Your chance to enter the UK’s most prestigious competition for amateur photographers

****Don’t forget the closing date for the final round of APOY 2012 is 23 November 2012***


**Entries must be received by 5pm on the closing date at the correct email address**

(Please do not send to the general AP email address)

How to enter APOY 2012 by email

It’s time to reveal the details of our 2012 Amateur Photographer of the Year competition, and this year looks set to be bigger and better than ever. We are proud to announce Samsung and Jessops as the official APOY 2012 sponsors. As always, we have thousands of pounds worth of fantastic camera equipment up for grabs across ten fiercely contested rounds, as well as the chance to be crowned Amateur Photographer of the Year 2012.

We are looking for images that interpret each theme in an imaginative way. Images likely to catch the judges’ eye are those that are creative, skilfully composed and technically excellent. We have included a table outlining the themes for each round, plus the closing dates and the issues in which the results will appear. In the first issue and online every month we will publish a brief explaining the criteria for that round.

Our judges will narrow down the images to a shortlist of 50, and will look again at the images and award points for creativity, technical excellence and how far the image fulfils the brief. The top two winners will each receive a fantastic Samsung camera, while the third-prize winner will receive a £250 Jessops voucher. The top 30 highest scoring images will be published in the last issue of each month of AP and on the website. The names of the top 50 finalists and their points scores will be posted on our website after each round. The person with the most points after the final round will be crowned Amateur Photographer of the Year 2012.

Simona Bonanno APOY 2011 winner
This picture won 3rd place in round 9 – Black and White

Image size
Your image must be at least 2,700 (3,000 maximum) pixels along its longest dimension, to be printed in the magazine. The file name of your image must be your first and surnames, for example William Windsor.jpg. The subject line of your email message must state the round name and your name once again – eg Water in Landscape: William Windsor. Finally, in the body of your email, include the camera model, lens and exposure details, if known, such as Samsung Samsung NX11, as well as a sentence describing what the image is. If your email does not meet these requirements, we will unfortunately not be able to enter it into the competition.

  • Entrants should submit only ONE image per round.
  • Only entries sent to the correct email address will be entered into the competition.
  • The image should be at least 2,700 pixels along its longest edge.
  • It must be a JPEG file, preferably sRGB.
  • The file name must be your first name and surname.
  • The subject line of your email must state the round name and your name once again.
  • Include your postal address and daytime telephone number in the body of your email.
  • List your camera model, lens, exposure details and any other information in the body of your email.
  • Entries must be received by 5pm on the closing date

  • ***Please note the following and send your email to

    apoy@ipcmedia.com***


    Copy and paste the following into the body of your email and tick or mark “x” in the brackets below where applicable –

    I earn no more than 10% of my total annual income or £5,000 annually from photography (tick to confirm) [ ] Please return my entry. I enclose an SAE [ ] OR: I do not need my entry returned [ ] (tick one to confirm). This entry has not previously been published in a national UK photography magazine [ ] (tick to confirm). Amateur Photographer, published by IPC Media Ltd (‘IPC’), will collect your personal information to process your entry. If you would like to receive emails from Amateur Photographer and IPC containing news, special offers and product and service information and take part in our magazine research via email, please tick here [ ] Amateur Photographer and IPC would like to contact you by post or telephone to promote and ask your opinion on our magazines and services. Please tick here if you prefer not to hear from us. [ ] IPC may occasionally pass your details to carefully selected organisations so they can contact you by telephone or post with regards to promoting and researching their products and services. Please tick here if you prefer not to be contacted [ ] If my entry is not successful, I would like Damien Demolder to critique my image in the Appraisal column [ ]

    Please see below for all the rules for entry, terms and conditions. We only accept entries in the form of prints, slides or emailed digital files – we cannot accept discs. Remember to include your address, a daytime telephone number and as many details about your image as possible so we can judge it accurately.

    Simona Bonanno APOY 2011 winner
    This picture won 1st place in round 5 – Creative Wildlife

    Plan your APOY 2012 year
    Below is a list of this year’s rounds, a synopsis of what we’re looking for and the dates they will be announced. When you are planning your entry, remember to take into consideration the criteria of fulfilling the brief, creativity and technical excellence on which you will be judged.

