INSPIRE
5th International Travel and Documentary Photography Competition

"In times of instability and uncertainty it is the role of the visual storyteller not only to inform, but also to inspire others and to give hope: this is why we challenge both Professional and Amateur Photographers to send in up to five of their most inspiring photos!"

This year's winner will be able to choose their prize between a Nikon Z7, a Canon EOS R, a Sony A7R III, or $3000 cash!

Competition extended to 20 October 2019 or until 1000 entrants are reached!

(The following is an opinion piece submitted by guest blogger, Elspeth Rushbrook.)

On being asked to choose between unpalatable terms and privacy laws
and receiving your dues

This matter comes up in more than just artist related issues, but I’ve most recently encountered it in collecting royalties.

Whatever kind of artist we are – whether visual, or creating in another way – royalties are much of our lifeblood. I recently received payment for a share of general royalties, just for being in the scheme.

I applied to join the UK Design and Artists’ Copyright Scheme, where you gain royalties for the use of your artwork – in magazines, on television, for designing a book cover...

My issues with DACS were several.

Illegal cookies: this is too prevalent. A banner on a website which says: ‘by continuing, you accept’ is wrong. We have been given no meaningful opt out. Some even say – ‘cookies have already been set, just by your landing here. Even if you leave immediately (I often do) we’re still tracking you’.

A summer spent focussing on a single subject has secured the title of Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2018 for Edinburgh photographer Phil Johnston.

Phil's winning image Roe Kid Flower was captured during the summer of 2018 while he worked solely on photographing a family of Roe Deer close to his home.

Roe Kid Flower © Phil Johnston

Phil said:

“I love nothing more than being out in the sticks with my camera, seeing all the beauty that surrounds me and trying my best to capture those moments in time.

(Entries close 23.59 (GMT) on 28th February 2019)

Photographing a trooping funnel mushroom or grizzled skipper butterfly could win you £1,000 cash and more than £1,200 worth of SIGMA camera equipment in the first ever Close-up Photographer of the Year competition (CUPOTY), which closes on 28th February.

CUPOTY is seeking close-up, macro and micro photographs that help us see the world anew by revealing the often overlooked details of animals, plants, natural materials, and objects.

Categories

There are five categories to enter: Animals, Plants & fungi, Intimate landscape, Manmade and Micro (for images captured with a microscope), as well as Young CUPOTY (for entrants aged 17 and under). The competition is open to all, and entrants have until 23.59 (GMT) on 28th February 2019 to enter the competition via the website: www.cupoty.com.