If your audience is standing indefinitely motionless, entranced by the possibilities in your work and in devising an infinitude of scenarios and alternate endings, then you’ve made an image that will inspire gallery visitors with the beauty of ambiguity, mystery and perplexity.

Photographers created images that baffled the viewer as early at the 1860s; Henry Peach Robinson was a pioneer of combination printing, creating the illusory photo montage long before there was Photoshop. We want to see your images that lead the imagination to the edge, encouraging the mind to leap. Multiple exposures, constructions, staged, anything goes, just leave us guessing.

DEADLINE June 6th 2012 Midnight EST

Juror: Catherine Edelman

Rules for Photo Submission
Entrants must be 18 years old. If you are younger. you must have a parent or legal guardian make the submission for you.
All submitted photos must have been taken by the photographer making the entry. If you are a parent or legal guardian submitting for a minor, please make it clear and who you are actually submitting for.
All submissions must be made by digital files through:
upload on DarkroomGallery.com or
sent via email to submissions@DarkroomGallery.com along with an application form. There is a $5.00 surcharge for email entries.
Images should be as large as possible but no larger than 1280 pixels on the longest side, type jpg – set to the highest quality. DPI is only relevant for output purposes and does not effect the stored size of the image. It can be set to any number, but if you must specify something go with 72 dpi.
Up to four images may be submitted for a fee of $24 US for on-line submission and $29 for email submission.
Additional images may be submitted for an additional $5 US per image.
Images must be received by midnight EST on the submission closing date for the exhibition you are submitting for
Payment must be received by the close of submissions for the exhibit you are submitting for.

Rights:
Photographers retain all rights to their work, except for submissions accepted for exhibition: artists grant Darkroom Gallery the right to use their images to promote the exhibition and for display on Darkroom Gallery website and for inclusion in an exhibit catalog.

Sales:
For submissions that are selected, photographers may offer their work for sale and establish their own price for framed and unframed prints.

For Darkroom Gallery framed work we retain 66% of the sale price.
For works framed by the artist Darkroom Gallery retains 34%.
For unframed prints Darkroom Gallery retains 25% of the print sale price.
Local sales tax of 6% is collected on all sales at the gallery.

photo: © J. Lawrence Landaw New York, NY USA
website: http://www.darkroomgallery.com/ex30

The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, the leading international photographic portrait competition, celebrates and promotes the very best in contemporary portrait photography. The competition is open to everyone aged 18 and over from around the world.

Organised by the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Prize has established a reputation for its diversity of photographic styles submitted by a range of photographers, from gifted amateurs and photography students to established professionals.

In the Prize’s search for excellence, photographers are encouraged to interpret ‘portrait’ in its widest sense of ‘photography concerned with portraying people with an emphasis on their identity as individuals.’

The prize winners and exhibition selection is judged, on an equal and anonymous basis, from original prints. In 2011 the exhibition featured sixty selected works and was seen by over 75,000 people at the National Portrait Gallery. The 2012 Prize exhibition will run at the National Portrait Gallery,London, from 8 November 2012 to 17 February 2013.

THE AWARD

The winner of the competition will receive £12,000.
In addition the judges, at their discretion, will award cash prizes to one or more shortlisted photographers.

New for this year, the John Kobal New Work Award, will be awarded to a photographer under the age of 30 selected for the exhibition. The winning photographer will receive a cash prize of £4,000 to include undertaking a commission from the Gallery to photograph a sitter connected with the UK film industry.

The prize winners and exhibition selection is judged, on an equal and anonymous basis, from original prints. We have reviewed our judging guidelines in the last year and provided judges with procedures relating to the process, the judging and conflicts of interest.

Entry Fee: £24 per photograph

Deadline: July 09, 2012

Contest page: http://www.npg.org.uk/photoprize1/site12/prize.php

As a tribute to the visionary leader. Dr. D. Jayavarthanavelu, the past Chairman & Managing Director of LMW and an accomplished photographer as well, LMW announces the DJ Memorial Photography Contest. Send us your best shots and get a chance to win and take home the coveted DJMPC Award for the Best Photographer and other exciting prizes.

