Microsoft Devices have launched the Lumia Win Win Project, a campaign aiming to reward the Lumia photographic community. The project encourages Lumia owners to enter 10 top photography competitions including the Pulitzer and IPA (International Photography Awards). Those who win any of these competitions with a photo shot on a Lumia phone will see their competition prize doubled by Microsoft. "If you win, we’ll match your prize money," the company says. "Together, we’ll change the way smartphone photography is perceived, while you get double the love. It really is a win win."As a part of the campaign, Microsoft Devices will be providing weekly photography tips on a dedicated community website called Shot on My Lumia. Lumia owners will be able to upload their shots, the best of which will be given an exemplary badge ranging in categories from ‘Foodie’ to ‘Traveller’.

Following the success of the inaugural ArtGemini Prize 2013 which attracted 744 entries from 33 countries, today sees the launch of the ArtGemini Prize 2014. Open to all photographers and painters form anywhere in the world, the ArtGemini Prize is described as "a celebration to promote international contemporary art for emerging and established artists." A cash fund of £5500 will be awarded to the winners in 4 categories, Photography, Painting & Sculpture, Young Artist and Public Choice. The shortlisted entries will be exhibited in London and Singapore. Do note that entry fees apply. The deadline for entries is 7th September.

Avis and Getty Images have extended the deadline for extries for its “I Can’t Believe My Eyes” photo competition. Andy Letting, Head of Social Media at Avis Budget Group says, “Car travel is often seen as less glamorous than other modes of transport but with the I Can’t Believe My Eyes campaign we hope to show that this is not the case. Traveling by car opens up a whole world of possibilities - we want to celebrate road trips so are calling for people to share their best driving images to prove that how you get there can be as exciting as where you’re going.” Photos can be submitted via Avis UK's Facebook page, where you can also immerse yourself in a specially made film of beautifully captured landmarks from across the globe for inspiration. The winning shot will not only win a trip from BA Holidays, but it will also form part of the Avis advertising campaign to encourage others to open their eyes. The new deadline for UK entries is 21 May, and the lucky overall winner will be announced on 19 June 2014.

We have two great Booq camera bags up for grabs!

The two lucky winners are Glen Urban, who wins a Booq Python Slimpack, and Nigel Soper, who wins a Booq Python Mirrorless.

Booq have just launched their new Python range that includes the Python Slimpack and the Python Mirrorless and we have one of each to give away.

The Python Slimpack has been designed for the digital age photographer with space for two DSLRs and up to four mid-size lenses, as well as one large zoom lens, a tripod and a 10-inch tablet or iPad. The Python Slimpack is also waterproof and has a rubberised base. The Python Slimpack is worth £110.

The Python Mirroless a compact camera bag designed to hold a mirrorless camera with a large lens, or a compact DSLR with a small lens. The Python Mirrorless keeps photography gear safe from knocks and bumps and is water-resistant. The Python Mirrorless has been designed to be practical and compact, it is worth £68.

All Booq bags they come tagged with a Terralinq serial number. Once registered, the Booq Terralinq service may help reunite you with your lost & found bag.

For more information on Booq and their other products please visit: http://www.booqbags.co.uk

Following the success of the inaugural ArtGemini Prize 2013 which attracted 744 entries from 33 countries, 15th May sees the launch of the ArtGemini Prize 2014. Open to all photographers and painters form anywhere in the world, the ArtGemini Prize is described as "a celebration to promote international contemporary art for emerging and established artists." A cash fund of £5500 will be awarded to the winners in 4 categories, Photography, Painting & Sculpture, Young Artist and Public Choice. The shortlisted entries will be exhibited in London and Singapore. Do note that entry fees apply. The deadline for entries is 7th September.

The Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers (SINWP) has announced the winners of its Natural Beauty photography competition. The image “Sand Waterfall” by Andreas Ettl (above) was chosen as the winner from over 570 entries. The runners-up were Kutub Uddin and Christopher May.

BBC Wildlife Magazine has launched a photographic grant, sponsored by Kowa, which aims to find exciting new talent in wildlife photography. Open to new photographers, the winner of the award will receive a £5,000 grant to shoot their project and could see their work published in BBC Wildlife Magazine. Eligible photographers are invited to submit 12 wildlife photographs - six from a single wildlife project - that showcase their technical range, creativity and ability. Photographers must also explain how their story, which can be based in the UK or abroad, is going to interest and excite the readers of BBC Wildlife Magazine. All entries must be submitted via the website below, by the closing date of 30 September 2014.

The Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) has announced the winners of its Memorable Moments photography competition. The photo 'Cheers' (above) by Jon Philpott from Oxford, England was chosen as the winner out of over 170 entries. Sophie Callahan came in second, and John Wood won third place in the contest.

With the Sony World Photography Awards taking place next month we’ve teamed up with headline sponsors Sony to give 10 lucky readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the winner’s exhibition, which will take place at Somerset House, London from the 1st – 18th May 2014.

The lucky winners are: pete williams, Lance Maloney, Miles Thompson, Jon Stroud, Eloise Barnes, Allan Smith, Vanessa Scott, Jolie Kung, Alice Matthews and suzy mallison. Congratulations!

The Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition will showcase the winning and shortlisted photographers from the awards across photojournalism, fine art and commercial photography. The exhibition has been expanded this year, being hosted in both the East and West Wings of Somerset House in London, making it one of the largest of its kind in the UK.

Alongside the winning and shortlisted photographers of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards, special curations include: A collection of American photographer Mary Ellen Mark, the recipient of the Sony World Photography Awards’ Outstanding Contribution to Photography, plus exclusive Sony commissions of celebrated photographer William Klein and a group show by Panos Pictures photographers.

Sony is committed to providing a camera solution for everyone and every budget – take professional quality pictures, whether an amateur or an expert.

With Sony’s ongoing development of its camera portfolio, choose from the point and shoot Cyber-shot to the entry-level interchangeable lens Alpha range or the new innovative QX lens-style cameras, Sony aims to make photography more accessible to all and educate people in the art of taking pictures.

For further information about the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards and the Somerset House exhibition visit http://www.worldphoto.org/2014exhibition

Just answer this simple question to enter the contest

​The winners of the Sony PROduction Awards 2014 have just been announced. Designed to unearth exceptional filmmakers and give them the opportunity to further their careers, Sony PROduction Awards 2014 invited entrants from all over the world to create or share an existing film of up to five minutes and submit it to the Sony PROduction Awards website. The 2014 winners are Oliver Clubb, UK (Scarecrow in Purgatory, Creative category),  Michael O’Neill, Australia (No Good Deed, Student category) and Benjamin Chesterton, UK (That Time, Factual category) Each winner will receive Sony’s NEX-FS700RH 4K Super 35mm camcorder. The three winning films will be showcased alongside all 15 shortlisted films at the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House in London. The exhibition will take place from 1st May to the 18th as part of a wider celebration of photography and photojournalism.

PicStop has launched a new, free-to-enter photography competition. The theme of the contest is “Water" and each entrant may submit up to three photos, complete with titles and descriptions. Images must be in JPEG format and must not exceed 300 kilobytes in size. The deadline for entries is 30th June. The first prize is £100 worth of SanDisk flash memory products. As always we suggest that you read the terms and conditions before entering your work.

Website: PicStop

Photographers around the world are invited to enter the Epson International Pano Awards to compete for approximately $40,000 in cash and prizes. Now in its fifth year, the competition showcases the work of panoramic photographers worldwide and is the largest competition for panoramic photography. The 2013 competition saw 4068 images submitted from 843 photographers in 57 countries. Early-bird entries to the 2014 contest are open now until Sunday 13th July. Prizes include an Epson Stylus Pro 7900 printer, an Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printer, and an Epson EB-1775 Ultra-Slim Projector.

Lynx has teamed up with award-winning photographer Matthew Lloyd to launch an Instagram-based photo contest entitled 'Make Moments Not War.' As part of Lynx's Make Love Not War campaign, the Make Moments Not War project encourages budding photographers and Instagram users to take their own images of peace using the hashtag #LynxPeace and tagging @lynxeffectuk. "Whatever Peace means to you, get out there and capture it. If your shot makes our #lynxpeace gallery, you'll be in with a chance of winning an iPhone 5S," the organisers say. The winning images will  be displayed alongside Matthew Lloyd’s collection of peace photography at an exhibition in London later this summer.

Website: LynxPeace

Avis and Getty Images have announced a photography competition titled "I Can't Believe My Eyes." Andy Letting, Head of Social Media at Avis Budget Group says, “Car travel is often seen as less glamorous than other modes of transport but with the I Can’t Believe My Eyes campaign we hope to show that this is not the case. Traveling by car opens up a whole world of possibilities - we want to celebrate road trips so are calling for people to share their best driving images to prove that how you get there can be as exciting as where you’re going.” Photos can be submitted via Avis UK's Facebook page, where you can also immerse yourself in a specially made film of beautifully captured landmarks from across the globe for inspiration. The winning shot will not only win a trip from BA Holidays, but it will also form part of the Avis advertising campaign to encourage others to open their eyes.

