Photography competitions should be about more than just winning prizes.

Photography competitions should be about more than just winning prizes. People enter photographic competitions for a number of reasons. Some want to win, well deep down I think everyone wants to win but its not always the driving motivation.  One of the biggest reasons people enter awards is to push themselves  and to get feedback and recognition for the work they produce. At the Loupe Awards we are very mindful of the motivations behind people entering  and the outcomes associated with the competition.  The basic level of feedback that an entrant receives when entering is a score. But what does the score mean and how can we expand upon a number to offer insights and eduction to an entrant? We are delighted to introduce you to a new expansion to the Loupe Awards judging system which offers a new level of awarness and education. More than just a score. Now not only do you find out your final judging score, but you also get shown the individual judging scores. T he final result means so much more when you can see how the score was reached. Where the judges unanimous in their descision or did one or more of the judges Love your work? This extra level of awareness will only be shown within your account. Scores published online in Top 50 results will only show the final score. Feedback where it counts The Loupe Awards is always evolving the level of feedback that the judges can offer to you the entrant. Up until now the feedback has always been optional.  That being said we encourage our judges to give constructive feedback  whenever they feel it is appropriate. We have now taken this a step further. If a judge believes that an image is deserving of a score below 70, (Scoring range 0 - 100) the judge will always give feedback and suggestions on how the image could be improved. A score outside of the Merit Award range on its own won't help you to improve as a photographer.  But receiving the score with feedback and constructive suggestions on  what was letting the image down or what could be improved will help you. Regular Entries close 31th October, 2012. Enter online at http://www.loupeawards.com The major Amateur prize is valued at over US$5000, with prizes also awarded to top placing images in each category, and Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze merit awards based on score. The Amateur Award features three categories; People and Portrait, Landscape, Illustrative The Major Open Awards first prize is valued at US$30,000! The Open Award features eight categories; People and Portrait, Science and Nature, Photojournalism, Sport, Commercial Advertising & Fashion, Wedding, Landscape, Illustrative The Medium Format Art Prize is a premier showcase of medium and large format imagery. It is open to all photographers, both professional and amateur, however entries must be captured using a medium or large format film or digital camera. Short-listed entries will then become part of an exhibition to be showcased in various locations.The Medium Format Art Prize features three categories; People and Portrait, Landscape, Illustrative The 2012 International Loupe Awards is proudly supported by Kayell Australia, Epson Australia, Better Photography Magazine,Lastolite Professional, FINI Frames, Datacolor Spyder, Drobo, Elinchrom, and Canson. Previous winning and highly ranked images from the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 competitions can be seen on the website www.loupeawards.com

Regular Entries close 31th October, 2012. Enter online at http://www.loupeawards.com THE INTERNATIONAL APERTURE AWARDS PTY LTD ABN: 61 131 917 907 33 Malcolm Road Braeside, Victoria 3195, Australia Bus Hours 9am - 4pm eastern Australian time Email: info@loupeawards.com