Couldn't they have made it an even $100k? That was my initial knee jerk reaction until I read the fine print and found out that this contest was based out of England where the currency is pounding (pun intended) the crap out of the US dollar. Regardless, it's a photography contest that I think might be worth looking into.
$95,000 PRIZE PACKAGE IN INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
The Travel Photographer of the Year competition (TPOTY) is going from strength to strength. Following a very successful first year in 2003, in which photographers from 34 countries submitted just under 10,000 images, this annual competition for amateur and professional photographers now features: four portfolio categories covering every aspect of travel photography; a Single Image category; a special Young Travel Photographer category; Student Awards – and a remarkable $95,000 prize package.
Category winners in the 2003 competition included American photographers Kurt Stier and Mike Matlach. See www.tpoty.com for the 2003 winning and commended images. Hasselblad, Hewlett Packard, Land Rover, Star Alliance and Tribes Travel have joined the founding sponsor line-up of Adobe, Avery, Calumet, Discover the World, Fujifilm, G.A.P Adventures, Guerba, Islands of the Bahamas, Light & Land, Plastic Sandwich, Resolutions and Wacom. The result is a line-up of prizes that any photographer would be delighted to win, including some superb travel and the very latest photographic equipment and software.
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2004
The photographer who demonstrates the greatest skill, diversity and creativity in two different portfolio categories will follow in the footsteps of 2003 winner, the British photographer Peter Adams, and earn the prestigious title of Travel Photographer of the Year and the satisfaction of being judged the very best travel photographer in 2004.
The winner and a companion will be able to take the photographic trip of a lifetime with their choice of a pair of round the world air tickets or two Business Class tickets to any one destination served by the Star Alliance network, the global network that brings together 14 of the world's finest airlines. Added to this is an enviable $3,000 spending spree in a Calumet photographic store, plus Adobe CS Collection Premium and Video Collection software, to optimise the images they shoot on their travels.
‘MY WORLD, MY VIEW' – YOUNG TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Photographers aged 16 and under can submit four images on the theme ‘My World, My View' which show what travel means to them. It's free to enter and the prizes are fantastic. The winner receives a top of the range HP Pavilion Photosmart PC with integrated camera docking station and 6-1 memory card reader, plus a top-spec HP Photosmart digital camera, photo centric scanner and photo printer, a unique photography masterclass with renowned landscape photographer Charlie Waite, courtesy of Light & Land, and Adobe CS Collection Premium software.
The new 2004 competition categories are:
Peoples and Cultures Portfolio
This portfolio celebrates humanity in all its many guises, and the diversity that different cultures bring to the travel experience.
Prize: the brand new, state-of-the-art Fujifilm S3 Pro digital camera and lens, a superb 22-day overland adventure for two through Kenya and Tanzania with Guerba, and Adobe CS Collection Standard software.
Essence of Travel Portolio
This encompasses places, festivals, leisure, architecture, food, transport, tourism and history.
Prize: the highly desirable new Hasselblad XPan II Pro panoramic camera; a 12-day fly/drive adventure for two people to explore Sweden with Discover the World, and Adobe CS Collection Standard software.
Spirit of Adventure Portfolio
This category allows entrants to capture the thrill of adventure – however large or small – that challenges the traveller.
Prize: a once in a lifetime expedition for two people with Land Rover's global conservation partner Biosphere Expeditions to the Tatra mountains in Slovakia; a custom-built website from web wizards Resolutions, and Adobe CS Collection Standard software. To prepare them for their expedition, the winner will also spend a day at one of Land Rover's off-road driving centres.
Living Planet Portfolio
This encompasses landscape, the environment, and wildlife.
Prize: the top-of-the-range Wacom Cintiq 18SX Interactive Pen Display with TFT monitor; a tour for two people around the stunning Galapagos Islands on board a motor yacht with G.A.P Adventures, and Adobe CS Collection Standard software.
‘Celebration' – The Single Image Category
Entrants can submit one beautiful, uplifting image that captures the theme of ‘Celebration' within the context of travel.
Prize: a 10-day holiday for two to the photogenic Islands of the Bahamas, plus Adobe
CS Collection Standard software.
Runners-up and Highly Commended entrants will receive tripods or Tenba camera bags from Calumet. Runners-up in the four portfolio categories will also receive off-road driving training from Land Rover, to help them travel to those difficult-to-get-to, but eminently photogenic, places.
Special Awards
Awards will be presented for the best three portfolio entries by students in full-time education, with the winners receiving beautiful leather print books from Plastic Sandwich, made in their choice of size and format and personalised with their names.
In addition, a number of special awards from Avery and Tribes Travel will be given for individual images nominated by the TPOTY panel of expert judges and the general public visiting the 2005 TPOTY exhibitions. Details will be announced later this year.
A chance to give something back
Another new element for TPOTY 2004 is the option to make a $1.50 charitable donation with the entry fee. The funds raised will be split between Tourism Concern and The Tribes Foundation. Tourism Concern is dedicated to campaigning for change in the world's biggest industry – working to ensure holidays are as good for the people living in our holiday destinations as they are for us. The Tribes Foundation helps indigenous communities, preserves cultural heritage and ecological biodiversity in areas impacted by tourism outside the UK and encourages education in global cultural diversity within the UK.
Entry fees and closing dates
Photographers can enter as many categories as they like, as many times as they like. To compete for the title of Travel Photographer of the Year 2004 they must enter at least two different portfolio categories. The fee structure has been revised for 2004, making it more cost- effective to enter. Entry costs from just $7.50 for one portfolio category or up to four entries in the Single Image category, is completely free for under-17s and there is a discounted flat rate fee of $7.50 for students. Entries are now open, and close on September 17, 2004. Full information and entry forms are available from http://www.tpoty.com or by sending a stamped addressed envelope to PO Box 2716, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 7ZN, England.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
If you would like to publish examples of the 2003 winning photographs, please visit the Winners' Gallery at www.tpoty.com, choose the photographs you want and then request them by emailing press@tpoty.com. For further press information or a high-res version of the competition logo, please contact Karen Coe on 01628 773445 or email: press@tpoty.com
Contact:
Karen Coe
Travel Photographer of the Year
+44 (0)1628 773445
press@tpoty.com