This video presents “Smithsonian photo contest winners revealed.”
“Smithsonian magazine and Smithsonian.com place a Smithsonian lens on the world, looking at the topics and subject matters researched, studied and exhibited by the Smithsonian Institution — science, history, art, popular culture and innovation — and chronicling them every day for our diverse readership.”
The 12th Annual Smithsonian.com Photo Contest is now open to photographers ages 18 and over.
Don’t forget:
- All entries must be uploaded by 3:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, Friday, November 28, 2014.
Prizes
The Smithsonian will award eight prizes, as follows:
- Grand Prize: $2,500.
- Category Winners: The winners of each of the five categories will receive $500.
- Readers’ Choice: The winner of the online Readers’ Choice award will receive $500.
- Mobile: The best photo in any of the five categories that was taken with a mobile device will receive $500.
One cash prize per person; winners may receive additional noncash prizes. Winners must sign a release and license, declaration of eligibility, and will be responsible for paying any taxes they may owe on a prize.
The following five contest categories are drawn from subjects of special interest to Smithsonian.com:
- The Natural World: Animals, plants and landscapes; geological or climatological features; and scientific processes and endeavors.
- Travel: Locales, peoples or activities in the United States and abroad that convey a sense of place.
- People: Individuals from all walks of life.
- The American Experience: Events, objects or activities connecting the American people to their history or their cultural heritage; photographs that tell us what it means to be an American and provide a sense of what it is like to live in this country.
- Altered Images: Photographs manipulated for artistic purposes by applying digital and/or traditional special effects (i.e. colorizing, toning, collage, photo composites, HDR, etc.).
A sixth category is for images taken with a mobile device (phone or tablet).
- The Smithsonian will award a prize to the best photograph submitted in any of the five categories that was taken with a mobile device.
- You must affirmatively check the provided box to submit your annual contest entry to the mobile competition.
Please note:
- Photographs must have been shot by the entrant since January 1, 2012.
- Smithsonian.com does not accept digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered photos, except for those entered in the Altered Images category.
- Cropped photos are eligible in all categories.
- Photographs that have won any other contests are not eligible.
- Smithsonian.com defines winning as having won a grand prize or 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place overall.
- They do not accept photographs submitted through the mail.
- Submit no more than fifteen (15) photographs per category.
- They do not accept more than one contestant per e-mail address.
- Submit no more than fifteen (15) photographs per category.
Judging of the annual contest will be conducted by the editors of Smithsonian and Smithsonian.com. Winning photographs will be announced on Smithsonian.com in spring 2015.
- They will select 10 finalists per category plus the mobile category.
- Six category winners will be selected, one for each category, including mobile.
- The grand prize winner will be chosen from 60 finalists.
- The 60 finalists will be notified of their status by February 20, 2015 and will appear on Smithsonian.com’s web site in March 2015.
- At that time, the public can vote on their web site for one Readers’ Choice winner from the sixty finalists.
- The reader’s choice winner will be revealed online in spring 2015.
“You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant the Smithsonian Institution (and those authorized by the Smithsonian) a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce, and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any Smithsonian Institution purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the magazine and its website, exhibition, and commercial products, including but not limited to Smithsonian Institution publications. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. The Smithsonian Institution will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.”
Please click here for info on how to enter the photo contest as well as the complete contest rules.