Michael The Maven 2010 Photography Contest

Last Call !  Today is the final day to enter the Michael The Maven 2010 Photography Contest.  This is not only an amazing contest to take part in as you will be able to compete and view other contestants work, but you will also have the opportunity of taking part in a brand new iphone division!…Not to mention, possibly walk away with an INCREDIBLE Prize!  Unlike some contests out there – there are no gimics invovled here – this contest is put on by Michael Andrew Photography – which for those who have been following my blog, I have referred to Michael on a number of occassions, he’s an incredible Photography Instructor  who teaches through workshops, and awesome DVD’s that appeal to beginners and experts alike.  You can check out his instructional DVD’s at his Online Store, along with his other products like MA Lollipops, Paintballer Pro, and the Sky Cam.  Check it out, and get your entries in, you’ve still got time!

Here Are The Details As Posted Online By Michael The Maven!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am happy to announce this year's Photography Contest! Grand Prize winner will take home this

If you guys could help me get the word out on this I would greatly appreciate it! These contests take up a tremendous amount of time and money to put on and I would like to make it a yearly event. We are super lucky to have the following celebrity photographers on board to help with judging and I am extremely grateful to them for offering to help:
- Terry White , Guru Educator/Instructor, App Yoda & Photoshop Magazine Author - He is the guy you see teaching anything Adobe or Mac related.
- Arden Ward - Wedding Photographer Extraordanaire.
- The Fabulous Michael Norwood Esquire (I think all Mammoth Men rank directly below a Knight…Ill have to check on this).
- The Infamous F Stoppers gang! I wonder what controversy they are stirring up next?
- I am working on adding one more...
Contest Divisions/Categories, Prizes, & Submission Rules
This post is to announce the official start of the Michael The Maven 2010 Photography Contest. To keep things simple I am going to combine both the Cell Phone contest and the Main Photography contest together, so there are 2 divisions; "iPhone/Cell Phone Division" and the "Main Photography Division".
I also assume this post will grow with details, information, etc, so be sure to link back to it. I will be adding a Contest Banner shortly at the top of the blog. This is a free contest to enter (meaning there are no submission fees, and anyone can enter. (Including last year's winners). You may also enter both divisions, as long as submission rules are followed- I hate to have long posts and rules, but we have to do this to keep some kind of order.
Main Photography (SLR/P&S) Division
-The Grand Prize winner will receive a Brand New Canon 7D with 28-135mm Lens WOW!
- All First Place Winner's will receive a $200 gift coupon to Michael's Photography Store Products (Includes all training DVDs, Actions, Presets, etc) (BTW- There is a new product due in late Sept that most serious photographers will want, can also be applied towards a Maui Workshop, or other mentoring package.)
- All Second Place Winners will receive a $100 coupon to Michael's Photography Store.
- All Third Place Winners will receive a Free 16 x 20 Gallery Wrap from Uprinting.com
(I will add 4th and 5th place winners if we receive over 1000 submissions- last year we had 250 total- Also there are a number of sponsors I am still waiting to hear from, if they come through, we will substitute the gift cards at third place, and/or just add them to 4th and 5th). I also reserve the right to add more prizes depending on the more entries we receive and moving prizes around a bit, but all that will be decided before any finalists are selected. If it gets really big (10,000 participants or more), I will get Canon T2i's for all other 1st place winners- so spread the word! I know that's a lofty goal, but hey, dream big right?
We encourage all entrants of the main contest to mail in your entires on an 8 x 10 or 8 x 12 prints- (small borders are ok) to this address:
Michael The Maven Photography Contest
C/O Rick Jacobi
6040 E Main  #512
Mesa, AZ  85205
(Thank you to Rick for volunteering to help with this!)
The reason we are suggesting you submit by physical print is because it will allow you to check for detail and color before submitting.
We are also accepting digital submissions, just know that if you are a finalist, we will be printing it up on an 8x10 or 8x12 to compare with the other finalists. If you are submitting digitally, please email to: mavencontest@gmail.com with the division and category as the subject. For example, if you are submitting an entry for the Main Contest and it's a portrait, the subject of the email should be: "Main Photo Division - Portrait" This will help us stay organized. We also need at minimum your name, and basic contact information. If you win and we cannot identify or contact you, you will forfeit your prize.
1. All images must be submitted between: August 29th 2010- October 15th, 2010 at 11:59pm
2. Images must be submitted physically or high resolution digital files emailed to: mavencontest@gmail.com - You must have the subject properly titled to be considered.
3. Images must be taken between August 28th 2009 - October 15th, 2010 (within the last year)
4. You may enter up to 1 image in each category. Submitting "extras" will lead to disqualification.
5 The 5 Main Division Categories include:
A. Portraits
B. Landscapes / Nature
C. Macro
D. Sports
E. Abstract / Textures
We must have your submissions no later than Oct 15th, 2010. Remember, if you are in a jam, you can submit digitally up until 11:59pm.
Even if you do not have a printer, we would still recommend ordering your image to be printed from MPix or other print company and have them sent to the contest address. Many contestants did this last year and it worked out great. Be sure to include your division, contact info, etc in the shipping notes.

