The SPD Student Photo Competition fields hundreds of entries from an increasingly competitive array of accredited schools, and is open to any undergraduate student.

THE 2012 CHALLENGE: 

“My Heart Is At War With The Rest Of The World.”

Take those words and birth something new. Make a picture that no one has seen before, especially in the context of that phrase. Make a photograph that takes full advantage of that text, that surprises us with its contrast or shocks us with its appropriateness. Make a big idea and take it as far as you can. 

Take these words and make it a picture. Make it loud, make it sing, make it whisper, make it devastating. At stake is exposure to industry leaders, mentorships with people that make the pictures that you love, and an invitation to SPD’s annual black tie gala. 

Enter up to 3 photographs that you are proud of and take the next step in becoming the person that makes magazines instead of just reading them.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

1. Download the official Call for Entries and Entry Form here, and have your instructor sign off on it. You can submit up to three photographs, but you can only win once.

2. Scan the signed form from your accredited school and attach it along with your 72 dpi RGB file (no larger than 5M) and send to photos@spd.org. We are accepting digital entries only.

3. Check the SPD website from time to time for updates.

DEADLINE: Monday, April 9, 2012.
All entries with completed forms must be received via email to photos@spd.org by Monday, April 9, 2012 by 5PM EST. Late entries will not be accepted.

Submissions must be approved by a professor or teacher. Each student may submit a maximum of three entries. The winners will be notified by email on or about April 20, 2012.

Questions? Ask us at photos@spd.org. the earlier the better.

The prizes are always good, but there are other reasons you should enter:

1.  You get your work in front of an awesome panel of judges, comprised of some of the top talent in the magazine photo world. The truth of this industry is, the more people who see your work and love it, the better your chances of getting hired. Let your work be seen!

2.  Aside from the prizes, there's fame and glory to be found on our blog and in our SPD Annual (Pub 47). If you're not aware of our Annuals yet, you can get a few here, and you'll find that for magazine designers and photo editors, they are essential resources. Getting into that essential resource this early in your career is a very good thing.

So what are you waiting for? Download the official Call for Entries and get to work!