    Theme Synopsis Announced Closes 5pm   Results  
    1. Water in the Landscape Bodies of water and land 4 Feb

    24 Feb
    closed

    31 Mar
    2. Natural Light Portraiture Portraits using natural light 3 Mar

    30 Mar
    closed

    28 Apr
    3. The World up Close Macro, any subject 7 Apr

    27 Apr
    closed

    26 May
    4. At Dawn and Dusk Landscapes at the magic hour 5 May

    25 May
    closed

    30 June
    5. The Beauty of Plants Flower and garden 2 June 29 June
    closed
    28 July
    6. Exploring the City Architecture, old and new 7 July 27 July
    closed
    25 Aug
    7. On the Streets Street and documentary 4 Aug 24 Aug
    closed
    29 Sept
    8. Wildlife at Home or Abroad Animals and birds 1 Sept 28 Sept
    closed
    27 Oct
    9. The Great Outdoors Forests and woodland 6 Oct 26 Oct
    closed
    24 Nov
    10. Life in Monochrome Black and white, any subject 3 Nov

    23 Nov
    closed

    22-29 Dec


    Simona Bonanno APOY 2011 winner

    This picture won 3rd place in round 2 – Inside a Building

    See APOY 2011 winner interview, Simona Bonanno

    RULES

    1. Entrants may submit only one photograph per month, as an sRGB JPEG file that is 2,700-3,000 pixels along its longest dimension, an unmounted print (max size 210x297mm) or slide (no glass mounts please), in colour or black & white.
    2. The entrant’s name, address and daytime phone number must be attached to the slide mount or the back of the print.
    3. You may only submit digital files by email (no CDs/DVDs). When submitting a digital file, the file name of your image must be your first name and surname, the subject line of your email message must state the round name and your name once again, and the body copy of your email must include your name, address, daytime telephone number, the camera model, lens and exposure details.
    4. Photos submitted must be your own work, must not be copied, must not contain any third-party materials and/or content that you do not have permission to use and must not otherwise be obscene, defamatory or in breach of any applicable legislation or regulations. If IPC has reason to believe your entry is not your own work or otherwise breaches this rule, your photos will NOT be considered.
    5. Photos must not previously have been published in a national UK photography magazine.
    6. Copyright of all entries remains with the photographer, but IPC, the Jessop Group Limited, Samsung Electronics Co Limited and their associated group companies reserve the right to use, publish and republish entries in connection with the competition, without payment.
    7. By entering this competition you grant permission to IPC, the Jessop Group Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and their associated group companies to reproduce your photos in electronic format and hard copy including for display at an exhibition, in IPC’s Amateur Photographer magazine and on IPC’s, the Jessop Group Ltd’s and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s websites and social media should they be selected to promote the competition.
    8. You grant IPC, the Jessop Group Ltd and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd the right to use your name and town or city of residence for the sole purpose of identifying you as the author of your photos and/or as a winner or runner-up of the APOY competition.
    9. Each postal entry must be accompanied by the correct > entry form with all sections completed. A photocopy of the entry form will be accepted. All submissions must be well packaged in a stiffened envelope (no tubes, please) bearing sufficient postage, and entrants wanting their picture back must include a stiffened SAE stamped of sufficient value for their return.
    10. This competition is open to bona fide amateur photographers and students only. That is, entrants should not earn more than 10% of their total annual income OR £5,000 annually from photography.
    11. Employees of IPC Media, the Jessop Group Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and their families may not enter this competition. Entries are judged by AP staff.
    12. There is no age limit for entering, and international entries will be accepted.
    13. Prizes are as stated and no cash or other alternative can be offered to the monthly prizes or overall prize.
    14. Prize value correct at time of going to press. Jessops gift cards are only redeemable in store and not online. Overseas winners will be contacted by phone about how to claim their prize. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has the right to substitute a prize for a similar item of equal or higher value if the stated prize is not available. No money can be added to the overall prize. The overall prize for the APOY 2012 competition will be to win Jessops and Samsung products to the value of £5,000 RRP as at the date of notification.
    15. Prizes are subject to Jessops and Samsung standard terms and conditions for its products. Acceptance of a prize is deemed to be acceptance of those terms and conditions.
    16. Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted and joint submissions are not allowed.
    17. No responsibility is taken for lost, delayed, misdirected or incomplete entries. Proof of delivery of the entry is not proof of receipt.
    18. No purchase is necessary.
    19. The overall winner must choose his or her prize within six weeks of being notified. In the event of a tie, the Editor will choose a winner. The Editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
    20. By submitting photos you are accepting these rules.
    21. IPC, the Jessop Group Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd or their associated group companies shall not be liable for any loss, damage or injury of any nature howsoever caused, sustained by any entrant under this promotion. However, nothing in these rules shall have the effect of excluding or restricting liability for personal injury, death, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation caused by the proven negligence of employees or agents of IPC, the Jessop Group Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd or their associated group companies.
    22. The Jessop Group Ltd and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd shall not be liable for any failure to supply the prizes where such failure is caused by any supervening circumstances outside its control which amount to force majeure and which without the fault of either party renders performance impossible or incapable of satisfactory execution.
    23. These rules are governed by the laws of England and Wales and any dispute in relation to them shall be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
    24. This competition is owned and run by Amateur Photographer/IPC Media and all competition terms and conditions are bound by Amateur Photographer/IPC Media rules.



    **Entries must be received by 5pm on the closing date at the correct email address**
    (Please do not send to the general AP email address)

     In association with Samsung and Jessops