2012 Black & White Portfolio Contest Entry Info

Deadline Extended

Submissions accepted from 10/01/11 to 01/31/12

Compete for 24 Spotlight features to be published in B&W + COLOR during 2012, plus 15 Excellence Awards and 60 Merit Awards to be published in our 2012 Portfolio Contest Special Issue.

Twenty-four winners will be selected for Spotlight Awards and will have their work published in multi-page articles in B&W + COLOR, spread across four issues published during 2012. In addition, 15 entries will be selected for Excellence Awards, and 60 more will be selected for Merit Awards (this number may vary slightly). These winners will be featured in our Portfolio Contest Special Issue, to be published in the summer of 2012.

Entry Bonus: All portfolios entered will be included in the galleries on our redesigned web site. Each of your photos will have a direct link to your web site. Currently we have more than 25,000 photos from past contests in our searchable galleries with increasing traffic counts. This extra exposure makes the entry fees a good investment for your future.

A portfolio unit consists of no less than 8 and no more than 12 images. The images may represent the high point of a long career, a specific subject, or a special thematic treatment. More than one portfolio unit may be entered (additional fee required). Many of the 700 photographers spotlighted in B&W so far have experienced welcome jolts to their sales as a result of the exposure. So take the chance of having your work seen by more than 40,000 viewers world-wide (B&W is sold in 60 countries)!

  • Make a selection of favorite images from your photographic body of work and enter one or more portfolio units in this year’s contest.
  • ELIGIBILITY: All photographers are eligible except employees and contract workers of Ross Periodicals and those previously featured in a Spotlight in B&W.
  • IMAGE CAPTURE: Images may be captured using film or digital. Only CD/DVDs will be accepted for entry. No prints or slides!
  • PORTFOLIOS: A portfolio unit consists of no fewer than 8 images and no more than 12 images. There is no limitation on the number of portfolio units that may be entered. Make separate folders for each portfolio, but please use as few CD/DVDs as possible for your entry.
  • PREPARING YOUR CD/DVD:
    • Write your complete name, phone number and email address on the CD/DVD itself.
    • Save images at 300 ppi (lower resolution files cannot be used), 8 bits, in grayscale, as jpeg files only.
    • The size of the scans, whether vertical or horizontal in orientation, MUST be 7 inches wide.
    • Please name each digital image file on your CD/DVD exactly as shown below:
      • Title of image, Location, Year of capture.
      • Example: The Rose, New York City, NY, 2005 or International: Eiffel Tower, Paris, France, 2008
    • Do not use: all capitals, all lower case, underscores, or personal reference numbers in your titles.
    • Avoid using the following characters in an image file name or CD/DVD name: | / ? : “ * < >
    • If more than one image is Untitled, name them Untitled 1, Untitled 2, and so on.
    • Do not use Picasa, iPhoto or similar file-sharing programs to burn your CD/DVDs.
    • Before sending CD/DVDs, please double-check that the disks and your image files open properly.
  • ENTRY FEES: Fee for the first portfolio unit is US$40. Each additional portfolio unit is US$25. Payment may be made by check (payable to B&W Magazine), money order, PayPal (payable to bnwmagpicks@aol.com) or credit card (MasterCard or Visa only). Include number, expiration date, 3-digit security code on back of card, name exactly as embossed on card, cardholder’s signature and amount to be charged. For international entries we accept ONLY Mastercard, VISA, PayPal, or international US dollar money orders. We do not accept bank or money transfers. Entry fees are non-refundable.
  • ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Prints and slides WILL NOT be accepted. CD/DVDs will not be returned (they will be destroyed after review or eventual use). PHOTO RELEASES must be available and furnished upon request for all individuals prominently featured in an entered image. This rule is not generally applicable to street photography. Do not include any releases with your entry. Please forward questions to bnwmagpicks@aol.com or call us at 805.474.6633.
  • COPYRIGHTS AND THE WEBSITE GALLERY: By entering this contest you give your permission for B&W + COLOR to print your images in our magazine and on our website for one-time use. Images entered in this contest will be posted on our website gallery with a link to your website unless you NOTIFY US IN WRITING that you do not want your images placed in the gallery. Please refer to our website to see the formatting and copyright protection currently being used.
  • DEADLINE: Entries must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2012.
  • NOTIFICATION: The selection process will take several months to complete. All entrants will be notified by email. If you wish to have a confirmation of receipt of entry, please include a stamped, self-addressed postcard.
  • WHERE TO SEND: Mail: B&W, PO Box 700, Arroyo Grande, CA 93421.
    Other carriers: 1789 Lyn Road, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420.

WHAT TO SEND

  1. On a sheet of paper, TYPE your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, and website address (this will be published if your images are selected and also on the web gallery). DO NOT include an artist statement or curriculum vitae—entries are judged solely on the merits of the images. DO NOT include an image list separate from what is on the CD/DVD.
  2. Your CD/DVD—see above.
  3. Payment—see above.