· Entries are invited under two categories: Nature & Open
· Selected winners will be awarded with DJMPC Award and cash prize for each category
· Decision of the jury will be final and binding

Eligibility Criteria
All ages and levels of expertise are welcome

Entry Fee
Free and anyone interested in Photography from India can join

Prizes
1st Prize – Rs. 3, 00,000
2nd Prize – Rs. 1, 50,000
3rd Prize – Rs. 50,000

One Entry per Person

Entry / Registration Form
http://www.djmpc.in/pdf/djmpc-2012-form.pdf

Copyright will rest with the photographer

Deadline
All entries must be received by 12th June 2012

Contest Page: http://www.djmpc.in/

Description: TeraBella Media is sponsoring “The Urban Landscape” competition. Enter for a chance to win a $500.00 award.

Skyscrapers and other buildings of steel, concrete and glass dominate the landscape of today’s cities. They are monuments to the skills and talents of the architects of the modern world. The landscape of a city is about the vertical view and about looking above toward the sky. This particular call for entry deals with tall buildings and the view from above and also below. TBM is seeking your best interpretations of the metropolitan scenery. Both color and black and white images will be accepted.

Prizes:
First Place: $500 (USD) cash prize
Second Place: $200 (USD) cash prize
Third Place: $100 (USD) cash prize
Three (3) honorable mentions will also be chosen.

Entry Fee(s):
$20 (USD) for first 4 images
(Up to 8 image entries may be submitted for additional fees)
Color and/or Black and White images will be accepted.

Eligibility:
Contest is open to all individuals 18 years and older, worldwide.

Entry Deadline:
June 28, 2012 (11:59PM CST)

contest page: http://terabellamedia.com/photo-contest/

THEME: Simply
Photography, perhaps more than any other medium, seems inextricably linked to an increasingly complex modern world constantly unfolding in new and unexpected ways. Its ability to capture our cultural changes, the environments we inhabit, and the thoughts we keep play a vital role in giving us greater insights into our world and ourselves. In the 2012 Center Forward exhibit we are interested in exploring this unique quality of photography, therefore the theme is open and all subject matter is welcome.

IMPORTANT DATES:
Entries due: June 20, 2012
Notice of acceptance: June 29, 2012
Exhibition dates: Sept. 7 – Oct. 20, 2012
Public / Artists’ Reception:Sept. 7, 2012, 6-9pm

ENTRY FEE:
Members: $20 for the first three images.
Non-Members: $35 for the first three images
Additional images may be submitted for $10 each. There is no limit to the number of images that may be submitted.
Applicants signing up for membership at the time they submit their work for jurying may become a member and meet the entry fee for a total of $77.00 USD.

JURORS: Ann M. Jastrab and Hamidah Glasgow

EXHIBITION AND AWARDS:
With selection for this exhibition, featured artist’s work will be seen by an international audience of collectors, curators, art consultants and other advocates of fine art photography. Each participant will be included in the Center’s Main Gallery exhibition, Online Gallery exhibition, and Print Catalog. Select artists will also be included in an exhibition at RayKo Gallery in early 2013 and the Denver International Airport exhibition In the Fall of 2012. Ms. Jastrab and Ms. Glasgow will be available during the reception weekend for complimentary portfolio reviews for exhibiting artists.

2 Juror’s Selections: $425 each
Director’s Selection: $250
2 liveBooks Website Awards: Valued at $399 from liveBooks.com
1 Blurb Book Award: Valued at $250 from blurb.com

Honorable Mention Awards: 2 year membership and a three image submission to a call for entry at the Center.

All exhibitors are included in the Center’s online gallery

Eligibility: The exhibition is open to all photographers world wide, both amateur and professional. The Center invites photographers working in all mediums, styles and schools of thought to participate in its exhibitions.

Exhibit Prints: All accepted images submitted for exhibition must be printed and framed or mounted professionally. The Center recognizes that some work is non traditional and incorporates the framing as an integral part of the presentation. To encourage participation by photographers from around the world, the Center offers optional economical printing and framing services. Additional details will be provided upon request.

