It seems that at the moment there are photography competitions ongoing everywhere. Whilst many of these have a tendency to be orientated towards traditional photographers, there are a small number of mobile specific awards or awards that have mobile categories. This is testament to the rise of mobile photography as a recognised and legitimate branch of photography.
I thought it wold be good to look into some of these photography competitions and awards and see what is on offer. I’m sure I may have missed some, if so, let me know in the comments below.
IPPA Awards
The iPhone Photography Awards or IPPA Awards first started in 2007 and is one of the longest running iPhone photography competitions. The event attracts photographers from over 120 countries with winners selected by a jury process. Past winners have included Michal Koralewski, David Craikand and Yvonne Lu.
The IPPA’s allow photographers to submit work to a variety of categories including Animals, Abstract, Architecture, Children, Flowers, Food, Landscape, Lifestyle, Nature, News/Events, Panorama, People, Portrait, Seasons, Still Life, Sunset, Travel, Trees, Others. The cost of entry varies from $3.50 for 1 image, right up to $57.50 for 25 images. All photos entered into the IPPA must have been taken on an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and not altered on a desktop computer using software such as photoshop. Editing with iOS apps is ok though.
There are several prizes up for grabs. All entries compete for the coveted Photographer of the Year award as well as 1st, 2nd, 3rd places. First place winners in each category win a gold bar with the photographer of the year getting their work published in the IPPAWARDS online gallery as well as any other published material. Those in 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in each category receive a certificate and for some who missed out on these top spots, will receive honourable mentions.
The deadline for this year’s awards is March 31st, 2016.
The Mobile Photography Awards or MPA’s as many people refer to it as is now in it’s 5th year. The awards were founded by Dan Berman who wanted to create something that recognised the talent coming out of the mobile photography community.
The competition opens for entries, each year in October through to December with the results being announced at the start of February. Photographers can submit their work via the MPA website to a number of categories including Architecture and Design, Black and White, Digital Art, Landscapes, Macro, Nature, people, portraits, Travel, Silhouettes, street photography, visual FX, Waterscapes/Snow/Ice and a photo essay category. A small entrance fee is required to enter the competition which goes towards a cash prize for the winner, runner up prizes as well as themed exhibitions throughout the year that showcase the top entries.
Now is it’s third year, the MIRA Mobile Prize is another mobile only photography competition that attracts a lot of attention from all over the world. Photographic entries are judged by a jury of 8 international members which this year includes NEM’s Andrea Bigiarini, iPhoneographyCentral’s Bob Weil and digital artist Meri Aaron Walker.
The MIRA Mobile Prize is free to enter up to 3 images; however, there is a small fee for finalists to help support the cost of the exhibition. The closing date for this year’s competition is 27th February 2016 with the short list of runners up and the overall winner being announced later in March. The winner of the MIRA Mobile Prize will receive a round-trip ticket from a European capital city to Oporto in Portugal, as well as board and lodgings for a 6 day trip where they can attend the finalist exhibition.
Last year’s winner saw Brendan O Se take the overall winners prize with his superb ‘shot on iPhone’ Apple World Gallery photo.
The New Era Museum is a collection of digital artists from around the world who activity work to explore and promote the boundaries of mobile photography and art. This year, the NEM is hosting a photographic competition and exhibition in Rome. The competition closes on 14th February so you need to be quick if you want to be in with a chance of having your work included in the Unexpected Happening exhibition. This is just one part of a bigger jazz event being held at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome on March 12th.
The Unexpected Happening event is being organised by NEM founder Andrea Bigiarini. Submissions need to be portraits, in a square 1:1 format, shot and edited on a mobile device. The winners will be selected from a judging panel of 10 who include myself, Brendan O Se and Dilshad Corleone.
If you are interested in this one you better be quick before it closes on 14th February.
The Hipstography Awards is now is its third year and is run by Eric Rozen of Hipstography.com. The awards are a celebration of Hipstamatic photography with contenders being curated and announced over a series of weeks via the Hipstography.com website. Visitors to the website can then vote for their favourite 3 photos with the winners being announced in February. The winning photos will then see their work showcased in a series on Hipstography.com.
The Terry O’Neil Awards is a predominantly a DSLR photography competition which has, in recent years, opened up a mobile device category. This is yet another positive indication that mobile photography is beginning to get wider recognition in the photographic world.
To enter, photographers must submit between 3 and 10 images in a series along with a short narrative about the series. The images must have been shot during a specified period of time. Photographers can also enter the awards as many times as they like although each entry requires a separate entry fee.
At the moment, it is unclear when the next awards are open to entering.
The Sony World Photography Awards is one of the biggest photography competitions around, their sole aim is to recognise and reward the best in contemporary photography from around the world. While it has historically been a traditional photography competition, in 2015 Sony embraced the mobile device by including a mobile phone photographer award. Last year this was won by Turi Calafato from Italy.
The competition attracts entries from around the world and with an incredible $30,000 worth of cash prizes and the latest Sony digital equipment on offer it’s not hard to see why. The awards are currently closed.
