photo competitions to join + tips 📸

Photography competitions are a great way to challenge your creativity and gain recognition if you are able to win (and receive prizes)! 🏆 No matter what level you are, from beginners to pros, everyone is encouraged to join ❤️‍🔥

Here are some competitions you could try:

🔘 Singapore Young Photographer Award (free)

🔘 NUSPS Montage (free)

🔘 Sony World Photography Award (free)

🔘 LensCulture awards (free, paid)

🔘 Canon Photo Marathon (paid)

🔘 Singapore International Photography Award (paid)

🔘 International Photography Award (paid)

There are two main types of competitions:

1️⃣ In-person: photomarathons

2️⃣ Online: category/ themes

As a beginner, I preferred joining ✨ in-person ✨ competitions as everyone is put on a level playing field. You will be given the same amount of time (usually 2-3h per theme) to shoot ⏰ around Singapore during competition day and most do not allow any form of editing. This was beneficial to me because back then, I didn’t have any fancy editing software so a large part of the judging was based on pure shooting 👼🏻 Plus, I got to participate with my friend which is always fun! 🤪 As of 2024 that I could find, there is only the Canon Photo Marathon running. However, I had previously participated in events by Fujifilm and Objectifs. So be sure to keep a look out for new ones! 🔭

Nowadays as a more experienced photographer, I prefer ✨online submissions✨ as I like to take more time to intentionally conceptualise, shoot and edit my submissions 🤓 Plus, I can enter international competitions as well and compete on a global stage 🤩 I’m also able to choose what sort of category or theme I’d like to enter to increase my chances of winning 📈 For example, Sony World has categories in Portraits, Architecture, Street, etc. and further breaks down the entry into Student, Open and Professional so that the competition is fair 😌

💡 TIPS:

✅ Research who the judges are and what were past winning photos to gain a better sense of what they are looking out for

✅ Avoid contests that are based on popularity vote or do not clearly state who are the judges/ judging criteria (unless you don’t mind!)

✅ Make sure you read the T&Cs to ensure that you keep your photo’s ownership and copyright

✅ Take advantage of the many workshops, promotions and interviews associated with competitions as they are a valuable and often inexpensive (sometimes even free) resource to improve your photography

✅ There are always recurring or new competitions out there, take some time to research on what’s available and the period of submissions

✅ Don’t feel too discouraged if you don’t win, sometimes you need to find the right competition and judging style for you. Keep trying and have fun!

Good luck and thanks for reading❣️

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