Image Competition: There's a NEW Sheriff in Town!

AI image from Adobe Stock

by Skip Cohen

Remember the old Westerns? At some point, there often was a "new sheriff in town." He was always one of the good guys, and everyone was excited that he was there to clean things up!  Well, whether you like old westerns or not, when it comes to print competition - there's a NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN!

Meet the AIBP's (Association of International Boudoir Photographers) new Visionary Awards.

The AIBP Visionary Awards are an inspirational and educational photography competition open to all professionals, novices, and hobbyists who photograph boudoir. All entrants have the opportunity to work toward the AIBP Artistry Excellence degree as a Member of AIBP.

I'm a huge fan of image competitions, which all started with entering my first print in a WPPI competition in the 90s. I became addicted to the process—it's one of the best educational experiences in imaging. Why? Listening to the feedback from the judges, combined with seeing the styles of other artists, along with lighting, posing and composition, helped me raise the bar on my own skill set. 
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Building this new image competition from both the participants' and judges' perspectives, the Visionary Awards start with two broad categories: commissioned and uncommissioned work. With eleven different award sub-categories, AIBP's goal is to make sure images compete against similar photos. 

They've assembled a stellar cast of judges to date that includes Lindsay Adler, Gary Hill, Jacqueline Tobin, Rhea Berkley Lewis, Andrew Hiorth, Cate Scaglione, Hiram Trillo, and Shawn Black. Combined with the support of a solid group of sponsors, these new awards have the potential to elevate the experience of competing from previous competitions. Click on any picture or banner in this post for more information!

And to the AIBP team - Congrats! It's going to be a kick watching this competition grow, along with the skills of your members!​

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