Story and photography by Kathy Adams Clark
This flower image earned Kathy an honorable mention in Nature’s Best in the mid-1990s.
Many photographers view photo contests as a way to achieve recognition for their work. Landing a big prize can be a great way to get your photography in front of the public and potential buyers. Yet, not every photo contest is a winner. There are photo contests and there are photo scams. Smart photographers learn the difference.
Legitimate photo contests are fairly easy to spot. They are sponsored by a reputable magazine, organization, public park or government agency. The winning entries are guaranteed a prize and prestige. The prize can be money, merchandise or something as simple as a ribbon. The prestige can be publication of the image in a special issue of the magazine, an exhibition of winning prints in a public place, a traveling exhibit of the prints, and maybe an all-expenses-paid trip to the awards ceremony.
National magazines like Nature’s Best, National Wildlife, and Audubon run annual photo contests that attract the best images from photographers of all skill levels. One of my images won an honorable mention in a Nature’s Best contest in the mid-1990s, and I still brag about it to this day.
