Photo and video competition open to faculty, staff and students
by Ailsa Ferguson
The annual photo contest at the University of Toronto's Bulletin and -eBulletin has a new wrinkle this year: winners in each category will be invited to take part in A Day in the Life of U of T, a project to document daily activities on our three campuses.
The winners of the competition will also have their winning photos displayed in the Bulletin and the eBulletin. The grand prize winner, chosen from among the winners in each category, will also have the opportunity for a full page montage of photos in the Bulletin.
This year, for the first time, we'll also be adding a video category, requesting short videos about your experience at U of T. The winning video will be posted on our U of T YouTube channel and will appear in the eBulletin.
The contest begins March 1 and runs until March 26. The judging by the Bulletin's design team will take place in early April and winners will be notified soon afterward. The photo shoot for A Day in the Life of U of T will be scheduled for sometime in April, with all photographers shooting on the same day.
Amateur photographers -- faculty, staff and students -- are invited to submit photographs to the Bulletin in one of five categories. No more than two entries per person per category are permitted. Photoshop work is only permitted for simple colour correction.
1. Flora and fauna (including pets)
2. Campus
3. Travel
4. People
5. Cellphone photos.
Videographers are asked to submit videos that are a maximum of two minutes in length. The accepted formats: .avi, .mpeg, .mov, .wmv, .mp4, .flv.
The accepted delivery media are: DVD/CD, e-mail, Sendspace, Youtube or other online filesharing programs.
Entries should be submitted by e-mail to bulletin.photo@utoronto.ca or dropped off at the Prichard Alumni House at 21 King's College Circle; forms may be faxed to 416-946-7965.
All entrants will be asked to sign and submit a release form allowing use of the photos and videos in the Bulletin, eBulletin and other university websites, publications or video display boards. Those entries submitted without the form will not be considered.
"Entries will be judged on technical skill, balanced with creativity," said Caz Zyvatkauskas, the Bulletin's designer. "A less technically perfect shot will be considered over one that is clichéd in composition. For example something newsworthy usually trumps a sunset." Entries should include:
1. Photo or video
2. Creator's name and university contact information
3. Identification of the subject(s)
4. A brief description of the work (what it portrays, intent)
5. A release form.
"This contest is a great opportunity to share your photography with a wider audience," said Elaine Smith, editor of the Bulletin and the eBulletin. "We are always awed by the quality and creativity of the entries and look forward to seeing this year's selection."