Top 2014 Photo Contest

Lately on Hubpages I have seen so many beautiful travel blogs from all over the world that have inspired me to write a hub on photography, my next quest this year is to learn more about it. I have this nice fancy Nikon camera I absolutely love, but truly feel that I am not using its full potential. So this hub is for all you there with me, who aspire to learn a little or a lot about photography, take a photography challenge with me and enter a contest. You will find there are few listed that require a fee to enter, but most are free, I am all for free!

This list is great to keep year after year because most of these websites continue to have photo contest, with the same criteria, and due dates year after year, usually. Definitely worth keeping up with whether you are an amateur or professional photographer.

The World Press Photo 2014 Contest (http://www.worldpressphoto.org/2014-photo-contest) is currently running now (started December 2013) and deadline for submission is January 15, 2014, but you must request a user name and password for their website by January 9, 2014. The winner’s photograph will be featured in an exhibition that will travel to more than 100 cities in over 45 countries. They award first, second, and third place prizes in all categories, plus they do the premier award for the World Press Photo of the Year.

In addition, World Press Photo also offers a 2014 Media Contest to include animation, illustrations, graphics, sound, or text which judges in the following categories: Short Feature, Long Feature, and Interactive Documentary. The same deadline for their photo contest applies to this contest as well (January 15, 2014).

World Press Photo aims to lead international contest in visual journalism and is committed to supporting high standards in documentary storytelling and photojournalism worldwide. They are a non-profit organization in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, founded in 1955.

The 2014 Philadelphia Museum of Art Photography contest is going on now and the deadline for entries is January 10, 2014. To enter there is a $45 non-refundable processing fee for submission and artist who have been selected will be notified around March 17, 2014. Winning pieces will be displayed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in June 2014. Open to anyone over the age of 18.

The Sony World Photography contest is for either an amateur or professional photographer, any background or age, all they ask for is creativity. The photo contest starts January 6, 2013 and ends June 1, 2014. They have 10 diverse categories total (ranging from Action to Travel), as a Basic Member you can enter up to 3 photos for free, or if you upgrade to an Advanced Membership you can enter up to 8 images, and if you upgrade to a Premium Membership you can enter up to 20 images.

The winner of the 2014 Sony World Photography Award Open Photographer of the Year (the official title) will get their piece showcased in the London exhibition, receive $5,000 cash, digital SLR camera equipment from Sony, and much more.

The 2014 Nature Photography Contest (http://www.jasphotocontest.com/) offers prizes to two different divisions: Adult (age 18 or older, or out of high school) and Youth (ages 8-18, or still in high school), entry fee is $10 per photo, and is open to photographers from all around the world. The three categories to be judged are Landscapes, Plants, and Wildlife. Each winner will receive $100 cash and their photos displayed on the website with their info. Currently going on now and deadline for entries is June 30, 2014.

The category winners will be displayed in the Awards Exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. The finalist of the contest will be published in the 2014 Fall/Winter Special Collector’s Edition of Nature’s Best Photography magazine. They charge an entry fee of $25, you can enter a total of 20 images, and you can start as many of the $25 entry pages as you would like. This contest is open from January 1, 2014 until May 1, 2014.

They are currently running the Ocean Views Photo Contest, and ask that uploads are completed by January 6, 2014. Other contests listed on their page include Best Backyards, Picture of the Week, and Nature’s Best Flickr Group. Included with each contest is a PDF will all guidelines and any other additional information.

The 2014 B & H Wilderness Photo Contest (http://wildernessphotocompetition.com/) is going on now and deadline for entries is January 14, 2014, in the following categories: Land Mammals, Aquatic, Culture/Wilderness People, Landscape/Scenery, Conservation/Man and Environment, Birds, Amphibians/Reptiles, Macro: Flora/Insects, or animals in zoos. The website is offering winners two different African Safaris.

Open to all photographers either amateur or professional from now until February 15, 2041 (needs to be postmarked by). Photographers may submit up to three images to include natural scenic, urban landscapes, wildlife shots, or human interest. First place will receive two first class tickets from Alaska Airlines, second place will be awarded two coach class tickets through Alaska Airlines, and third place will be awarded two coach class tickets, but to not as many destinations as available to the second place winner. The magazine will publish the top 10 photos in their May 2014 issues as well.

Wow, not only does National Geographic have so many websites, but they also have so many different photo contest constantly going on year after year. I have seen different photo contest for different countries and student photo contest. This is worth checking in to their website further depending on what criteria you fall under for contest entry.

The Smithsonian.com just wrapped up their 11^th annual photo contest. Their 2013 contest started January 2, 2013, and there is no new information for their next contest, but I can see a great possibility that they will have a 2014 one soon so keep an eye out!

PopPhoto.com has ongoing photo contest throughout the year for small prizes worth checking out. For example they just wrapped up their December Photo Challenge which was a Group Portrait. Their monthly prize winners (one for each month) receives $100 cash. Keep an eye out for their monthly challenges.

Photo Contest Information (http://photocontestinformation.com) appears to be a great resource for photographers of all skill levels from all over the world. They have a post on their website for almost every day listing a different photo contest, criteria, when it ends, who it’s open to, and more. Their website even has a newsletter sign up where you can get those updates directly to your inbox.

Photocompete.com (http://www.photocompete.com/soon-to-expire) is another good resource that lists all the different 2014 photo contest in order of expiration.

Also watch out for contest to come out for Nikon and Canon, they are not really advertised too much that I ever see, but they do have them each year (makes sense they would right). I just visited their website and the winners were just awarded so keep checking back for updates on their new contests to come out this year.

Keep an eye out for local photo contest happening in your state or city as well. You more than most likely will not find them online unless it’s a large state, or worldwide contest, but you will find them in newspapers or in advertisements.

So…are you up for the challenge with me in finding a contest you may be interested in entering? Did I miss any big photo contest happening in 2014? If so please let me know!