Acceptance Notice: Everyone who submits will receive an email notification of which images were accepted. Accepted images will be posted on the Center’s website along with instructions for the gallery presentation.

website: http://www.c4fap.org/cfe/2012centerforward/

WPGA invites photographers working in all mediums, styles and schools of thought to submit their best portraits to the WPGA 2012 Portrait Award. Traditional, contemporary, avant-garde, creative and experimental works that include old and new processes, mixed techniques, and challenging personal, emotional or political statements will be welcome.

Who can participate
Professional and non professional photographers from all countries. There will be only one section: single images of pro and non-pro will be juried together.

Juror

Steve McCurry (Magnum Photos)
Best known for his photograph, “Afghan Girl” that originally appeared in the cover of National Geographic Magazine (as well as in the cover in his acclaimed book Portraits), Steve McCurry has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1986. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Magazine Photographer of the Year 1984, awarded by the National Press Photographers’ Association. The same year, he won an unprecedented four first-place prizes in the World Press Photo Contest. Previously, in 1980 he was awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal. He has also won the Olivier Rebbot Memorial Award twice (1986 and 1992). In 2011 he was awarded the Leica Hall of Fame Award.
His image “Afghan Girl” was named as “the most recognized photograph” in the history of the National Geographic magazine and her face became famous as the cover photograph on the June 1985 issue. The photo has also been widely used on Amnesty International brochures, posters, and calendars.
One of the greatest portraitists of our time, McCurry focuses on the human consequences of war, not only showing what war impresses on the landscape, but rather, on the human face. He is driven by an innate curiosity and sense of wonder about the world and everyone in it, and has an uncanny ability to cross boundaries of language and culture to capture stories of human experience. “Most of my images are grounded in people. I look for the unguarded moment, the essential soul peeking out, experience etched on a person’s face. I try to convey what it is like to be that person, a person caught in a broader landscape, that you could call the human condition.”

Award

One winner and at least 3 runners up will be selected. The winner of the WPGA 2012 Portrait Award, the runners up, and at least other 30 images will be selected to be exhibited at the Borges Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Selected artists will have to send their prints ready for framing. WPGA will take care of the framing and matting cost of the winner and runners up, and of all gallery expenses. A catalog will be printed with preface written by Steve McCurry.

Early Deadline (discounted entry fees)
March 31st, 2012, at 11:59pm PST

Final Deadine
April 30th, 2012, at 11:50pm PST

Announcement

June 5th, 2012

Entry Fees
Early Deadline (up to Match 31st): $25 for the first 3 images; $6 each additional image
Final Deadline (between April 1st and April 30th): $45 for the first 3 images; $10 each additional image

Definition of Portrait:
Images capturing the likeness of a person or a small group of people, in which the face and its expression is predominant.

Submissions (Image preparation)

Prepare your images as required before beginning the submission process. Submissions are only accepted via the online process. Submissions as email attachments, on CD, or prints are not allowed in this competition and will not be returned.

Digital image files must meet the following specifications: 8 bit JPEG files (CMYK and 16 bits files will not be uploaded); the largest dimension should be 1280 pixels (width or height) and no less than 800 pixels; resolution of 72 dpi; JPG compression quality of 7 or 8; layers must be flattened; images will be viewed by the jurors as RGB images; therefore Adobe RGB or sRGB profiles should be used.
Image title may not exceed 40 characters. Please note that image title is the name of the artwork, not the file name. Image title is what the jurors will see when selecting the images. Example: “Portrait #1″. File names may contain a maximum of 25 characters, not counting .jpg. The file name will not be seen by the jurors, may not include characters such as #, $, &, periods or other similar characters as part of the file, and should start with your name, then your first initial, and then the name of the file. There will be only one period in the file name, just prior to the file extension (i.e. Smith_J_filename.jpg). It’s important to follow these instructions about the file name to allow the right storage into the image data base.

