…plzzz reply……
I am interested in entering and I am under 18. In the rules you specified that anyone under 18 must obtain parental permission. How would you like us to show that we have gotten permission.
Thank you ! i sent my entries. When are the results gonna declared ?
what size and resolution should the submissions be? thanks!
can i send picture of insect in the macro category?
can a slumhouse be included in abstract category
I stumbled upon this website. I entered your contest, thank you for this great opportunity, I could use some new gear:)
If the entry is not accepted you announce the person about this?
My brother alerted me to your site. I am just now looking through it and love what I see. I will be sending the word out for many to see. All the best to you and congratulations on a wonderful site.
Hello,
I’ve sent my pictures for the portrait category and I’ve mentioned that firs image was taken at August 5th 2010, but it was taken in 2011, you can see it in EXIF. I hope it will be no problem. Thank you!
Hello,
I had submitted my photographs in Portrait,Landscape & abstract section in three seperate mails. Only I get confirmation in portrait section. Do I send those files again in Landscape & Abstract section? how can I come to know that the you received my entries successfully?
Partha Pal
Hey, there was nothing in the rules about the filesize limit, so the pic i sent in was a bit over 6MB. Is that ok or do you want me to send another or what?
Hi there, my question is does insects count as animals or i can put them in the Macro category? Also, sorry if this is a stupid question but can you explain what kind of pictures categorize as Abstract/Textures. Thank you!
are we supposed to describe the photo?
2ndly what other information we have to give?
do we have to add the water mark??
Can panoramic shots be used for landscape? Or should we stick to one frame?
So, for clarification. First, can I join more than 1 categories and submit each category with different email? Second, If I have 2010 and 2011 in one category, I send it in one email? Thank you
Ahmad Syihan
Just sent the pics last night for 5 categories 🙂
But got confirmation only for one :/
Am I going to attach the photo directly?Or I have to put some descriptions?
What happens if I already send a picture larger than 5MB? It was not mentioned in the rules. I only noticed it after I read this chat box.
Thanks everyone for your questions- If I haven’t answered yours directly, it means it has already been answered in the rules/description/previous answers, and in all other cases common sense will work. The email notification explains that you will only receive one email notification. Please do not send additional photos if you have already entered a category (you will be disqualified). File size limit of 5MB has been in description since the start, however we have some flexibility with this and will only disqualify if it is MUCH larger. We expect our email system to crash tomorrow afternoon, so if you havent entered already, now is the time to send them in. Thanks so much to everyone who is participating- I am anxious to start going through all your images!-M
@Amey Mitchell- This might help you, here are some links to previous year’s contests: 2009 Contest Finalists: http://www.michaelthemaven.com/index.cfm?q=MA+Photography+Contest%20-%20Finalists+&x=0&y=0 2009 Overall Contest Winner: http://www.michaelthemaven.com/index.cfm?q=MA+Photography+Overall&x=11&y=12 2010 Contest Nominees: http://www.michaelthemaven.com/index.cfm?q=2010+Photography+Contest+-&x=14&y=8 2010 Contest Winner: http://www.michaelthemaven.com/index.cfm?q=MA+2010+Grand&x=0&y=0 Enjoy…
Thank YOU, Michael, for all your hard work and patience and for this great opportunity. God bless! Rose
Hi Michael
I sent photos to 3 categories, but only received a confirmation on one of them. Please advise if I should resent them
when will be the results declared??
I am afraid that many of my images are above the 5mb limit. I wish that rule had been posted in the rules section rather than at the top. I’m not complaining, If I am disqualified it’s my fault. But when I submitted, i made sure to read and re-read the rules section to make sure I complied. I guess I just didn’t read the entire post again. just curious how that will fall out.
Bipin… If you read that one confirmation letter it says you will only get one confirmation letter even if you have entered in several categories. I had wondered the same thing, until I actually read that letter…so, no worries…he got your entries. Good luck.
when will the results be declared?
Wondering if you will send an email to the 20-25 first round finalists, or should we just keep checking here?
We arent sure when results will be posted, there are literally thousands of images to go through. If you prefer, it may be easier to follow me on Twitter and I will post when each round is announced here on the blog. The 5MB limit has always been posted since day one, which I why I said to read the directions very carefully, that said, the only time it is really exercised is when someone is sending in HUGE files, so you are probably ok Adrian. Thanks!
2 of pics are 7 mb :/
will it be disqualified?
Just pick my photos to win Michael and save some time going through the rest. 😉 lol
ARGH! I totally didn’t see the 5MB limit. >.< One of my pictures fits but the other two are a 7 and a 10. Hope they can still go through! Good luck to everyone! Keep clickin!
What’s your twitter name?
Michael, Any update on the contest? Just wondering when a winner or finalist will be announced. Thanks!
Brian, and all, I noted that the slideshows and galleries for all the finalist are on his main pages… at:
http://www.michaelthemaven.com (they are on the fist 2 pages right now). Good luck and God bless, and a Blessed Christmas to you all!
When will the winners be anounced? 🙂