The latest issue of the Mobiography Magazine has just been release onto the Apple Newsstand and Google Play. In the first issue of 2016 you will find it yet again packed full of the usual interviews, top tips, tutorials, features and showcases of the very best in smartphone photography.
What’s inside issue 22?
In the latest action packed issue of Mobiography we talk to two talented mobile photographers. Iranian street photographer Mohsen Chinehkesh and Italian photographer Valeria Cammareri. Firstly, Mohsen tells us about life in Tehran as a photographer and how it has influenced his work. Valeria talks about the thought process behind her photographic compositions and her conscious step away from being totally mobile.
Meanwhile, in our beginners guide, we look at macro photography and provide some simple tips that will help you take better macro photos with your smartphone camera and review the Inmacus iPhone lens system which offers some incredible macro lens options.
This time of year is often the point where the good intentions that we set at the beginning of the new year begin to wane. This can be especially true for those who have challenged themselves to undertake a year long 365 Project. To help you get through any creative barriers you may be encountering, Kate Hailey, a veteran of 365 Project, offers some insights into ways to successfully completing your own year long photographic project.
Nicki Fitz-Gerald of iPhoneographyCentral.com gives another App Masterclass Tutorial. This time, she takes us step by step through the process of creating a winter inspired piece of art using the apps Snapseed, Leonardo and Procreate. Brendan Ó Sé tells us about the latest workshops he has been running and we look at some of the results his students have been producing.
Finally, Guilia Baita reports on the Vivian Maier exhibition that has been touring Europe and tells us the story of this extraordinary and extremely talented street photographer.
Grab your copy now
In order to grab yourself a copy of Mobiography, head over to the Apple newsstand or Google Play and install the app. Single issues are available for $4.99 or you can subscribe to the bi-monthly subscription plan for $3.99 and make a 20% saving. On Google Play subscriptions are monthly at a cost of $1.99.
Don’t forget to join the Mobiography mailing list, follow us on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye out for some future planned photographic challenges.
The latest issue of the Mobiography Magazine has just been release onto the Apple Newsstand and Google Play. In this festive edition you will find it packed full of the usual interviews, top tips, tutorials, features and showcases of the very best mobile photography.
What’s inside issue 21?
First up we talk to the one and only Jack Hollingsworth. Jack has been one of the biggest advocates of mobile photography since the early days and was one of the first people I came across when I started my journey. I finally managed to track him down and pick his brains, dig into the wealth of knowledge that he has and find out more about some of the exciting projects that he has in the pipeline.
I also talk to Elaine Taylor, an amazingly talented mobile photographer from Yorkshire, UK. Elaine is well known for her colourful and vibrant portraits of her children. Find out more about the photos that she takes and her approach to photography.
No festive edition of Mobiography would be complete without a run down of this years mobile photography accessories in our top 10 list of gift ideas. Also continuing the festive theme, Nicki Fitz-Gerald guides us step by step through the process of creating a Bokeh filled Christmas image in her app masterclass.
Meanwhile, Kate Hailey takes time out of her US coast to coast road trip to fill us in on the big update from VSCO and shows us how to use this popular app to enhance the photos you take. We also look at some of the best cities in the world for street photography and showcase some more examples of stunning mobile photography.
Grab your copy now
In order to grab yourself a copy of Mobiography, head over to the Apple newsstand or Google Play and install the app. Single issues are available for $4.99 or you can subscribe to the bi-monthly subscription plan for $3.99 and make a 20% saving. On Google Play subscriptions are monthly at a cost of $1.99.
Don’t forget to join the Mobiography mailing list, follow us on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye out for some future planned photographic challenges.
The latest issue of the Mobiography Magazine has just been release onto the Apple Newsstand and Google Play. You will find this latest release packed full of the usual interviews, top tips, tutorials, features and showcases of the very best mobile photography.
What’s inside issue 20?
There are two big pieces of news in the mobile photography world at the moment. The first being the launch of the new iPhone 6S. The release of a new iPhone always attracts a lot of attention and this model is no exception. We take a look at the camera capabilities of this new addition to the iPhone family and find out what’s new about it.
The second being the annual Mobile Photography Awards which is about to open for its 5th year. As submissions open on 5th October we speak to founder, Dan Berman about the awards and a big announcement he has to make.
We also talk to Wes Quarles of Tiny Collective about his gritty style of street photography as well as Jeff Kelley aka Postaljeff of the Grryo Collective. Find out about his work and approach to mobile photography.
Meanwhile in our beginners guide section, Paul Moore looks at editing apps for killer landscape photography, Kate Hailey compares two leading iPhone lenses, the Olloclip and the iPro lens system. Find out how the two stack up against each other. We also review the app Printastic a fantastic new service that allows you to create your own stunning photobooks using your photos. Renowned street photographer Eric Kim offers his views on the benfits of shooting street photography with a smartphone.
As usual there is the Mobiography showcase and Nicki Fitz-Gerald’s app masterclass tutorial guide which takes us step by step through the process of creating a beautiful piece of artwork on the iPhone/iPad.
Grab your copy now
In order to grab yourself a copy of Mobiography, head over to the Apple newsstand or Google Play and install the app. Single issues are available for $4.99 or you can subscribe to the bi-monthly subscription plan for $3.99 and make a 20% saving. On Google Play subscriptions are monthly at a cost of $1.99.