Categories, Rules, Prizes for the Cell Phone Division include:
The Grand Prize Winner will be: One Brand NEW Canon Rebel T2i With Kit Lens - (or A Gift Card of Equivalent Amount from BHPhoto)
The other 2 - 1st place winners will receive Canon Point and Shoot Digital Cameras (Or Equivalent Gift Cards from BHPhoto)
For the remaining individuals who place (2nd or 3rd place) there will be additional prizes (yet to be determined).
1. All images must be submitted between: August 11th 2010- October 15th, 2010 at 11:59pm
2. Images must be submitted electronically, either by text message or emailed to: mavencontest@gmail.com
3. Images must be taken between August 1st 2010 - October 15th,, 2010
4. You may enter up to 2 images in each category. Submitting "extras" will lead to disqualification.
5. The 3 Cell Phone Categories Are:
A. Portrait
B. Landscape
C. Wildcard (this is everything else that isn't Portrait and Landscape)
6. The Subject of your entry submission must have "Cell Phone Contest" , followed by a category name: "Cell Phone Contest-Protrait" for example.
7. Images may be edited, but must be done on your phone only. Using Apps are allowed as long as you list which Apps were used in your submission.
8. Your name and contact information (name & email are required) must be submitted with each image. If your image wins, and we are unable to contact you, or you do not respond, your prize will be forfeited.
9. By submitting your images, you give Michael The Maven and its representatives, permission to reproduce & show on websites, social media or other materials for promotional purposes. We also reserve the right to print your image to inspect image quality if necessary.
10. We reserve the right to expand the number of winners and make adjustments to the rules at our discretion.
11. There will be an initial selection process by Michael, from which a panel of judges (yet to be determined) will vote for 5 Finalists in each category. The remaining images will be voted on by blog readers.
Other Rules and Notices
12. By submitting your images for either division, you give Michael The Maven and its representatives, permission to reproduce & show on websites, social media or other materials for promotional purposes. We also reserve the right to print your image to inspect image quality if necessary.
13. We reserve the right to expand the number of winners and make adjustments to the rules at our discretion.
14. There will be an initial selection process by Michael, from which a panel of celebrity photography judges, will vote for 3 Finalists in each category. The remaining images will be voted on by blog readers. The Grand Prize Winner of each category will also be voted on for both divisions.
If you have questions, please ask below in the comments box and I will update with answers.
Both divisions of the contest are now open.
Even if you are not interested in entering, please help get the word out and post this link on Facebook, Twitter or anywhere else you may think would help. I would really like to get as many people involved as possible, and by having a "cell phone" part of the contest, it makes it available for everyone!
Need Tips and Suggestions to make your cell phone images great?
Cell Phone Photography Contest Resources:
- Tons of great basic composition lessons at: Michael The Mentor
- Here is a great Video from myself, Terry White and F-Stoppers on using good light sources to improve image quality.

The iPhone Fashion Shoot - Lee Morris Shoots With The 3GS Fstoppers from FStoppers on Vime

Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I use HDR? - Yes.
2. I dont live in America, can I still enter? - Yes, as long as you follow all the rules, it is open for everyone.
3. Watermarks? - No watermarks on the photo, we do not want know who took it so we may judge without bias.
4. Can I stitch images together for panoramas? Yes
5. Can I stitch many images together, such as compositing? It depends. This is a photography contest, not a photoshop or art contest. If it looks like an natural image, then yes, if it is obvious that several different elements and images were composited, then no.
6. What is max file size if emailing? 5MB is max, but to be honest 2-3 is more than enough. We are not accepting RAW files.
7. Should images be watermarked? No.
Any more questions you have will be answered here or in the comments.