PHOTOGRAPHERS. Entries are now being accepted for the eighth annual Art of Photography Show in San Diego, California. Entering the show gives you the opportunity to have your work viewed by an acclaimed museum curator and be considered for a physical gallery exhibition that attracts tens of thousands of people.
In addition, cash awards totalling $10,000 are given to the 15 top participants.
- First Place Award: $2,000
- Second Place Award: $1,600
- Third Place Award: $1,200
- Fourth Place Award: $800
- Honorable Mentions (11): $400
The judge for the 2012 Art of Photography Show is Julian Cox, the curator of photography and chief curator at the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
Images created using any form of photography will be accepted for consideration, including:
- images shot on film
- images shot digitally
- images that have been unaltered
- digitally manipulated images
- alternative-process prints
- mixed-media works
- montages
- photograms
All entries must be submitted as a digital file in the JPEG format. The entry fee is $25 for the first entry, and $10 for each additional entry. A 25% discount is available for entries submitted by February 14. The deadline for all entries is midnight PST, June 30, 2012.
If your entry is among the top 200 chosen by Julian Cox, you will be notified via e-mail on August 7 and your work will be permanently displayed on The Art of Photography website.
Gallery Exhibition Attracts Potential Buyers
From the 200 top entries, Cox will select around 100 images to be displayed is the physical gallery exhibition that will run from September 29 through November 11, 2012.
Being in the top 200 means that all artists will have earned the same level of achievement, explains Art of Photography Show founder Steven Churchill, “But the judge will curate which images fit best together in the physical gallery space.”
The Art of Photography Show in San Diego, California is viewed by tens of thousands of people, including more than 1,500 collectors, business owners, architects and designers, and high net-worth residents who attend the show’s opening gala. All of the top images are published in the catalog that is distributed to at the opening-night gala and other events held in conjunction with the show.
“The 2011 competition surpassed all expectations, attracting entries from 72 countries,” says Churchill. “About 30,000 people viewed the exhibit, and we are expecting an even bigger response to The Art of Photography Show in 2012.”
“Our goal is to provide as many tangible benefits as possible to the exhibiting artists,” he adds. “The cash awards, accolades, media coverage, and sales revenue that we provide to artists who are selected by our acclaimed judges are substantial.”
The winning entries in the 2011 Art of Photography Show can be viewed on The Art of Photography website.
What Makes a Photograph Art?
If you’re curious about how a top curator evaluates images submitted to The Art of Photography Show, read the transcript of the radio interview that Maureen Cavanaugh conducted on KPBS with Natasha Egan, the associate director/curator, Chicago Museum of Contemporary Photography.
Egan recalls that as she went through the process, “I absolutely just went for what images stuck with me.” She says that when a certain image stayed with her longer than the others, she realized that “There’s something in that picture that is holding me to it. I want to look at it longer. I want to figure it out.” She also asked herself, “Does it grab beyond me? Is it something more viewers would also benefit from seeing?”
While she didn’t make a conscious effort to select works that would represent a variety of categories, Egan said, “There is a very large diversity of what a curator is attracted to.”
LINKS
Website: The Art of Photography Show
Testimonials from Artists in Previous Shows
Award Winning Entries in 2011 Art of Photography Show
Radio Interview: What Makes a Photograph Art?
Maureen Cavanaugh interviews Natasha Egan, the museum curator who judged the sixth annual Art of Photography Show.
Thank you so much for this article!
I want to let everyone know that the FINAL ENTRY DEADLINE is July 16, 2012.
We look forward to showing everyone’s work to Julian Cox this year. 🙂