Amateur Photographer of the Year 2013

This competition has now closed and the winners will be announced in AP dated 21-28 Dec 2013.

APOY 2013 – Your chance to enter the UK’s most prestigious competition for amateur photographers

**Entries must be received by 5pm on the closing date at the correct email address**
(Please do not send to the general AP email address)

Photo by Andrew Blake

Since AP’s Amateur Photographer of the Year competition was
launched in its present format in 1997, it has gone from strength to strength.
Back then, the overall prize was a Mamiya 645 Pro TL medium-format camera,
worth £2,395. This year we’re offering £5,000 worth of Panasonic equipment for
the 2013 winner – plus, for the very first time, we’ve two overall runner-up
prizes.

Photo by Sandra Crook

We receive thousands of entries from all around the world,
and last year saw a very high standard of submissions that made the task of
choosing a winner each month very difficult. By the end of the ten rounds,
though, one person had emerged the clear winner and 2012’s Amateur Photographer
of the Year was Dan Deakin from Nottingham.

Photo by Heather Buckley

APOY 2013 follows the same format as last year, with ten
monthly rounds from February until November. The competition is open to all
amateur photographers and each month’s round follows a distinct theme. After
the closing date of each round, the entries are narrowed down to a shortlist of
50, then the top 30, and finally the top three. Points are awarded to each
image for creativity, technical excellence and how well the image fulfils the
brief. Judges are looking for original, imaginative and well-executed pictures
that explore the theme in an exciting way. The names of the top 50
photographers from each round appear on our website, along with the images from
the top 30. The top 30 images are also published in the magazine at the end of
the month. After the ten rounds, the person with the most points accumulated
over all the rounds will be crowned Amateur Photographer of the Year 2013.

The prizes
Prizes are awarded to the first, second and third-placed
entrants for each round. This year we have great Panasonic camera kit on offer,
worth around £2,000 each round. We also have a top prize of £5,000 worth of
Panasonic kit for the overall winner, plus two runner-up prizes of £3,000 and
£2,000 of Panasonic equipment. That’s a grand total of £30,000 in prizes for
APOY 2013 in association with Panasonic.

About Panasonic
Since producing the first micro four thirds compact system
camera in 2008, Panasonic has built an impressive range of both cameras and
lenses. By using a four thirds sensor and not having a reflex mirror, Panasonic
Lumix G-series cameras can be smaller and lighter than their DSLR counterparts
while still retaining excellent image quality.

Not only are the cameras themselves smaller, but the lenses
are, too. There are currently 17 lenses in the G-system line-up, as well as
four conversion lenses for macro, wideangle, telephoto and fisheye shooting.
The G system comprises a comprehensive range of standard and zoom lenses, plus
specialist lenses, such as the Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f/2.8 Asph/Mega OIS
lens, Lumix G 8mm f/3.5 fisheye and the Lumix G 12.5mm f/12, which is the
world’s first 3D lens. Panasonic also has a range of premium X lenses, which
feature wide maximum apertures and efficient focusing systems that enhance the already
fast AF of all the Lumix G cameras.

The Lumix G series offers a number of models for a wide
range of photographers. At the top is the GH3, with a 16.05-million-pixel
sensor, maximum sensitivity of ISO 25,600 and full HD with up to an impressive
72Mbps bit rate. Those wanting the flexibility of a DSLR but in smaller body
will be suited to the Lumix DMC-G5, which also has a 16.05-million-pixel
sensor, plus 920,000-dot LCD touchscreen and a 1.44-million-dot electronic
viewfinder. Finally, the Lumix DMC-GX1 and Lumix DMC-GF5 are slim and compact,
making them great travel companions to keep with you at all times.

Photo by Ray Milsted

How to enter APOY 2013 by email

Image size
Your image must be at least 2,700 (3,000 maximum) pixels along its longest dimension, to be printed in the magazine. The file name of your image must be your first and surnames, for example William Windsor.jpg. The subject line of your email message must state the round name and your name once again – eg Water in Landscape: William Windsor. Finally, in the body of your email, include the camera model, lens and exposure details, if known, such as Samsung Samsung NX11, as well as a sentence describing what the image is. If your email does not meet these requirements, we will unfortunately not be able to enter it into the competition.

Entrants should submit only ONE image per round.

Only entries sent to the correct email address will be entered into the competition.

The image should be at least 2,700 pixels along its longest edge.

It must be a JPEG file, preferably sRGB.

The file name must be your first name and surname.

The subject line of your email must state the round name and your name once again.

Include your postal address and daytime telephone number in the body of your email.

List your camera model, lens, exposure details and any other information in the body of your email.

Entries must be received by 5pm on the closing date

* Please note the following and send your email to

apoy@ipcmedia.com *

Copy and paste the following into the body of your email and tick or mark “x” in the brackets below where applicable –

I earn no more than 10% of my total annual income or £5,000 annually from photography (tick to confirm) [ ]. This entry has not previously been published in a national UK photography magazine [ ] (tick to confirm). Amateur Photographer, published by IPC Media Ltd (‘IPC’), will collect your personal information to process your entry. If you would like to receive emails from Amateur Photographer and IPC containing news, special offers and product and service information and take part in our magazine research via email, please tick here [ ] Amateur Photographer and IPC would like to contact you by post or telephone to promote and ask your opinion on our magazines and services. Please tick here if you prefer NOT TO hear from us. [ ] IPC may occasionally pass your details to carefully selected organisations so they can contact you by telephone or post with regards to promoting and researching their products and services. Please tick here if you prefer NOT TO be contacted [ ] If my entry is not successful, I would like my image to be considered for critique in the Appraisal column [ ]

Please see below for all the rules for entry, terms and conditions. We only accept entries in the form of prints, slides or emailed digital files – we cannot accept discs. Remember to include your address, a daytime telephone number and as many details about your image as possible so we can judge it accurately.