TO ENTER THE COMPETITION AND SUBMIT YOUR IMAGES CLICK HERE

Contest page: http://www.thegalaawards.net/

Purpose

Part of Audubon’s mission is to connect people with nature. The photo contest helps us fulfill that mission in two ways: the photographer connects with nature while making images and the viewer becomes inspired to connect with nature by seeing the images. The purpose of the contest is to give photographers an outlet to share their work and have it judged, while at the same time inspiring others to connect with nature and raising money to support the work of the Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Jamestown, New York.

Eligibility

The contest is open to photographers from around the world ages 8 and over. Contestants must be able to prepare digital files, fill out an online entry form, submit the digital files via email, and pay an entry fee. The fee is $5 per photo for youth and $10 per photo for adults. (See Divisions below.)

Divisions

There will be one winner per category in two divisions, a total of six (6) winners:

Youth: ages 8-18 (or still in high school)
Adult: ages 18 and over (or post high school)
Categories

Photos may be taken anywhere in the world. Contest officials reserve the right to refuse photos with inappropriate content. Winners will be chosen in the following categories:

Wildlife: wild animals of all kinds in their native habitats
Plants/Trees/Fungi: growing naturally in wild places
Landscapes: wild, natural places

Digital Alterations

All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. Acceptable are adjustments to color, contrast, brightness and sharpness, removal of dust and scratches, cropping, black and white conversions and use of HDRI (high dynamic range imaging).

Not acceptable are photos created by combining two or more images not of the same scene, the addition, duplication, deletion or moving of objects in the photos, or the use of artistic digital filters and effects. Examples of artistic filters and effects are watercolor, neon glow, posterizing, stained glass, grunge, and others which do not show the scene in its natural way.

Format

Photo submissions will be emailed as attachments to a message. The file must be in JPG format. Any aspect ratio is acceptable, but please size the file so that the longest dimension is 800 pixels and set the quality to “high.” (Not sure how to do this? Try http://webresizer.com/resizer/ or http://pixlr.com/editor/.)

In order to ensure anonymous judging, please include no signatures or watermarks that would reveal the name of the photographer.

Winners may be asked to provide a higher resolution file that we can print and display at Audubon. This higher resolution photo may contain the phtographer’s signature.

Entry Process

Contestants will submit their entries online in a 3-step process. (1) The entry form must be filled out giving contact information and permissions. (2) Photo files must be emailed. (3) Entry fees must be paid. Complete instructions for completing this process are on the website at http://jasphotocontest.com.

Prizes and Recognitions

There will be one winner per category per division, a total of three (3) adult prize winners and three (3) youth prize winners.

All winning entries will be announced and exhibited on-line.

Winners will also be announced in a widely-circulated news release, including to their hometown newspaper.

Adult winners will receive:

$100 cash
$50 gift certificate for photo processing at Main Street Photo
Youth winners will receive:

$50 cash
$25 gift certificate for photo processing at Main Street Photo
Copyright

The photographer retains full copyright to his or her images, however, participation in the contest requires the contestant to give Jamestown Audubon permission to use the photographs without compensation on the Contest Website as well as on other Jamestown Audubon websites and in news releases which may appear in print or on third party websites for the purpose of publicizing the contest.

Timeline

Submission Dates and Deadline: Begin submitting now. Deadline is midnight, Saturday, June 30, 2012.
Judging: Week of July 1, 2012
Finalists & Winners Announced: Week of July 23, 2012

Contest page: http://jasphotocontest.com/

Photo by Terry Lorenc

Win fantastic prizes AND make fame with your picture
The theme of this international photo contest is ‘how do you watch TV?’. Whether you are a professional or a keen amateur photographer, you could win some fantastic prizes! Besides that, your photo can get famous, as the photos will be published by Vogel’s in international marketing and communications campaigns.

How to enter?
For your chance to win, submit a photo that captures yourself, friends, family, partner, children or anyone else watching TV. Whether it’s a family at home watching TV with a bag of potato chips or a group football supporters watching their team play on a big screen in a pub.

