As an organization dedicated to creating a dialog within the photographic community, APA|NY is opening up this year’s annual photo contest with one simple task in mind: show us your best work. The contest aims to showcase the amazing work being done amidst these uncertain economic times, proving new possibilities for creative experimentation are born each day. This display of work will provoke conversations that highlight the talents of photographers in the New York region, putting them on the map for excellence across all genres of work. In return for your submissions, APA|NY promises to reward winners with not only exciting prizes, but also a full year of exposure and promotion to celebrate your work.

Our panel of judges is leaders in the photographic community.  We welcome submissions from photographers of any background.

About APA:
American Photographic Artists (APA) is the leading American organization run by photographers for photographers, as well as other photographic professionals. With a culture that is grounded in optimism and openness, APA supplies the necessary tools for business success, standards, and creative satisfaction. This includes all levels of the photography profession. APA understands that it is our job to be proactive. We anticipate the practical, creative, and business needs of our members, with ongoing resources and vigorous national advocacy. APA’s reach and standards are recognized worldwide. Our inviting culture and common sense values provide the foundation for all that we do.

APA|NY Chapter site: www.apany.com

APA National site: www.apanational.com

Questions? Email photocontest@apany.com

Thanks to Bron Imaging for setting up lights for the booth, Schezerade Garcia for painting the amazing backdrop, and Laura Trevino for photographing!

Congratulations to all the winners!

Thank you to our amazing panel of judges and all of our sponsors!

Many thanks Francine Daveta for capturing the evening and Root Brooklyn for being our lovely hosts for the night!

See these images on Facebook as well.

Thank you to Francine Daveta for capturing the night and Paul Aresu for hosting us in his studio.

Congratulations to all the winners!

Thank you to our amazing panel of judges and our sponsors!

Save the date for a BIG party at Root Brooklyn in late September.  More details TBA!

Grand Prize Winner: Bill Phelps

Action + Adventure + Sports
1st Place: Braden Summers
2nd Place: Jeremy Harris
3rd Place: Braden Summers

Architecture + Landscape
1st, 2nd and 3rd Place: Bill Phelps

Fashion + Beauty
1st Place: Stephen Churchill Downes
2nd Place: Bill Phelps
3rd Place: Sebastian Smith

People + Lifestyle
1st Place: Kevin Tachman
2nd and 3rd Place: Wesley Mann

Food + Still Life
1st Place: Joshua Scott
2nd Place: Clint Blowers
3rd Place: Monica Stevenson

Assistant
1st and 2nd Place: Nicky Woo
3rd Place: Geralyn Shukwit

Student
1st Place: Jordan Levine
2nd and 3rd Place: Liang-Pin Tsao

Photo by: David Rae Morris

Mel: What are you hoping to see in this year’s contest?

Stella: Hopefully I will see things that I haven’t seen before; a unique take on these categories.  Most times we end up seeing things that are in fact different.  It re-energizes me as a reviewer.
Mel:  What categories (if any) tend to be grand prize worthy?

Stella: I’d say less people, at least in terms of fashion and more landscape and lifestyle.  I am excited to see what contestants do with landscape, action + adventure + sports and people + lifestyle.

Mel:  Any helpful hints for contestants?

Stella:  Think really carefully about your submissions.  Show your absolute best work and something that you are passionate about.  We are looking for great work; to be “wowed!”

Photo by: Sari Goodfriend

Stella Kramer is a multi-award winning photo editor who has worked for such major publications as Newsweek, The New York Times, Brill’s Content, People, Entertainment Weekly, and Sports Illustrated.

She was part of the New York Times team winning the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography, and served as the photo editor the New York Times “Portraits of Grief,” memorializing those who lost their lives in the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, which won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, and a 2002 Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography.

Stella now works with photographers to strengthen their creative vision, edit their portfolios and websites, and set marketing plans for their careers. She also lectures and appears at photo festivals around the country as a portfolio reviewer. Stella is interested in new applications of photography, and how photography will transition into the new visual landscape.

Photo by: Melanie McLean

Join the New York Chapter of the Advertising Photographers of America now and receive 20% off your dues and get a discount on APA’s 3rd Annual Photo Contest entry fees. And did we mention we host inspiring lectures, throw great parties and have cool friends like Dripbook, Agency Access, Broncolor, Photoshelter, BlinkBid, Photo Serve, and Asuka Book?

Join us and experience another side of the photo industry–the APA|NY side.

Paul: What do you hope to see in the entries this year?

