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On Photography Awards & Contests
By Pywrit | May 2, 2008
Every year there are thousands upon thousands of contests and awards handed out to photographers. You’ll see this listed on many photographer’s websites and in their promotional materials. Personally, I don’t do contests nor do I try for awards. Many of the people I know have asked why. The answer is simple: I have no desire to compete in contests nor do I really care about awards.
Now don’t get me wrong here for I know a lot of people in various occupations who have won awards for all kinds of things and these people are quite proud of them. My hat - well, if I wore a hat - is off to them. Congratulations! Really. I mean it. But it has been my experience that, more often than not, awards are simply a matter of playing politics and promotion. They have less to do with skill than popularity.
In art, popularity is rarely the sign of artistry. Most true artists are too busy creating to worry about winning accolades. As a matter of fact, it is the creation that is the reward - the release of the demons that torment us. Yes, artists are tormented. Not every demon is out to destroy the artist - but it does inspire and spur the artist to create. If someone wants to give us an award, great, but true artists are less concerned with awards than they are about the most important thing - to make something that is memorable.
The trend I’ve noticed over the last 20 or so years is to create something that can win an award. Why? Because the award offers prestige. It doesn’t necessarily mean the work is the best. Too many artists these days strive for this - from painting to music to writing to photography. Tell me this though, which would a writer rather have: a prestigious award or a best-selling novel? The answer: most writers would rather have the best-selling novel - especially when it comes time to pay the bills. Besides, the best reward any artist can have in any field is the knowledge that their work is appreciated by people, not a panel of judges sequestered in a room reading manuscripts or surveying photographs. Still, while awards are nice, they are not something I personally covet. The appreciation of an email, letter or phone call saying “wow, I love the pictures you took of me/my children/my family/etc.” are far more satisfying.
As a photographer, I don’t try to please the masses and I couldn’t care less about a judge in some far away city. I try to please the individual. That is far more important to me than winning a contest or an award. The smiles and the “oohs and ahhs” of someone looking at an exceptional photo is what makes this whole job worth it. It is my (not-so) humble opinion that this is what inspires the best photographers. It is what inspires me.
Topics: On Photography |