Photography contests and sponsors for contests
Throughout the internet there are several types of photography contests. If you are a novice, amateur or a professional there are contests for any category that you would like to pursue. It is important that you are cautious about where you sign up and provide details when submitting information and your work to photography contests. You should do some preliminary investigation of the site that is sponsoring the photography contest. Make certain the contest offering is not a scam to simply get your personal information and steal your identity and your work. It is best to submit your work and details to a well-known entity and site. Many websites that sponsor “contests” are using that as a method to get you to pay for their membership once they have “approved” your work.
You can do a search on Google or another major search engine for photography contests and you will find several. However, if a company has a sponsored advertisement that is promoting their contest it is likely that they are using the contest to promote their membership, and they will in turn not only take you photograph but hit you with an email asking for a hefty membership fee. Anyone who is sponsoring a true “contest” will not need to promote their site using advertising. Why would you advertise to give away money???
Some of the better photography contest sites that I have found to be legitimate are not just a photography site. These legitimate sites have another cause they are working for, such as magazines or wildlife preservation oraganizations. These types of organizations are not simply sponsoring “contests” that supposedly give away money. They have a real cause they are working for such as preserving nature areas and wildlife which by the way is something I personally support.
To help you with your search I have compiled a few names of organizations that sponsor photography contests. Forest Wander does not endorse or are affiliated with these organizations or companies in any way. I do not even have a link to or from them, I simply want to give you good advice so you do not get ripped off.
Photography sites I have researched
The National Wildlife Federation is one of my favorite contests that I know of. This organization is dedicated to preserving and promoting wildlife preservation in our great nation.
DPChallenge A Digital Photography contest is a great site to promote your work and see what the photography community thinks about your work.
Better Photo also provides a nice site that you can share you work and promote your abilities in the photography community. They also provide free courses.
International Photography Awards is sponsired by several magazines and other entities that can actually support a contest.
Outdoor Photographer Magazine is another site that is sponsored by their magazine sales. They have a pretty good magazine too! The have monthly “Win This” Contests.
Nature’s Best Photography Magazine also is a magazine sales and sponsored contest site. They focus primarily on nature type photography.
POP Photo is another site that has several contests to choose from.