Photo by Dan Deakin APOY 2012 winner

Plan your APOY 2013 year

Below is a list of this year’s
rounds, a synopsis of what we’re looking for and the dates they will be
announced. When you are planning your entry, remember to take into
consideration the criteria of fulfilling the brief, creativity and
technical excellence on which you will be judged.

Theme	Synopsis	Announced	Closes 5pm	Results
1. Portraits in Artificial Light	Portraits using artificial light	2 Feb	28 Feb closed	30 Mar
2. Life in Motion	Long exposures/frozen action	2 Mar	29 Mar closed	27 Apr
3.The Animal Kingdom	Pets and wildlife	6 Apr	26 Apr closed	25 May
4. Interior Architecture	Inside man-made structures	4 May	31 May closed	29 June
5. Floral Still Life	Flower and plant portraits	1 June	28 June closed	27 July
6. People at Work	A single frame to tell a story	6 July	26 July closed	31 Aug
7. Black & White World	Monochrome landscapes	3 Aug	30 Aug closed	28 Sept
8. Wideangle World	Wideangle/pan stitch	7 Sept	27 Sept closed	26 Oct
9. Going Abstract	Textures, shapes and colours	5 Oct	25 Oct closed	30 Nov
10. Under the Weather	Autumn and winter weather	2 Nov	29 Nov closed	21-28 Dec

Rules

Entrants may submit only one photograph per month, as an sRGB JPEG file that is 2,700-3,000 pixels along its longest dimension, an unmounted print (max size 210x297mm) or slide (no glass mounts please), in colour or black & white.
The entrant’s name, address and daytime phone number must be attached to the slide mount or the back of the print.
You may only submit digital files by email (no CDs/DVDs). When submitting a digital file, the file name of your image must be your first name and surname, the subject line of your email message must state the round name and your name once again, and the body copy of your email must include your name, address, daytime telephone number, the camera model, lens and exposure details.
Photos submitted must be your own work, must not be copied, must not contain any third-party materials and/or content that you do not have permission to use and must not otherwise be obscene, defamatory or in breach of any applicable legislation or regulations. If IPC has reason to believe your entry is not your own work or otherwise breaches this rule, your photos will NOT be considered.
Photos must not previously have been published in a national UK photography
magazine.
Copyright of all entries remains with the photographer, but IPC,
Panasonic UK and their associated group companies reserve the right to use,
publish and republish entries in connection with the competition, without
payment.
By entering this competition you grant permission to IPC, Panasonic
UK and their associated group companies to reproduce your photos in electronic
format and hard copy including for display at an exhibition, in IPC’s Amateur
Photographer magazine and on IPC’s and Panasonic UK’s websites and social media
should they be selected to promote the competition.
You grant IPC and
Panasonic UK the right to use your name and town or city of residence for the
sole purpose of identifying you as the author of your photos and/or as a winner
or runner-up of the APOY competition.
Each postal entry must be accompanied
by the correct > entry form with all sections completed. A photocopy of the entry
form will be accepted. All submissions must be well packaged in a stiffened
envelope (no tubes, please) bearing sufficient postage, and entrants wanting
their picture back must include a stiffened SAE stamped of sufficient value for
their return.
This competition is open to bona fide amateur photographers
and students only. That is, entrants should not earn more than 10% of their
total annual income OR £5,000 annually from photography.
Employees of IPC
Media, Panasonic UK and their families may not enter this competition. Entries
are judged by AP staff.
There is no age limit for entering, and
international entries will be accepted.
Prizes are as stated and no cash or
other alternative can be offered to the monthly prizes or overall prize.
Prize value correct at time of going to press. Overseas winners will be
contacted by phone about how to claim their prize. Panasonic UK has the right
to substitute a prize for a similar item of equal or higher value if the stated
prize is not available. No money can be added to the overall prizes. The
overall first prize for the APOY 2013 competition will be to win Panasonic
products to the value of £5,000 RRP as at the date of notification. The two
overall runner-up prizes for the APOY 2013 competition will be to win Panasonic
products to the value of £3,000 (second) and £2,000 (third) as at the date of
notification.
Prizes are subject to Panasonic UK standard terms and
conditions for its products. Acceptance of a prize is deemed to be acceptance
of those terms and conditions.
Entries on behalf of another person will not
be accepted and joint submissions are not allowed.
No responsibility is
taken for lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete entries. Proof of delivery
of the entry is not proof of receipt.
No purchase is necessary.
The
overall winner must choose his or her prize within six weeks of being notified.
In the event of a tie, the Editor will choose a winner. The Editor’s decision
is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
By submitting photos
you are accepting these rules.
IPC, Panasonic UK or their associated group
companies shall not be liable for any loss, damage or injury of any nature
howsoever caused, sustained by any entrant under this promotion. However,
nothing in these rules shall have the effect of excluding or restricting
liability for personal injury, death, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation
caused by the proven negligence of employees or agents of IPC, Panasonic UK or
their associated group companies.
Panasonic UK shall not be liable for any
failure to supply the prizes where such failure is caused by any supervening
circumstances outside its control which amount to force majeure and which
without the fault of either party renders performance impossible or incapable
of satisfactory execution.
These rules are governed by the laws of England
and Wales and any dispute in relation to them shall be subject to the
non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
This competition is owned
and run by Amateur Photographer/IPC Media and all competition terms and
conditions are bound by Amateur Photographer/IPC Media rules.