A major international photography contest called Proify is now accepting entries from around the globe. Organised by Destin Sparks, the Proify competition is all about putting the spotlight on up and coming non-professional/student photographers. There are eight separate categories people can enter including landscape; street photography; portraiture; after dark photography; wedding, panoramic, retro and HDR. The overall winner receives $3,000, second prize $1,000, third prize $500. All winners and high-scoring entrants will be featured on the Proify website for a minimum of 12 months. As always we recommend that you read the rules before entering your work. Do note that entry fees apply.

Proify Press Release

The world’s best amateur and enthusiast photography competition is on again.

• Entries flooded in from the USA, Australia, the UK, Kenya, Ireland, Brazil, Denmark, France and many other parts of the globe last year … and now the international competition that recognises the brightest and best in amateur and student photography is on again.
• Destin Sparks – an acclaimed Australian based photographer – has organised the Proify competition which is designed to celebrate the remarkable art of photography and recognise up and coming people who have amazing talent.
• Destin’s own story is quite remarkable.  He started as a photographer after someone challenged him to produce a better photo … now he travels the world creating amazing landscape photography using (of all things) an analogue camera in the digital age to get extraordinary results.

A major international photography competition - focused on recognising the incredible talents of amateur and non-professional photographers across the globe - is now under way.

The competition - Proify - has been organised by Destin Sparks ... a multi-skilled and acclaimed photographer based in Australia.

The competition is an annual global amateur and enthusiast photography competition.

It is all about putting the spotlight on up and coming non-professional/student photographers.

Destin Sparks says there was a phenomenal reaction to last year's competition.  He says they are once again searching for stunning and inspiring photography.

Last year's competition saw entries flood in from all corners of the globe.  This included entries from the USA, Australia, the UK, Norway, Kenya, South Africa, Ireland, Slovenia, Kuwait, France, Denmark, Brazil, India, Turkey, Malaysia, Armenia and many many more.

$5,300 USD can be won through Proify.  First prize receives $3,000, second prize $1,000, third prize $500.  There are eight separate categories people can enter.

All work will be judged by an international panel comprised of high profile photographers.  Each entry is given a mark out of 100 and every entry scoring 70 or above receives a Proify Merit Award.  All winners and high scoring entrants are featured on the Proify website for a minimum of 12 months.  In just the past 30 days, there have been 30,000 page views on the website.

Destin Sparks said, "This is a major competition for major non-professional photographers … so everybody is on the same playing field.  We saw many inspiring photos last year.  This competition gives photographers an opportunity to show just what they are capable of.  It’s about unearthing masterpieces.  We did that in a huge way last year."

"In an ever growing and saturated market, I believe the dream of becoming a professional photographer is dwindling for some.  This is about helping celebrate the actual art of photography."

"Many photographers really don't know how to market themselves to the world.  They may not know how to go about it.  By winning an award and getting recognition, it is going to obviously help people's careers.  Right now the biggest challenge amateurs face is being recognised and acknowledged."

The eight distinct categories people can enter are landscape photography; street photography; portrait photography; after dark photography; wedding photography, panoramic, retro and HDR (high-dynamic-range imaging photography).

He says photographers can use the winnings to buy new equipment or further their own training through courses or scholarships.

Destin Sparks said, "There is enormous prestige in winning a competition like this.  If you are the best from dozens of countries across the globe, that is a huge achievement.  The advent of digital photography has offered much more flexibility, allowing photographers to keep shooting until they get that remarkable image they want."

Destin Sparks' own story is quite remarkable.  He never initially planned to become a photographer.  After a bet with a colleague in a photo store in Australia, he has never looked back.

Speaking about his journey, he said, "A colleague simply challenged me to produce a better photo.  I did and I won – and that's how I got into the industry.  I have always had a fascination with light and colour.  As a child, I loved Christmas for the lights - not the gifts.  As I got older, my fascination merged into the real world where lights and colour are so different in nature at different times of day."

Destin has a fascination for natural landscapes and unlike many photographers, uses a 30 year old film camera for his own photos, which involves him having to wait for films to be developed before he can see the final results.  In short, instead of using an incredible high tech digital SLR camera, he in fact uses a prehistoric analogue camera.

Destin Sparks said, “Sometimes I feel like the Benjamin Button of the photography world.  You could definitely call me a photography addict.  I've taken several hundred thousand images.  If it means I have to sleep rough to capture the image, I do that."

"I love photographing Australia and New Zealand.  They are like living breathing film sets.  I have done numerous three day stints to try to get that perfect photo.  That's involved sleeping rough by lakes or mountains."

"Once I was at Mount Cook in New Zealand in pitch black with nothing but the camera phone light to show me the path.  Suddenly I heard a roar from above and found it was a small avalanche on the mountains either side of me.  It was scary."

"The fact is that amateur photography gives people an opportunity to capture awe inspiring scenes that sometimes we can only dream about.  There are many amateur photographers across the globe.  We want to hear from them."

People can enter the on-line competition as often as they want. To enter just go to www.proify.com

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