Opened on 23 January 2017

DEADLINE EXTENDED

Closed on 18 April 2017

Presentation of the winners and Exhibition of finalists will take place on Tuesday 4th July at DAM; downstairs at Mother London, a leading creative agency. Full details soon.

General Guidance:

Read the Categories descriptions shown below carefully, to ensure that you are entering your images in the right category.

Ensure you have read and understood the Terms & Conditions of this competition, before completing and paying for your entry.

Categories:

You can submit unlimited entries, across the following three categories, you must however only submit the same image once.

People: covers any form of people-photography from portraiture to street photography , photojournalism and beyond. It is an opportunity to make visual comments about the human race and its ways. In Previous 'Portrait' categories, animal pictures have been featured but the originators of this category feel that entries this year should feature the human race.

Places: Rather than duplicate possible locations such as landscapes and architecture, we offer this category which provides unlimited opportunities. We promise that we will be as flexible as you need us to be.

Things: Covers almost everything else. Think Irving Penn's gutters, Mapplethorpes flowers, Ori Gersht's explosions; cats, dogs, bats and monkeys by Tim Flach, and sublime still-lifes by Richard Maxted then make something unique and sensational of your own. We can't wait to see your work.

N.B. Entry for these 3 categories is open to those studying a recognised National Qualification, approved by QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority). Students in overseas educational institutions can also enter the Student Awards, but if you are an AOP Student Member, you get a discounted entry fee.

Don’t forget if you are an AOP Student Member studying on an AOP Affiliated Course you can also make nominations for AOP Course and Lecturer of the Year!

You can find out if your course is Affiliated by checking our website here.  

Lecturer of the Year Award

To make a nominations simply read the criteria below and write a proposal of up to one page to us, saying why you think your candidate/ course should win.   

• You MUST be an AOP Student member
• Your candidate must be either a full-time or visiting lecturer on an AOP Affiliated course
• You should say how they have helped you develop your professional career 
• The type of support they offered to you and others over the duration of your course
• How they have supported you after you left your course (if applicable) 
• The quality of their teaching, including style and methods 
• Their communications abilities – illustrate these and how they have helped you and others 
• How they have shown their understanding of your needs
• Their understanding of the professional photography industry 
• How they have inspired you

Course of the Year

To make a nominations simply read the criteria below and write a proposal of up to one page to us, saying why you think your candidate/ course should win. 

• You MUST be an AOP Student Member
• This must be an AOP Affiliated Course 
• You should illustrate how the course has challenged you, your work and your preconceptions 
• The value of the education you have received 
• The values of the teaching team; for example the ethics, the copyright and business practices they teach 
• Facilities available to you and other students 
• Interaction with professional organisations and leading figures in the industry

To nominate the lecturer or course of your choice, please write a statement of up to one page long, along with their name, the name of the course and your name.

Please send this via email to awards@aophoto.co.uk

Judges confirmed this year are the brilliant; Rachell Smith, Howard Kingsnorth & Karl Taylor, find out more about them below.

Rachell Smith

Rachell is an internationally renowned celebrity portrait and beauty photographer. Rachell was born and raised in Wolverhampton, where her grandfather (who loved taking picture’s of the family) first introduced her to photography. After graduating from The London College of Communication, Rachell went on to assist some of the world’s biggest photographers before setting up her own studio in London. Rachell’s modern take on beauty and portraiture has been featured in a large number of leading publications around the world, including Glamour Magazine, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Allure and Vogue.it. Rachell is inspired by personalities, emotion and style and people often describe her work as soft and beautiful. Rachell works between London, New York and Los Angeles.

www.rachellsmith.com

Howard Kingsnorth

Judging Places

Howard Kingsnorth is an advertising photographer with a distinctive style. Schooled in technique and craft, Howard was an early adopter of digital technology and continuously develops his look and innovates with new ideas.

Having worked in most genres of advertising photography, Howard has more recently applied his ‘epic’ vision to aerial photography creating dynamic images of cityscapes, urban landscapes and architectural structures. With a reputation for delivering innovative photography for brands and advertising campaigns, his work has become widely sought after by global creative agencies, and architectural clients.

Rewind several years…Howard left rural Kent (SE England) to study photography at Manchester School of Art. Moving to London, he started assisting and seeking his own commissions, working initially for music magazines, catalogue studios, car studios, and eventually establishing his own studio base in Shoreditch. He is still based in East London, although travels extensively for global clients.

Howard is driven by his own personal work, and seeks to apply his vision to commissioned work where appropriate. He welcomes the opportunity to develop ideas alongside agency creatives, when possible, and is happy to share his knowledge and experience from a photographic career that spans 25+ years. 

http://www.howardkingsnorth.com

Karl Taylor

Karl Taylor has been a professional photographer for over 20 years and has traveled the globe on assignments for some of the world’s most successful companies. Unusually for an advertising & commercial photographer Karl is what he calls ‘multi-disciplined’.  Having started his career in photojournalism he is comfortable and actively enjoys shooting across a range of genres. In his early twenties, continuing his passion for photography, Karl spent three years freelancing in South East Asia as a photojournalist, contributing images and articles about indigenous people to several leading newspapers and magazines. 

Returning to the UK with a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm Karl managed to secure a bank loan to open his own studio offering both commercial and advertising photography. His portfolio soon caught the eye of art directors, advertising agencies and leading retail outlets, growing his business from strength to strength.

Shooting with film in a variety of camera formats including the painstakingly slow 5x4 inch cameras and dark slides, Karl paid close attention to the arrival of digital photography. He made it a priority to establish his skills in the “digital darkroom” called Photoshop and eventually became a professional in high-end retouching services. Ten years later, an expert in the industry, Karl began lecturing on photography and teaching other photographers the techniques of the “digital photography era”. 

Testament to his intrinsic knowledge and knack for explaining complex subjects Karl also works as a consultant instructor to Hasselblad and Broncolor, two of the industries most respected brands and is also a recognised Adobe Community Professional. Not letting go of his passion for shooting great images, Karl continues to shoot regularly for some of the world’s leading businesses and advertising agencies.

http://karltaylorportfolio.com/

• 5 day work experience & your own shoot at Big Sky Studios, London. During the week you will work with the lighting department, shadow the studio assistants, and on the last day you will have a studio to make your own work!
• Bespoke portfolio for Best in Show winner (winner selects the size, leather colour, orientation & choice between 2 standard fonts for name deboss)
  25% discount at Plastic Sandwich for Best in Category winners
• Finalists work to be featured in the AOP Awards Book and in an online exhibition
• One day shadowing Rachell Smith on a shoot
• One to one portfolio and professional career advice session with Howard Kingsnorth
• One to one portfolio and professional career advice session with Karl Taylor
• One pass for a live online workshop by Karl Taylor
• Finalist work to be featured in the AOP Awards Books and in and online exhibition
• Copies of 'Beyond the Lens' and AOP Awards books
• Tickets to the AOP Awards

More to be announced, check back for updates.