Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Photography Competition

125 years after Georgia O'Keeffe was born, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum is running a Photography Competition with a theme of "Flowers" - which naturally grabbed my attention right away!  I have any number of photographs of flowers - it's one of my favourite occupations for the reasons outlined by Georgia O'Keeffe many years ago

“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”
Georgia O'Keeffe

A long look at a favourite flower
© Katherine Tyrrell

The reason for highlighting it on my blog is that submission is electronic - which opens up the competition to international entries.

All winning images will be published in the spring issue of O’Keeffe Magazine and on the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum web site (beginning February 1, 2013 – March 1, 2013) plus there are various awards to be won (see website for details).  The First Prize is $500 + Santa Fe Photographic Workshop Intensive, Annie Leibovitz signed edition of Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage; signed edition of Roxana Robinson’s biography, Georgia O’Keeffe; and a select item from the O’Keeffe Museum gift shop.

Anybody care to guess what my flower is?

The aim of the competition

Georgia O’Keeffe was famous for her interpretation of flowers. Some realistic, some abstract...but always beautiful. In her spirit, please share with us photographs of your favorite flowers — those pictures that capture your heart and capture the beauty and magnificence that is nature.

The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum invites anyone enthusiastic about photography and art to enter the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Photography Contest.

Who can enter


All photographers are eligible - except those associated with the Museum.

What to Enter

The competition invites submission as follows:

• Each submitted photograph, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the Contest entrant.  
• Open to all photographic imagery depicting the subject of "flower" as interpreted by the entrant. 
• Entries may originate in any format including, but not limited to digital files, digital prints, color transparencies, color prints, or black and white prints. 
• All submissions will be electronic in the form of JPG files. 
• By entering the Contest, entrant acknowledges that the submitted photograph(s) is an original work created solely by the entrant, that the photograph does not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the photograph. Photos that violate or infringe upon another person's copyright are not eligible.

There are various other detailed conditions relating to licenses and minors and content which is not allowed.

Criteria for Assessment

Images will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit.  The rules state that all entries will be anonymously reviewed throughout the Contest.

How to submit

The very detailed Rules, Terms, and Conditions need to be reviewed prior to submitting an entry.  The main points are highlighted in this post but there's a lot that isn't.

Submission is electronic - which makes it feasible for international entries.

• Each photo must be submitted electronically via https://client.smarterentry.com/Okeeffe. You need to create a login before you can submit and entry.  Note the comments about browsers on the left of the screen and the fact that Mac users are recommended to use Firefox.
• No mail-in entries will be accepted. 
• Each entry consists of an entry form, an entry fee, and up to three images.  Note you need to make the payment before you complete the form and upload the images.  Image format detailed below
• Additional images may be submitted for additional fees. 
• There is no limit to the number of submissions per entrant. 

Questions and inquiries about entering can be emailed to competition@okeeffemuseum.org.

Image format 

The required image format is as follows:

• JPG format with compression at level 7 (or medium)
• 72 dpi resolution
• 1,280 pixels on the longest side
• sRGB or RGB color space (standard) 
• less than 2MB total size

Finalists may be asked to submit a high-resolution file of at least 300dpi at 8x10 inches. The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum reserves the right to disqualify contestants who are unable to provide a high-resolution file.

Deadlines

There are TWO deadlines - which relate to the fees payable

• Early Entry Deadline (Thursday, November 15, 11:59 p.m. PST) - which is Georgia O’Keeffe’s 125th Birthday!
• Final Entry Deadline (Wednesday, December 19, 11:59 p.m., PST):

Fees

• Early Entry
• Adults: $35 for 3 images, $10 for every image above 3
• Students: $15 for 3 images for students, $5 for every image above 3
• Final Entry
• Adult: $45 for 3 images, $10 for every image above 3
• Student: $20 for 3 images for students, $5 for every image above 3

Judges

There are three panels of judges for the different age groups - one for adults aged 21 and above, one for students aged 18-21 and one for students aged under 18.

Adults Panel of Judges:

• Jennifer Schlesinger-Hanson, director, VERVE Gallery of Photography
• Joyce Tenneson, photographer
• Norman Vanamee, editor-in-chief, Garden Design Magazine

Students (age 18-21) Panel of Judges:

• Jackie M, Director of Education and Public Programs, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Students (below 18) Panel of Judges:

• Mary Anne Redding, Chair, Photography Department, Santa Fe University of Art and Design

Links:

• Georgia O'Keeffe Museum
• About Georgia O'Keeffe - American Painter