Kata has launched a photographic contest calling for entrants to submit shots of their Kata camera bag “in action”. The photo could be of the bag itself, carried, worn, looped on a belt or slung over a shoulder, in an exotic location or an everyday environment. This is a juried competition - the judges will choose three photos out of all submissions, and the lucky entrants will receive one of the latest Kata bags. As usual, we suggest that you read the terms & conditions before entering your work.

The Vienna International Photographic Awards (VIPA) are now open for entries. Open to professionals, amateurs and photography students from any country, the VIPA 2012 competition is focussed on documentary photography. You may submit either a single entry or a series of photos with a social, cultural, political or environmental theme. The first prize is €4,000, the second is €2,000, while the recipient of the third prize will be awarded €1,000. Additionally, the short-listed winners will be published in the VIPA?s official catalogue. The works of the three finalists will be featured in a group exhibition held in November 2012 in Vienna. Entrants can register through the website below.

Tickets to this season’s FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium will be up for grabs for those who upload a photo of themselves supporting their club to the Football Association’s website. “Your photo might be at an FA Cup match, down the pub with some friends or even in the armchair at home - the choice is yours,” the association says. The uploaded photos will be displayed on the “Fan Photos” section of the newly redesigned FA Cup website, and the best ones will also be showcased on the big screens at Wembley during the Final. The photo with the most votes from each round will win two tickets

At the end of last year, Photography Blog launched a search to find the best budding action snapper in the inaugural Autosport International Amateur Photographer Competition.

Following an enthusiastic response, five finalists were selected to attend Autosport International, the world’s greatest motorsport show, at the Birmingham NEC on Saturday 14 January 2012 for the winning announcement.

The panel, which included representatives from Photography Blog and LAT Photographic, the largest motoring and motorsport collection in the world, unanimously voted Paul Thomas from Danescourt as the winning entrant. His early morning image from the FIA World Rally Championship Race of Great Britain, taken with a Nikon D90, perfectly captured the magic of motorsport.

Print Express has announced a photography competition. This is not a themed contest - entrants are invited to submit their best photo regardless of subject matter. The organisers are giving away £150 in Amazon vouchers to the winner(s). The submission deadline is 29 February 2012 and each entrant may submit one image only. To enter, either email your photo to photo@printexpress.co.uk or post the photo on your blog and email the link to Print Express.

Website: Print Express

Redeye, a photography network based in Manchester, is launching an annual bursary with leading professional photographic printer Rob Sara. The bursary will involve two days of directed hand printing to produce a series of images for a photographer’s portfolio. To enter, applicants must be Redeye members. They will be judged on a body of work that can be uploaded on the members’ portfolio page of the Redeye website or send in a maximum of six printed images. This should be accompanied by a paragraph explaining why they wish to take part, what they hope to gain from the bursary, a summary of experience to date and any words supporting the images. The deadline is 20th February. For details, visit the website below.

The Association of Photographers is reminding interested photography students that the AOP Students Awards deadline is fast approaching. Entry is open to photography students studying a BTEC HND or higher within the UK. Each entrant can submit an unlimited number of photos but do note that entry fees apply. The submission deadline is 27 January 2012. As always, we suggest that you read the Terms and Conditions before entering your work.

Website: The AOP Awards

Hasselblad has announced the eleven recipients of the 2012 Masters Award. The winners are Frank Meyl (Architectural), Jon Lowenstein (Editorial), War Kuen Eric Wong (Fashion), Christian Tagliavini (Fine Art), Ken Hermann (General), Tom D. Jones (Landscapes), Denis Rouvre (Portrait), Joe Felzman (Products, for his image shown above), Vincente Ansola (Up and Coming), Milosz Wozaczynski (Wedding) and Lucas Pupo (Wildlife).

Photography Blog launched a competition last November with Autosport International, the world’s greatest motorsport show, to find a talented amateur motorsport photographer. Following an overwhelming response, five finalists have now been selected to attend the show, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC this weekend (14-15 January).

Burrard-Lucas Photography has launched a new nature photography competition. The contest is open to anyone who is a member of their Facebook community. The winner receives a new Canon EOS 60D digital SLR camera (pictured) and a $100 Amazon gift voucher. , while two runners-up will be awarded with $25 gift vouchers. Entry to this contest is free and you will retain copyright over any pictures you submit. The submission deadline is 31st December 2012.

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has announced the IFES 2012 photography contest. The competition, which seeks photographs of individuals taking part in the electoral process or other activities that demonstrate the values of democratic governance and citizen engagement, is open to amateur and professional photographers, and entries are accepted through 16th February 2012, 11pm ET. Full contest rules and entry information are available online at the website below.

Bob Books have launched The Vintage Boudoir Studio Photo Shoot competition in collaboration with Julia Boggio Studios. Running until 29th February 2012, The Vintage Boudoir Studio Photo Shoot competition offers UK residents a chance to take centre stage at a 1940s style studio photo shoot, with a vintage make-up artist and hair stylist all on hand to recreate that retro Hollywood studio look. Once you’ve had your shoot you’ll have the opportunity to choose your favourite portrait and the team at Julia Boggio Studios will create for you a large framed pin-up portrait of you as a centrepiece for your home. The winner will also receive 10 retouched digital images, plus a free Bob Books photobook. To enter the competition, visit the website below.