Susan: Great work! This is an opportunity for photographers to show images that truly highlight their particular vision and skill set.  We are asking our jury to look at 3 components in the work:

Vision – we want to see work with far reaching vision. Whether you’ve created a truly unique image or re-imagined a Dutch Master painting in pixels, or film,  the clarity of your idea and that idea’s impact are what matter.  Whether slow and subtle, or big and “wow,” does your image make the viewer want to keep looking, or come back time and again?

Production Value – Okay you had a great idea, but can you make it come to life? Once you have the idea, clearly you need to be able to execute.  Send us images that will really speak to creatives, curators, and editors.  Let them know that whether they come to you with sketches or you brainstorm together, you have the ability to pull together the elements to convey the ideas behind the image.

Technical skills – Whether you went through college, apprenticed, or are self-taught, can you make an image that your clients can actually use?  Without technical knowledge begged, borrowed, or owned the rest is moot.  Let the jury know that you know what you are doing on all levels.  This is your chance to show that you have the skills and vision to make them shine.

Paul: How is this year’s contest different from last year’s?

Susan: There is so much cross-pollination going on now that we really wanted to reflect and build upon that.  APA|NY has only done two contests and has previously tied them to a theme.  This year we are throwing it open and setting it free from the confines of a specific theme.  We simply want your absolute best work.

We have searched out a diverse and dedicated jurist panel. The jury is made up of members from the Advertising, Editorial & Fine Arts worlds, reflecting our belief that so many boundaries between genres have melted away that, at this point, a truly diverse viewpoint needs to be represented within our jury.

We have also reshaped this year’s contest as an ongoing interactive event, designed to highlight our winners, sponsors and the creatives.  The belief behind this being that in a true community, all members benefit from actions taken, and when all members are supported the community as a whole becomes stronger. From the exhibition of winning work and ongoing interviews published on our soon-to-launch contest blog, year long mailings and contest website, we hope to foster interaction and relationships between the various components of the photography community.  Within the current proliferation of contests, APA|NY’s goal is to organize and promote a contest that speaks to the community at large, encourages dialogue and generates ongoing benefits for the participants.

Paul: What sparked the changes?

Susan: Well for one, we have a new Director.  With new people change comes about and Kaia Hemming has really taken on the Photo Contest as a cornerstone in APA|NY’s mission.  That mission is to educate, inspire, and create a collaborative environment in the photographic community in order to help photographers of today and tomorrow succeed. This is a pretty interesting time in the world of photography.  There has been a great deal of upheaval and while that can be frightening, with change comes many opportunities for creativity, new relationships and new models for the way we all do things.   Advertisers are mining areas that were not very familiar territory for them in the past, such as the Fine Arts and Editorial sectors. Photo Editors are looking everywhere.  Many old paradigms in photography have shifted, so photographers have many new options open to them;  as a result, we really wanted to open the contest up and simply say, send us your most fantastic work.   As a relatively new contest we felt this was a great time to redirect.  There is such a great range of work, from  tintypes to complete digital fiction, being utilized in all aspects of the photography market that we wanted to engage jurists who represent that change, photographers who are rising to the challenge and sponsors who fuel the technology.

Paul: Regarding the contest, what are you most excited about this year?

Susan: All of it!  We have gotten such a great response from everyone we’ve approached as jurists and sponsors–it is just very encouraging.  We really believe there is some fantastic work out there and we can’t wait to show it off.

Paul: What are some words of wisdom you can offer to the entrants?

Susan: Send your best work; send work that is reflective of what you really want to do.

Prizes – learn how to use them.  While some sponsors have donated specific items, many provide services.  A lot of the services are really great tools, but you have to learn how to use them.  You will have direct contact with the sponsors who donated those prizes during the contest, s0 talk to them, go the their websites, utilize their learning centers.  I don’t know how many times I’ve seen someone win a really great service and never use it because they don’t realize what it can do for them.

Work it – There are contest winners who sit back and wait for the work to pour in and those who really market themselves as contest winners and tell people about their awards/honors.  Once you’ve spent the time and money to enter a contest you’ve laid some good groundwork for building relationships with members of the jury and the creatives who see the ongoing contest promotion.  This is capital – use it wisely.  Think about what promotional materials you might sent out to remind people that they have seen your work before. There are a lot of contests and a lot of visual information bombarding us every day–you have to work it to make people want to take the time to look at your work.  While winning a contest is great, it is simply one more piece in your promotional arsenal–you have to work it thoughtfully if it is to be beneficial.