2010 EOS Photo5 competition Registrations Opening

MEDIA RELEASE
9th September 2010

The popular EOS Photo5 competition takes amateur photographers to new levels of creativity

Registrations open on Friday 10 September for the 2010 Canon EOS Photo5 Competition

Canon's annual New Zealand and Australian online photographic competition for amateur photographers, EOS Photo5, is back on again with fresh challenges to inspire contestants to new heights.

"Designed to inspire creativity and passion in photography, the EOS Photo5 competition is based on five briefs that encourage photographic experimentation," says Rochelle Mora, Brand Manager – Imaging, Canon New Zealand.

"Each year the EOS Photo5 competition becomes more exciting and challenging – asking entrants to push the boundaries of photographic excellence and to reach for new levels of creative expression."

"This is the fourth consecutive year for EOS Photo5 in Australia and we launched it here in 2009, it appealed directly to the passions and creativity of Kiwis and the response was overwhelming," says Mora. "Each year has seen the number and quality of photographs consistently increase, reinforcing its growing reputation as the ultimate online photo contest for aspiring photographers."

Everyday objects contained in a small brown box are sent out to registered participants and are used as inspiration for the images submitted for the five briefs. The 2010 EOS Photo5 box will include objects that will intrigue and entertain even veteran EOS Photo5 entrants when it arrives on their doorstop.

This year, in addition to the individual finalists and winners for each of the five briefs, there is a new 'Portfolio Winner' category for the photographer who enters the best set of images in all five briefs. Similar to last year there will also be an 'Open Brief' which means consumers who miss out on receiving a box can still enter the competition.

Finalists will be selected by a panel of esteemed judges. Ultimately the winners of the 2010 EOS Photo 5 competition will be determined by public vote, and there is a new 'Voting Prize' category open to those who take part. Last year there were almost 8,500 entrants from New Zealand and Australia with over 15,000 people casting their vote.

The winners' images from the 2009 competition, two of which were New Zealand entrants and three from Australia, exposed a variety of creative journeys and inspiration from mysterious settings and private moments to beautiful silhouettes and colourful displays of action,.

The registration period kicks off on 10 September and closes at midnight on 23 September, or once the limited number of boxes has run out. Those who miss out on receiving a box can still enter the challenge by registering for the 'Open Brief' up until 21 October.

Last year, the EOS Photo5 objects included powdered paint, Hundreds & Thousands, a Bokeh hood, spectacles, and the theme 'practically black' (for the Open Brief).

Registration is free. To register go to http://www.canon.co.nz/worldofeos/photo5 . Boxes are limited so people should register as soon as they can.

Winners will be announced on December 1, 2010. The winner of each individual brief will receive an EOS 5D Mark II premium kit (camera body and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens) and a threeday creative photography workshop in Queenstown, New Zealand with EOS Masters Jackie Ranken and Mike Langford. The Portfolio Competition Winner will receive the same prize as the individual winners, plus an EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye lens and a PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II printer.

About The Judges: Jackie Ranken is co-director of the Queenstown Centre for Creative Photography in New Zealand with partner Mike Langford. Jackie is noted for her wonderful aerial photographs. She is a Triple Master of the Australian Institute of Professional Photography and Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography.

Chris Budgeon, Melbourne based, is an award-winning Advertising photography specialist who shoots for global brand giants. Aside from advertising he also specialises in fashion, food, people, and still-life-product.

Craig Golding, Sydney based, started his career as a press photographer and currently shoots sport and feature work for various clients. He has won over 35 international awards including six World Press Photo Awards and more than 70 National awards. Recent awards include 2nd prize in the 2010 World Press Photo Awards in the sports picture category.

Eugene Tan, Sydney based, is famous for his surf inspired photos featured on Aquabumps.com.

Aquabumps is a daily documentary of Australian beaches where digital photos are shot and then collated into a daily report which is emailed to over 20,000 loyal subscribers around the world (and growing). The Aquabumps Gallery is located in Bondi.

Sean Izzard, Sydney based, is a world renowned photographer. He started out initially editorial, but now shoots predominantly in the advertising and corporate sectors. His many awards include five Bronze and two Silver AWARD pencils, three Bronze Lions, two Folio, numerous inclusions into D&AD and 10 consecutive ACMP Annual Photography Collections. He is also included in the past two 'Archive - Top 200 Ad Photographers in the World' editions.

Alasdair Foster is the director of the Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney - the country's peak public institution for the exhibition, education and publication of contemporary photo-based art. He is also a member of the photomedia research cluster at Monash University Department of Theory of Art and Design.

To watch step-by-step video guides on experimental techniques and how to improve your photography skills go to www.canon.co.nz/worldofeos/learn .

Ends About Canon Canon New Zealand is a leading provider of advanced, simple-to-use imaging solutions for businesses and consumers. Canon has ranked among the top-four US patent recipients for the past 16 years, and had global revenues of around $US34.8 billion in 2009. Canon New Zealand also operates Canon Finance New Zealand, which offers one-stop shopping for customers wanting leasing or finance services. For more information, visit www.canon.co.nz

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