10th June 2009

Digital Photographer of the Year 2009 awards launches

Imagine Publishing is proud to announce the launch of this year’s Digital Photographer of the Year Awards

Following on from the record success of last year’s competition, Digital Photographer of the Year 2009 is set to see the highest volume of submissions in its three-year history, as Digital Photographer magazine itself boasts record annual sales.

Debbi Allen, founder of the awards and Editor in Chief of Imagine’s photography titles, says DPOTY ’09 is an opportunity for new talent to be recognised and rewarded: “The DPOTY awards are designed to showcase the undiscovered talents of photographers from all walks of life, of all ages and in all genres. The awards have gained industry recognition and we are delighted to be working with one of the UK’s top photographic retailers, Park Cameras, to ensure each winner gets both the coveted title and a fabulous prize! Each year the standard and sheer volume of entries has increased, and I can’t wait to see the photos Digital Photographer readers will share with us this year.”

The call for entries officially begins on 18 June, to coincide with the on-sale date of Digital Photographer issue 84. The fixture will consist of eight genre categories, which include returning favourites: Landscape, Portrait, Wildlife, Black and White, Macro, Wedding and Urban. A Sports category makes its debut, and the Student category (only previously seen in the inaugural year) returns, which is open to photographers under 25 who are studying on a full-time related course. An Overall award will be presented to the photographer who has submitted the most impressive portfolio of images.

Set to entice budding photographers is the bounty load of goodies on offer, courtesy of Park Cameras. “We are incredibly excited about the launch of the 2009 DPOTY awards and pleased that Park Cameras will be the headline sponsor throughout the duration of this prestigious event,” said James Hanslip, Imagine Publishing’s Head of Sales. “This year is set to be the biggest yet and will push the boundaries of reader engagement across our multimedia portfolio using Digital Photographer magazine and its phenomenally successful website, DPhotographer.co.uk.” Prizes are set to include workshop vouchers for genre winners and a Canon EOS 500D, bag, tripod and SanDisk card are in store for the Overall winner.

“Park Cameras is delighted to sponsor the Digital Photographer of the Year Awards, a competition that complements what we ourselves are trying to achieve, namely supporting photographers in taking and showcasing great photos,” enthused Mark P Robinson, Marketing Manager for Park Cameras.
“With such a wide and diverse range of photographic categories to choose from, we very much look forward to seeing what inspires and motivates photographers to take pictures and also understand the story behind the images in 2009.”

Confirmed judges for the prestigious awards include Editor in Chief Debbi Allen, Park Camera’s Showroom Manager Chris Reszke and Imagine Publishing’s Creative Director Mark Kendrick.

This year’s rules stipulate that only one entry, per person, per category can be accepted (except for the Overall award, where a maximum of eight per person will be allowed) and entries should be submitted via the magazine’s website (www.dphotographer.co.uk) or by emailing awards@dphotographer.co.uk. Closing date for entries is 5 Nov 2009, with winners announced in issue 91 of the magazine, on sale 31 December 2009. Full terms and conditions can be found online.

Imagine Publishing is one of the UK’s fastest-growing consumer specialist publishers. Formed in May 2005, Imagine now publishes 21 magazines and 27 websites in the videogames, computing, entertainment and photography markets. An Imagine magazine is purchased every ten seconds.

Imagine Publishing
01202 586200
www.dphotographer.co.uk


Debbi Allen
Editor in Chief