13th March, 2012
VisitEastbourne is teaming up with Eastbourne’s Viewpoint Art Gallery to launch a National Smartphone Photography Competition inviting keen mobile photographers to submit their best images.
The National Smartphone Photography Awards are being launched in time for English Tourism Week 2012 and with eight categories to enter, including a category dedicated to Eastbourne; the town’s tourism team can’t wait to see the photos being submitted.
With dozens of smartphone photographs being shared on social networking sites each week, Viewpoint hopes that the Awards will attract entries from across the UK.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism and Leisure Cllr Neil Stanley said “We are delighted to support the Smartphone Photography Awards being run by Eastbourne’s Viewpoint Art Gallery and are particularly looking forward to the photographs entered into the Eastbourne category. We come across brilliant photos everyday, which have been taken using a smartphone, particularly through our VisitEastbourne twitter feed, and it’s exciting to offer an opportunity to recognise these.”
Smartphone photographers can enter their photographs into eight categories, including Portraits/People, Nature, Landscape, Eastbourne, Still Life, Weather, Fashion and Humour. The competition will be launched at VisitEastbourne’s tweetup on Thursday 15 March as part of English Tourism Week, which runs from 10 – 18 March 2012.
Paul Manser, Managing Director of said “Photography is a passion of mine and when I bought my new mobile phone, which I carry 24/7, it gave me a different perspective on the world of photography without having the constraints of having to carry loads of gear. It’s about capturing the moment and the best part if you don’t have to be a profession, anyone any age can do it.”
The competition will run until 20 August giving photographers months to capture their perfect smartphone photograph and entries must be submitted via the Viewpoint Living website. Fans of Viewpoint Living and VisitEastbourne will have the chance to vote for their favourites via facebook.
The overall winners in each category will receive a mounted print of their photograph as well as the chance to see their work on display in Viewpoint Art Gallery, with winners and runners up being invited to an awards evening at the end of the summer.
Entries cost £2.99 per photograph and entrants will be offered the opportunity to sell prints of their work and receive 10% commission. For more information and details of how to enter go to Viewpoint Living's website.
