Student competition: top tips for entering

3 years ago

Are you between 18-30 years old and enrolled in a photography course at higher education level?Show us your best series that respond to the brief In a Changing World

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With less than two months to go until the 2023 Student competition closes, we thought we’d share a few tips to help your entry go far. For this year’s competition, we’re asking entrants to show us positive stories of development and progress around the globe. This could be related to the environment, technology, education or even the way we work and live. It’s key your submission responds to the title, read the full brief here.

© Ezra Bohm, Netherlands, Student Photographer of the Year, Student competition, Connections, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Once you’ve read the brief, make sure you have a conversation with your tutor and peers about how you might approach the subject – the more you talk about your response to the brief the more you’ll form a deeper understanding.

When you’re reviewing your submission for the final time, make sure you ask yourself a series of questions, such as:

Do the images work as a series - what’s the thread between format, tonality and messaging? Take a look at our top tips on image editing for more information.
Does your submission successfully interpret the brief?
Is your series description clear? Take a look at our guide to writing.
Can you spot any potential weaknesses in your entry? If so what? Can you strengthen your submission in any way?
Does your project adhere to all of the rules?

While you’re in checking mode, have a look at your images and make sure they are:

JPG format
Quality 10 or above
Between 1 to 5MB each
Set to sRGB colour mode

We know it takes time but make sure you take some time to read the rules too. After all of your hard work, you don’t want your submission to fall at the last hurdle. A few key points to remember include:

Be it large format, pinhole or a DSLR, your images can be taken on any device, camera brand or type.
Make sure your submission is between 5 to 10 images, no more no less.
You retain full copyright of the images.
Images must be taken in 2021.

This year’s judge for the Student competition is Eliza Williams, who is Editor at Creative Review. The overall winning university is given Sony digital imaging equipment worth €30,000. Make sure you meet the deadline, 30th November at 13:00 (GMT) to not be disappointed.

ENTER THE STUDENT COMPETITION FOR FREE

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