Send your photo(s) to marketing@vogels.com before May 31, 2012 with ‘Photo Contest’ as the subject of your email. Please include your name, address, email address and telephone number in the e-mail. You will receive a confirmation of your participation.

Conditions

• You have the consent of all persons in the photo before submitting the photo
• Watching television is the central theme of the photo
• The TV doesn’t have to be in the picture
• Photos are preferably landscape size
• Size: minimum width 2000 pixels
• Maximum file size: 10 MB
• By submitting an entry to this contest, you unconditionally agree to the Terms and Conditions (read below)

Our jury of creative professionals will judge the photos on creativity and photographic quality. The winners will get an individual message notifying them during June 2012 and will be announced on the Vogel’s Facebook page

Contest page

PROFESSIONAL AND AMATEUR GRAND PRIZE:

A SanDisk prize package which includes:
A 64GB SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash Card 90MB/s: ($895), an ImageMate All-in-One USB 3.0 Reader ($49) and a Memory Vault ($49)
Capture, share and preserve your best memories with SanDisk’s photography products. Designed for everyone from advanced hobbyists to elite pros, SanDisk provides the high-performance memory cards, transfer methods and long-term storage devices that enable cutting-edge digital photography.
Apple iPad 2
Light modulating photographic equipment package from California Sunbounce
Crumpler bag

The professional grand prize winner will receive a $500 gift certificate from Adorama.

ALL FIRST PLACE CATEGORY WINNERS RECEIVE:

$100 gift certificate from Adorama
PhotoServe portfolio (worth $860)
A PDN PhotoPlus International Gold Expo Pass
A Nielsen Photo Group Membership Package (worth $125) and a Crumpler bag.

Winning images will be featured in PDN’s August issue which has an additional print circulation to 5,000 photography industry creatives, and in an extended online gallery.

CATEGORIES

• Animal Portraits
• Commercial/Editorial/Assignment
• Personal Work
• Babies/Children
• Self-Portraits

JUDGES

Henny Manley, Photo Editor, Esquire Magazine (U.K.)
Jolanta Bielat, Photo Editor, GQ
Holly Hughes, Editor, PDN
Clinton Cargill, Associate Photo Editor, The New York Times Magazine
Diane Cooper, Vice President, FBC Photo Publicity

ENTRY FEES

Professionals: $35
Amateurs: $15

Deadline: May 23, 2012

website: http://www.facesphotocontest.com/index.shtml

PURPOSE
An international competition saluting the next generation of talent, which will play an important role in the future of magazines, media, the web, design and photography.

DESCRIPTION
Hearst 8×10 Photography Biennial is a competition to identify and promote new and emerging talent among photographers in the United States and abroad. Eight (8) winners, chosen every other year, will:

Showcase selected works in an exhibition under the title, “8×10″ in the Alexey Brodovitch Gallery and the Hearst Gallery at Hearst Tower in New York City.

Be published in the accompanying “8×10″ catalog and on www.hearst.com and www.hearst8x10.com.

ENTRY FEE
There is no entry fee for the competition.

ELIGIBILITY
All U.S. and international freelance, amateur and professional photographers and students, 18 to 35 years of age. Applicants may apply as individuals, or as collaborators.

Hearst Corporation full-time employees and former employees are not eligible. Freelancers for Hearst Corporation are eligible to apply.

Applicants may only submit one (1) entry, which may include up to 16 photographs. Sizes may vary.

SELECTION METHOD & CRITERIA
Award recipients will be selected by a juried committee of ten (10) individuals consisting of Hearst Magazine editors, art directors, renowned photographers, curators and gallery owners. Decisions of the committee are final. Award recipients will be chosen on the basis of exceptional talent, strength of portfolio and capacity for future distinction in the field of photography.

APPLICATION DEADLINE
All entries must be submitted to www.hearst8x10.com between the dates of April 1 – August 1, 2012. Entries received after this date will not be entered into the competition. Hearst will not be responsible for lost or damaged entries.

Contest page: www.hearst8x10.com