We've teamed up with CameraWorld to give away a fantastic Fujifilm X-A1 camera!

The lucky winner is Angela Smith. Congratulations!

CameraWorld is a real camera shop, helping you to make the most of your hobby. Our expert team has many years experience within the photographic trade with knowledge gained over 40 years. Many are photographers themselves and enjoy passing their knowledge on. You'll also find our online service fast, efficient and courteous and you can always call us if you want to talk to a human being! We are dedicated to bringing you the very best in service, choice and price.

We're very easy to find, our London store is just off Oxford Street between Oxford Circus station and Tottenham Court Road station. The Essex shop is located in High Chelmer Shopping Centre, just off the High Street in Chelmsford. Visit us and you'll always find a friendly welcome. Our policy is to serve our customers as we would like to be served ourselves, a simple ideal that we try hard to live up to.

Press the President (PTP), an online collaborative blog, is hosting a photo competition throughout the month of April. Challenging Americans to start a new beginning by “going green” and share their stories and photographs with its readers, PTP is asking amateur photographers to tweet their entries @PTP_US with the hashtag #GoGreen, post them on the blog's Facebook page or email them to [email protected] At the end of the campaign, the editorial staff at Press the President will select the photo the best represents the idea of going green and will donate $500 to the winner’s charity of choice.

We've teamed up with Manfrotto to give away THREE fantastic new Advanced Camera Bags worth up to £84.95!

The three lucky winners are:

1st Prize: Advanced Tri Backpack small (MB MA-BP-TS) – RRP £84.95 - Karen Herbert

2nd Prize: Advanced Active Backpack I (MB MA-BP-A1) - RRP £79.95 - Fiona Johnstone

3rd Prize: Advanced Gear Backpack Small (MB MA-BP-GPS) – RRP £59.95 - John Machar

MANFROTTO ADVANCED BAGS COLLECTION

Protection, design and quality in a brand-new fully-featured collection of camera bags.

Manfrotto Advanced Camera Bags

Aimed at passionate photographers looking for full-featured, reliable equipment that share the Manfrotto heritage trusted by professionals. Alongside our well-known hobbyist tripods, Advanced bags are an ideal way in to Manfrotto’s range. All Advanced bags are made using durable, resistant fabrics, metal zip pulls and buckles… all carefully assembled and stitched to ensure that Advanced bags are made to last. Based on the real needs of photographers, the functions of Advanced bags have been made easy to use on the move: tripod holders, dividers, pockets, rain covers, all carefully designed around the keen photographer.

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

The 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition will be held from 1st - 18th May at Somerset House (Strand, London WC2R 1LA). In addition to the works of winning and shortlisted photographers of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards, special curations include a collection of images by American photographer Mary Ellen Mark, the recipient of the Sony World Photography Awards’ Outstanding Contribution to Photography, plus exclusive Sony commissions of celebrated photographer William Klein and a group show by Panos Pictures photographers. British photographers in the exhibition include Spencer Murphy, Amanda Harman and Mary Turner. The exhibition will also include special displays of the winning, shortlisted and highly commended books of the KKF Book Awards for the Best Photography and Moving Image Books of the Year, and the winning and finalist images of a UK-wide student photography competition run in conjunction with Hotel Indigo.

​American photographer Mary Ellen Mark has been honoured with the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards’ Outstanding Contribution to Photography award. "Beginning as a freelance photographer often working on film sets, Mark’s career has spanned four decades and seen her travel extensively," the World Photography Organisation said in a statement. "Her work is characterised by a constant vision to make pictures that reflect a high degree of humanism and to capture and acknowledge people on the edges of society." A special retrospective of Mark’s work will be shown at Somerset House from 1-18 May as part of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition.

International Landscape Photographer of the Year is a new global competition purely for the showcase of landscape photography. Open to all photographers. the contest is aimed at finding the best 101 landscape images from the past 12 months and publishing them in a beautiful coffee table book which will be available in a variety of formats. The judges will also be on a search for the International Landscape Photographer of the Year (based on a folio submission of at least 4 images) and the International Landscape Photograph of the Year. Prizes on offer include $10,000 cash, trophies, limited-edition copies of the awards book and large framed prints of winning images. The contest closes on 30 May 2014.