Don’t forget to join the Mobiography mailing list, follow us on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye out for some future planned photographic challenges.
The latest issue of the Mobiography Magazine has just been release onto the Apple Newsstand and Google Play. You will find this latest release packed full of the usual interviews, top tips, tutorials, features and showcases of the very best mobile photography.
What’s inside issue 19?
In this latest action packed issue we take a closer look at landscape photography and talk to Julian Calverley about his fantastic book #IPHONEONLY and dig into his unique style of landscape photography and find out what makes his perfect landscape photo. Meanwhile, Paul Moore offers some practical tips and advice in our beginners guide section on ways you can take better landscape photos.
Getting away from the landscape theme we go urban and talk to Tehran street photographer Alireza Sheshmani. If you haven’t done so already, check his work out, its amazing.
As well as this we also review the Ollclip 4 in 1 and Active Fit Lens System for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Kate Hailey takes a closer look at creating amazing portraits with your iPhone using Hipstamatic. For Android users out there check out our guide to the best camera replacement apps.
Meanwhile, Nicki Fitz-Gerald of iPhoneographyCentral.com kicks off her new column with an in-depth step by step guide which looks at how you can create a ‘Spotify’ style album cover using masking and blending techniques.
Grab your copy now
In order to grab yourself a copy of Mobiography, head over to the Apple newsstand or Google Play and install the app. Single issues are available for $4.99 or you can subscribe to the bi-monthly subscription plan for $3.99 and make a 20% saving. On Google Play subscriptions are monthly at a cost of $1.99.
Don’t forget to join the Mobiography mailing list, follow us on Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye out for some future planned photographic challenges.
The latest issue of the Mobiography Magazine has just been release onto the Apple Newsstand and Google Play. You will find this latest release packed full of the usual interviews, top tips, tutorials, features and showcases of the very best mobile photography.
What’s inside issue 18?
Inside this bumper issue we talk to iPhoneographyCentral’s Nicki Fitz-Gerald, Hong Kong based street photographer Michael Kistler and the extremely talented Brendan Ó Sé.
Nicki Fitz-Gerald talks about the iPhoneographyCentral website, about her book ‘The Art of iPhone Photography’ and the AdoramaTV series plus much more. Brendan Ó Sé tells us the story behind his famous ‘Shot on iPhone’ image and how a simple shot taken on a trip to Copenhagen went from the small screen of his iPhone to a fifteen story high billboard poster. Finally, Michael Kistler talks about street photography, the workshops he runs in Hong Kong and the meaning behind his mantra of; ‘Light, Composition and The Moment’.
In the beginners guide section we take an in-depth look at the hot app update of the moment, Snapseed 2.0 and find out why this new update so special and what’s new.
We also look at the app, PRO Cam 2 and see how it performs on the streets of Thailand. Meanwhile, Megan Corwin shows us how to correct annoying perspective distortions with the app SKRWT and we check out the KENU Stance tripod and look at ways that you can get your Instagram photos noticed.
Seattle based portrait and headshot photographer, Kate Hailey, offers some top tips and some first hand advice about traveling on a photography trip as she makes her way across Europe with her iPhone camera.
Believe me this is just the tip of the iceberg as there is so much more covered in this bumper issue.
Grab your copy now
In order to grab yourself a copy of Mobiography, head over to the Apple Newsstand or Google Play and install the app. Single issues are available for $4.99 or you can subscribe to the bi-monthly subscription plan for $3.99 and make a 20% saving. On Google Play subscriptions are monthly at a cost of $1.99.
I hope you will find both inspiring and informative as well as an ideal resource to help you further the boundaries of your own photography.
In the latest action packed issue of Mobiography we talk to two talented mobile photographers. Iranian street photographer Mohsen Chinehkesh and Italian photographer Valeria Cammareri. Firstly, Mohsen tells us about life in Tehran as a photographer and how it has influenced his work. Valeria talks about the thought process behind her photographic compositions and her conscious step away from being totally mobile.
First up we talk to the one and only Jack Hollingsworth. Jack has been one of the biggest advocates of mobile photography since the early days and was one of the first people I came across when I started my journey. I finally managed to track him down and pick his brains, dig into the wealth of knowledge that he has and find out more about some of the exciting projects that he has in the pipeline.
There are two big pieces of news in the mobile photography world at the moment. The first being the launch of the new iPhone 6S. The release of a new iPhone always attracts a lot of attention and this model is no exception. We take a look at the camera capabilities of this new addition to the iPhone family and find out what’s new about it.
In this latest action packed issue we take a closer look at landscape photography and talk to Julian Calverley about his fantastic book #IPHONEONLY and dig into his unique style of landscape photography and find out what makes his perfect landscape photo. Meanwhile, Paul Moore offers some practical tips and advice in our beginners guide section on ways you can take better landscape photos.
Inside this bumper issue we talk to iPhoneographyCentral’s Nicki Fitz-Gerald, Hong Kong based street photographer Michael Kistler and the extremely talented Brendan Ó Sé.
