photo contests - why do you do it?

[davidb]

Do you enter a photo contest to win a few hundred bucks or do you do it to get the public recognition for your work?

[Brian_A]

Screw the money, all for the recognition. Someone knowing your name will take you a lot further in photography than a couple hundred bucks. The money is nice and definitely won't be turned down, but in my opinion money plays second chair to having people see my work...

[Walter Calahan]

I don't enter contests.

[Michael Alpert]

Photography contests are a waste of time for everyone involved (except, sometimes, for the sponsor, who may be making money from the activity). They are also inherently dishonest in that they expose the biases of judges, not the comparative merit of dissimilar photographs. If you cannot judge the value of your own work, you need to study the history of photography. Only with a thorough historical understanding can you find the measure of your own effort.

I also think that there is an element of self-deception in contests. If you feel that you can only win, you are toying cruelly with your psyche. And if you feel that you are floundering in photography, you probably are. Either way, contests, like slot machines, will not help.

[domenico Foschi]

Photography contests are a waste of time for everyone involved (except, sometimes, for the sponsor, who may be making money from the activity). They are also inherently dishonest in that they expose the biases of judges, not the comparative merit of dissimilar photographs. If you cannot judge the value of your own work, you need to study the history of photography. Only with a thorough historical understanding can you find the measure of your own effort.

I also think that there is an element of self-deception in contests. If you feel that you can only win, you are toying cruelly with your psyche. And if you feel that you are floundering in photography, you probably are. Either way, contests, like slot machines, will not help.

I tend to agree with many of Michael's postings, but this time I don't, in part.

I do participate in contests, but not for the reason they are meant for.
I do agree that in the most part they are mainly a revenue generator for the organizers, and I do my homework before giving them my money.
I do not care if I win, to me contests are a selling venues and an opportunity to have my work displayed and hopefully noticed.
If the jurors are important figures in the art market I will submit. A positive attitude helps if you see the contests under the right perspective and your expectations are realistic.

[Scott Knowles]

I've only entered one, and won first in b&w and third overall (Department of Interior 150'th Anniversary photo contest for employees) with my print hanging in the Washington D.C. lunchroom for two years (now returned and on my wall). That was enough for me and contests.

[reellis67]

They are also inherently dishonest in that they expose the biases of judges, not the comparative merit of dissimilar photographs.

This is my feeling as well, and, interestingly enough, the sentiment of many artists that I know who work with media other than photography. I have been told a number of times by a number of artists that the best way to do well in a contest is learn which judges like the style in which you work, and enter only those. There is no point in entering a contest judged by someone who will not be open to your style because they are usually interested in their own interests (or in granting favors to people with whom they are acquainted) rather than judging in an unbiased fashion. In my experience, this has been proven a number of times. It may not be how things work in your area, but it certainly seems to be the way it works here.

- Randy

[Charles Carstensen]

Agree with Michael. Very insightful. Excellent question, by the way.

[Allen in Montreal]

Photography contests are a waste of time for everyone involved (except, sometimes, for the sponsor, who may be making money from the activity).........

This is becoming a huge problem and many people buy in to it.

The city of Montreal sponsors a "students photo contest", college photography students, they fill their archive and own the rights, so the kid can win a Rebel XTI that was donated to the city by the biggest retailer in town!

The developer of 1000 De La Gauchetière (the tallest building in the city, it is not permitted to build higher than Mount Royal) held a professionals only contest for the official portrait of the building on launch day, and many went for it and shot stunning images and gave the rights away to the real estate developer!

An out rage.

Most contests, are a rights grab on huge amounts of free work, and not much more.

[Frank Petronio]

There are contests and then there are contests. If your photo gets the cover of the Communication Arts Photo Annual, that translates into serious five-figure potential jobs. Aperture is running a contest, as are many of the other higher end fine art establishments. It's how they review new work in general these days, they no longer take random solicitations.

But the general theme is correct, especially with local contests and anything aimed at amateurs. One of the worst contest factories is good old Photo District News -- while they don't grab rights -- they waste a lot of photographer's time and money on lame and lamer "professional" contests.