Mobile Photography Awards - Are They Fair?

The build up to a competition is always exciting. Everyone who throws their hat into the ring is hoping for a chance to take home the prize or at least get a mention. Today is one of those days when hopes will be crushed as eyes scan the winning list of the Mobile Photography Awards and don't see their name among them. I know I was hoping against hope that one of my images might miraculously appear as an honorable mention. Oh darn! Maybe next year.

I have had a few people ask me about the results of this year's competition:

Was it fair?

Should one artist get several honorable mentions in one category?

Should one image get an honorable mention in more than one category?

I kind of remember a similar discussion last year. Here's the way I look at it. A competition like this is subjective - if there had been a different set of judges, there would probably be a different set of winners. It's not like a foot race where the first one across the finish line is the winner. Not every image was my cup of tea, but then again, that's why they make different types of tea! That said, each of the winners and those given honorable mention are deserving by mere virtue of the fact that they were chosen by the judges in what must have been a very difficult process.

Now, to answer the other questions about one artist getting several honorable mentions or one image getting an honorable mention in more than one category. I thought a bit about how I would organize a competition like this one. The "mom" in me wants things to be fair, so I would probably limit the number of honorable mentions to one per category, although I would allow a photographer to be mentioned in more than one category. But I imagine the organizers of the MPA wished for each image to be judged on merit alone and therefore allow an artist who is particularly accomplished to be mentioned several times. And, let's be honest, if I were one of those artists to get more than one honorable mention, I would be over the moon!

While I'm discussing this year's results I do want to congratulate all of those who won or were mentioned. There were names that are quite familiar - people I consider my friends although we've never met, and some  new names to investigate. Each and everyone of you must feel particularly proud to be recognized for doing something that is close to your heart.

So to the winners, a hearty "Congrats" and to those of us who didn't win or get a mention, we will lick our wounds and continue to create in this wonderful art form that allows us such a wide variety of expression. I started this journey because of the love of it and it is for that reason that I will happily continue.

Here's to next year!

(Please feel free to share your comments below.)

Mobile Photography Awards 2013 Results are In!

The waiting is over and the results are in! The winners and honorable mentions have been posted. You can see the full results by clicking on the image below.

Extending my warmest congratulations to all of the photographers.

Open Call for the Mobile Photography Awards

I attended the LAMAF exhibit last year and it changed the course of my life, literally.  Until I toured the exhibit, I didn't realize the potential of the instrument I carried with me everywhere...my iPhone.

Now it's your chance (and mine too!) to enter your best work for this year's Mobile Photography Awards. Click on the image below to visit the MPA website.

Here are the photo categories:

Architecture/Design
Black and White
Digital Fine Art
Lifestyle/Food
Landscapes
Nature/Wildlife
Macro/Details by Olloclip
People
Performing Arts
Photo Journalism
Portraits
Travel by Trover
Still Life
Self-Portraits
Street Photography
Transportation
Visual FX
Water
Photo Essay by Diptic

Each of your images may be placed in up to three (3) categories.  In case you're wondering what the cost is to enter:

3 Photo Entries for $20
5 Photo Entries for $30
9 Photo Entries for $50
20 Photo Entries for $100
Photo Essay $35

The jury for the 3rd Annual Mobile Photography Awards includes:
Ed Kashi
Christopher Wahl
Misho Baranovic
Bob Weil
Nicki FitzGerald
Marty Yawnick
Dutch Doscher
Melissa Vincent
Sarah Jarrett
Lee Towndrow
Star Rush
Richard Bangs
Laura Hubbard
Dan Marcolina
Stephanie Calabrese
Nathanial Park
Nettie Edwards
Andy Royston
Joanne Carter
Robert-Paul Jansen
Jen Pollack Bianco

The Four Seconds Open Call for Entries - Deadline September 12th

Here's your chance to submit your best work created on a mobile device.  There are only a few more days left until the September 12th deadline for The Four Seconds Exhibition to be held in Melbourne at the Obscura Gallery.  Get all the information on how to submit from the press release below.

Good Luck to all!  What an honor it would be to be a part of this prestigious exhibit!

Official Press Release:  

A lot can happen in four seconds, the jump of a puddle or a wave goodbye.

The Four Seconds Open Call is a celebration of spontaneous beauty captured through the camera. The Mobile Photography Awards (MPAs) in partnership with Obscura Gallery (Melbourne, Australia) are pleased to announce an open call for entries for artists worldwide to submit photographs and images created on mobile devices (phone and tablet) for the Four Seconds Exhibition – a fine art showcase for Mobile Photography and Art. All info is found atfourseconds.info

The exhibit will feature 25 images, as chosen by our jury. Submissions are open to artists worldwide from August 29-September 12, 2013. All chosen images will be exhibited at Obscura Gallery for a five-week run betweenNovember 21st through December 28th, 2013.

The title of the exhibition is inspired by Obscura Gallery Director Gil Baker who found that capturing a spontaneous moment on a mobile phone takes about Four Seconds, from pocket to shutter button.

We welcome all genres and styles of mobile photography: from straight photography to the more painterly and illustrative. We want to feature the best images made on mobile devices.

The Four Seconds Exhibition will be held in conjunction with a special set of photography events at Obscura Gallery, including the 2012 MPA Gallery Tour Exhibit and a series of workshops and presentations on the art and practice of mobile photography.

Entry Deadline and Fees

The call for submissions is open for just two weeks – from August 29 through September 12, 2013. Images accepted into the exhibit will be announced the week of September 30th, 2013. Submission fees are in US Currency and are $15 for 1 image, $30 for 3 images, $50 for 6 images. You may purchase as many blocks of 1,3 or 6 entries as you like. Further information on the entry process and terms of entry are available on our FAQ.

About Obscura Gallery

Since its inception in July 2007, Melbourne, Australia’s Obscura Gallery has propelled the photographic medium, together with a dedicated team of gallery staff and passionate fine art and documentary photographers. The gallery incorporates a variety of media into its exhibition program, including photography, collage, painting, new media and installation. Obscura Gallery displays a wide cross section of contemporary art forms and collaborates with artists working at the forefront of their practice, as well as artists in the earlier stages of their development.

About the MPA

The Mobile Photography Awards were founded in 2011 to recognize and celebrate the genre’s leading mobile photo & art talent. With exhibits, open gallery calls, and an annual top prize of $3000, the MPA is the largest event of it’s kind.

The MPA is thrilled to partner with one of Melbourne’s leading photographic galleries for these exhibits – it’s a wonderful opportunity to expose some of the best artists in the mobile photography and art community to gallery patrons from down under! Australia has always been a hotbed for mobile photography – some of the most celebrated artists in the genre hail from OZ and the MPA is very pleased to be a part of the exhibits, festivities and events in Melbourne at Obscura Gallery.