10 of The Snappiest Live Photo Contests

Here are 10 of the coolest and most innovative photo competitions that are live right now and ready to be entered by enthusiastic photographers with skills to prove.

Each competition has a brief description on what the entrants will be getting into and what should form their inspiration. There’s also a quick breakdown of the prizes involved for the lucky winners and I’ve added an informal “difficulty level” of either low, medium or high. This represents how involved the application process is for each competition: Does it have an entry fee? Is the subject material difficult to capture, and so on.

Whatever your style or camera, there’s sure to be something that will make you want to get out there and grab your greatest shot to date. For more info and the page which allows you to enter, follow the relevant link in each section.

Sony Profile Hero

A photo contest where you are star of the show, Sony’s Profile Hero gives you 5 categories which allow you to show your creative qualities. Create the most eye-catching profile pic in any one of the following to get your hands on one of Sony’s shiny prizes:

Sports Star: Jumping, sliding, all-singing, all-dancing, make the most of your energetic sports shots.

Night Owl: Party animals, light-sleepers or anyone who doesn’t do mornings should prepare the best photos of their noctural adventures.

Family Funster: Whether you’re all out on vacation or at home having an epic board game session, this is the category to show you’re the original family guy or girl.

Portrait Poser: If you don’t shy away but love the close-up as much as the camera loves you, this is the category to go for.

World Wanderer: For those who fearlessly tread across the globe, taking a little of the culture back with them each time in the form of perfect photos.

Top Prize
A holiday for 2 to Rome in Italy. The prize includes flights, transfers, travel insurance and hotel accommodation

Prize Range
5 new NEX-5 cameras to be one each week for 4 weeks (1 camera per category winner)

Pro/Amateur
Open

Difficulty Level
Low: Free entry, open spread of categories, quick and easy upload time

Single Drop of Water

The $1,500 cash prize isn’t the only thing that’s impressive about Statement Arts’ current photo challenge. The Single Drop of Water competition is the first of its kind and will doubtlessly give budding photographers the chance to turn on the style and produce images that are dripping with excellence.

Single Drop of Water is a movement that uses the arts to raise awareness of the importance of water as a commodity that is scarce in developing and Third World countries. So not only will the competition produce some fantastic photography, it will also help a good cause.

Top Prize
$1,500

Prize Range
$500 for all category winners, plus a number of Canon Digital Rebel SLR kits

Pro/Amateur
Open

Difficulty Level
Medium: $25 entry fee and you need to wait for rain or make your own aquatic fun by finding water features

Earth Through a Lens

The Earth Through A Lens competition is looking for images that focus on beauty in the natural environment, the degradation of the environment by human activity and attempts to reclaim or restore despoiled areas. Showing Earth at its most beautiful and its most ravaged, the competition is sure to help promote more eco-friendly awareness.

Top Prize
$1,500

Prize Range
Cash prizes from $500 to $1,500 for the 3 top photos, which will be published in the April issue of Palm Springs Life magazine

Pro/Amateur
Open

Difficulty Level
High: $35 entry fee for 3 images and you need to discover an area of natural beauty or environmental damage

The Times Travel November

Upload a jpeg to the monthly Times travel competition and you could be packing for your next trip with a Samsonite Gold Anniversary case which is made from revolutionary “Curv” material making it the company’s strongest but lightest hardside suitcase. Simply select your favourite travel shot that brings out the best of a place you love to visit.

Top Prize
Samsonite limited-edition Gold 100th Anniversary Cosmolite suitcase

Pro/Amateur
Amateur

Difficulty Level
Low: Free entry, just need to put on your travelling shoes, take the shot then send a jpeg in an email to travelpictures@thetimes.co.uk

Telling a Story With Images

The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards invites photographers to tell a story in a series of images. The viable themes are as wide as your imagination so the story could be anything from a blossoming romance to the aftermath of a disaster.

If a picture paints a thousand words, your series of images should create a well-rounded short story.

Top Prize
$500 B&H gift certificate and have your image featured on their book’s front cover

Prize Range
$300 B&H gift certificate for the runner-up and have your image featured on their book’s back cover

Pro/Amateur
Open

Difficulty Level
Medium: Free entry for first screening ($55 entry fee if your works pass to second screening), need to produce a series of images in a story-like fashion

Food in Focus

WGBH is calling up the foodie photographers in order to produce some fresh angles on appetizing edibles. The competition hosts strongly recommend using fresh ingredients rather than prepared meals. The deadline is 30 November though, so you’d best hurry and don’t leave your photos to spoil.

Top Prize
Winning photo’s appearance on TV stations WGBH 2, WGBH 44 as well as wgbh.org

Pro/Amateur
Open

Difficulty Level
Low: Free entry and there’s plenty of wonderful food types to help you get inspired

Seize the MomeNT

Get into the adventurous spirit with Tourism Northern Territory’s Seize the MomeNT contest by entering an image or short video with a caption that best sums up adventure travel. The winner will get to put their philosophy into practice as they jet off to Australia’s Northern Territory for a wild outback adventure.

Top Prize
Holiday to Australia for 2

Prize Range
20 National Geographic Walkabout Bags and 300 National Geographic Earth Explorer Travel Logs

Pro/Amateur
Amateur

Difficulty Level
Medium: Free entry but you’ll need to walk on the wild side in order to get in touch with your adventurous nature

All in The Family

Showing your nearest and dearest in the best of lighting angles, Photographycorner.com’s All in the Family competition gives the opportunity to expand on the theme of family connections. Cute or poignant, silly or serious, get snapping those family pics (pet inclusions are allowed too) for the chance to win a top of the range Tamron.

Top Prize
A Tamron SP 70-300mm Di VC USD telephoto lens, or Tamron Domke Bag and Tamron Optech Large Lens Wrap

Pro/Amateur
Open

Difficulty Level
Low: Free entry and you just need to grab family members and/or pets

USA Pictures Fall 2010

Simple premise, simple participation method. USA Pictures offers free entry to their Fall competition which pits entrants in a battle of skills for an iPod Touch. Creating a free account and uploading 15 pictures of any theme that shows off the USA is all entrants need to do in order to compete.

Top Prize
iPod Touch

Pro/Amateur
Amateur

Difficulty Level
Free entry, photos can be of anything or any place in the USA

The Best Camera Challenge

With its 3 categories of people, places and things, your options are pretty open for the Best Camera’s Challenge. The winner will get a swish new MacBook Pro, plus there’s a heap of extra goodies for category winners such as digital cameras and PDN magazine swagbags.