Photography

Deadline looming for Amateur Photography Awards - have you entered?

Sunday May 31st is the closing date for entries to our annual photography competition - don't leave it to the last minute to get your entries in

Thu May 28 2015 - 14:00

The clock is ticking: as the closing date approaches here is a slideshow of some excellent entries in colour from the last seven days for the Irish Times Amateur Photographer of the Year Awards.

As the closing date looms the steady stream of entries has become a flood so now is the time to get organised and get your images in to us. Entries must be uploaded before midnight on Sunday May 31st. Be aware that excellent as the servers of our web hosting partner Picturk may be, it's best not to leave uploading till the very last minute to avoid any traffic issues.

Once entries close, the judging panel will start the process of scoring and judging, initially online, but the main awards will be chosen after much debate over a long day in a conference room at The Irish Times.

Slipped. Category: Open. Photographer: Alan Buckley, Cork. ‘I took this photograph as part of a series for my final college project. It is the moment that dogs are released at a drag-hunt, a traditional sport found in Co Cork.’

We expect to announce the winners on Saturday July 4th and to show the best pictures in a big display on the arts pages of the Weekend Review supplement of that day’s edition of the paper, as well as in an online slideshow. Remember that as well as the two main awards of €1,000 there will also be a special People’s Choice Award picked by our readers and kindly sponsored by Bermingham Cameras. One lucky reader who picks the winning entry will receive a voucher for €500 to spend in Bermingham Cameras.

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The shortlisted entries for the People's Choice Prize will go live in just over a week so keep an eye out for that online and tell your friends. So finally -  for anyone thinking of entering, now is the time – click here to enter and see our panel of tips below. Best of luck to everyone.

TOP TIPS

• Take time to prepare and think about your entry, read the rules, and enter your images in the correct category.

• Trust your judgment. Enter pictures you are passionate about, not ones you think might catch the judges’ attention.

• Avoid visual clichés. The Judges will have seen it all before, so if you revisit a well-worn theme make sure you bring something new to it.

• If you use Photoshop or Lightroom, use it as a digital darkroom to enhance your image quality without distorting the subject.

• Read the rules and be aware that overuse of digital manipulation could disqualify you.

• Do not enter images with watermarks of your name on the image: your copyright will be respected and usage of your images will be in accordance with the rules of the awards.

• Give your image a title and add any other relevant details.

• Upload images in the highest resolution allowed.