Neil Maughan and Andy Sloan are the two lucky winners of a fantastic new Manfrotto Lino Pro Photo Vest.

To celebrate the new Manfrotto range of Lino Pro Apparel, Manfrotto is giving away TWO Pro Photo Vests for Photography Blog readers! Each Manfrotto Pro Photo Vest is worth £380 RRP!

The Pro Photo Vest is the ultimate photo working tool combined with the comfort and sleek design of an everyday vest. This dynamic shooting vest compliments your shooting experience while comfortably holding and supporting your camera gear and accessories.

This contest closed on Saturday 31st December 2011.

For more information or to buy Manfrotto products online visit: www.manfrotto.co.uk

Manfrotto - Imagine More

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars have launched a photo contest on their Facebook page in association with British photographer Rankin. It allows entrants to upload a photograph they’ve taken, inspired by the legendary Spirit of Ecstasy figure – the statue which adorns the front of every Rolls-Royce car. Rankin himself, who has produced 100 unique images inspired by the figure (including the photograph above), will choose the winning image. The winner will receive special prizes from Rolls-Royce and a framed print of their winning photo. Additionally, the image may be used in Rolls Royce materials.

Website: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars on Facebook

The lucky winner of a fantastic Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S smartphone, courtesy of Sony Ericsson and Photography Blog, is Georgina Bean.

We’ve teamed up with Sony Ericsson to give away an Xperia arc S smartphone and a live dock to one lucky winner.

The Xperia™ arc S at a glance:
- Super fast 1.4 GHz processor
- 3D and 2D sweep panorama photography
- 8.1 MP camera with Exmor R™ for mobile image sensor
- 4.2“ Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
- Latest Android™ platform Gingerbread 2.3

This competition closed on 19/12/2011.

Sigma Corporation of America has announced the winner of its “Dear Sigma” contest.  Participants were required fill out an entry form and draft a “Dear Sigma” letter describing what Sigma products they’re dreaming of this holiday season. The company today revealed that Brandon Bethea, of San Diego, California, will receive three Sigma lenses totaling nearly $2,500 as a result of his “Dear Sigma” contest entry, titled “Better to Give than Receive.” Bethea founded Fin Forward, a shark-diving project for cancer survivors, and said he plans to use the 50mm F2.8 macro, 8-16mm F4-5.6 wide angle (pictured), and 20mm F1.8 wide angle lenses to photograph his upcoming 2012 Mayan Shark Odyssey to raise awareness about cancer and shark conservation.

The Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012 competition is now open for entries. The competition offers photographers a chance to win a share of the £30,000 prize fund. The adult winner is awarded £10,000, while special award winners each receive £1,500 and category winners £1,000 each. The overall winner of the Veolia Environnement Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title receives £1,000 and a one-day masterclass with a leading light from the photographic world, while the young category winners each receive £500. Winning images are featured in a hardback commemorative portfolio book, which is translated into a range of languages including Finnish and German, as well as a special supplement to the November issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine. Interested photographers have until 23rd February to enter their work.

Zeiss has launched a photo contest with the theme “Every Moment Tells a Story”. Anyone can enter the contest provided the photos are shot with a Zeiss lens - any Zeiss lens, whether fixed-mount, interchangeable or one that’s built into a camera phone. Carl Zeiss encourages photographers from around the world to look for moments that fit the theme, and to submit their best image. “We look forward to seeing how the participants of our photography competition capture the moments of everyday life in their own individual style,” said Martin Dominicus, Head of Marketing of the Carl Zeiss Camera Lens Division. Photographers and photo enthusiasts have until Sundaym 15 January 2012 to upload their images to the official Carl Zeiss group on Flickr. The first prize is a Zeiss ZE or ZF.2 lens of the winner’s choice with exclusive engraving, a Carl Zeiss T* UV filter, camera strap and lens cleaning kit.

Voies Off has issued a call for entries for the 2012 Voies Off Prize. For the past 17 years, the Voies Off Prize has been awarded by a jury of renowned professionals to an artist for the clarity of his vision and the high quality of his work. Voies Off night projections during the opening week of the Rencontres d’Arles festival (first full week in July) have become an international reference for the discovery of emerging authors and the alternative venue that it creates for international photographic creation.  You have until 20th January to enter the 2012 contest, whose overall winner will receive €2,500. Click through / scroll down for more information including contest rules, entry fees and Web links.

The winners of the international Travel Photographer of the Year 2011 competition have been announced. The overall winner is Louis Montrose of the USA - an Elizabethan scholar and former professor at the University of California -, who has received the award for his two striking, and very different, portfolios; one documenting life in a painted village in Burkina Faso and the other depicting the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Festival in Oaxaca, Mexico. Mr Montrose will be given a unique personal showcase within the exhibition at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) in the summer of 2012. In addition he’ll receive a £1,000 cash bursary, plus Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium 5.5 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 software, a Plastic Sandwich personalised leather iPad portfolio case, complete with iPad2, and a Lexar Professional 600x 32GB CompactFlash memory card + Lexar Professional Dual-Slot USB 3.0 card Reader.