HOT 100 Image Contest For 2019 Is Open
This is THE list..the “ it” list of senior photographers.
It is time for our seventh annual HOT 100 image contest! Last year was yet another record breaking year for entries! I can’t wait to see your images this year! I have seen several amazing images on social media...like a million of them from all of you and there are no excuses to not enter this year!
Our contest is the ultimate image contest. We will be selecting the best senior photographers across the globe from the submissions we receive. We are calling ALL photographers to turn in a submission. Do not over think this because this contest only happens once a year at SSG.
We will be compiling the winning photographer’s images into the ultimate print Look Book for senior photographers. This magazine will be your guide to what is HOT and trending in our industry. So once you have the inspiration, you will have the tools to go and achieve your perfect image. The issue will be released January 1st. which will make this the ultimate Senior Magazine just in time for Christmas. This is a prestigious listing and you want your business to be listed in this special edition of our magazine. If you won last year or any of the previous years, you are most definitely going to want to enter to try to reclaim your title! And if you won Icon Status you definitely want to win again this year and the two new additional titles we added...Photography Influencer and Community Choice Award Winner!
Do not miss out on this. I received this email after the contest was over the first year we had it…“I didn’t enter the contest, now I am kicking myself! I cannot escape the HOT 100 buttons! They are everywhere in my newsfeed!”
Do not let this be you!
Meet our Leading Legends Judges…
I will be highlighting our Leading Legends Judges in blog posts throughout the next month!
Our judges have helped grow this industry and have shared their time and talents with our readers repeatedly. Their names are continually listed as photographers to watch. Their imagery is stunning and very much respected in this industry and amongst their peers.
All images submitted will be judged by these incredible photographers.
* The founder of Senior Style Guide, Vickie Black, will be picking the cover winner from one of our Leading Legends Judges.
This issue will also contain tips from of all three judges and an image showcase of their favorite work!
Style Divisions…
10 photographers will be chosen in each of the 10 categories below
Backlit
Urban
OCF (Off Camera Flash)
Studio
Editorial
BW
SOOC (straight out of camera-no tweaking or retouching and make sure you export it as a .jpg)
Organic (Think fields, flowers, beach, Bohemia, nature, country and barns)
Styled Concept Shoots (location, wardrobe, makeup, hair, props-a full blown concept-please note we are looking for amazing concepts)
Photographer’s Choice (Do you have an image that does not fit in any of the above categories? Then this is your category! Please be certain that your image does not fit one of the other categories listed above.)
Look for visual inspiration throughout the next four months of past winning images by category to help aid you in your selection process.Check our instagram and blog frequently as I will be highlighting the winning images as often as possible until the contest comes to a close.
The Details…
The contest will run from June 3rd.-November 1st at 11:59 pm. 2019 . This gives you plenty of time to pick the perfect image(s) for submission. Winners will be announced by name only on December 15th. All winners will be announced on our blog and Facebook page. The winning images will be unveiled in the magazine due out January 1st. This magazine will be available for purchase digitally and in print. To purchase last year’s HOT 100 magazine click HERE
Submission Fee…
$4…1 image
$8…3 images
$15…5 images
To add to your submission more than 5 images, for example 10 images you would need to purchase the $15 option twice. The more you enter, the better!
There are 4 Chances To Win This Year!
Yes you read that correctly! By entering this contest you are essentially entering 4 contests as their are 4 titles up for grabs!There will be new HOT 100 winning buttons this year and you know you want to take home all 4 to proudly display!
HOT 100 Winner...
We are welcoming all photographers to turn in submissions to this contest (with the exception of our 3 judges of course!) All categories will be up for grabs to all photographers who enter them. If you win one category, your name will appear in that category as a HOT 100 Winner!
Icon Status…
All categories will be up for grabs to all photographers who enter them. If a photographer takes more than one spot, their spots in the HOT 100 immediately go silent and they are elevated to ICON STATUS. This allows for them to receive special recognition and for another photographer to have a chance at their original HOT 100 spots! So let’s play hypothetical here…lets say there are 105 photographers on the list, does that mean there are a 105 HOT 100 photographers? NO. It means there are 100 HOT 100 photographers and 5 photographers who obtained Icon Status…does that make sense? Additionally, any photographer obtaining Icon Status will have their headshot, bio and urls listed on our website under HOT 100 Distinguished Photographers. We will also be including our Leading Legends Judges in this special section. This year the HOT 100 will be the best yet! So not only do you want to win this year…you want to win more than one category!
*Please note anyone attaining Icon Status will have their images appear in the magazine under a special section titled “2019 Icon Status”
Photography Influencer...
This is a photographer who places in 5 or more of the coveted HOT 100 spots from our esteemed Leading Legends Judges. They are awarded HOT 100 Winner, ICON STATUS winner and PHOTOGRAPHY INFLUENCER winner! Their spots automatically go silent and are opened back up on the list for our HOT 100 winners. Influencers receive a special prize package and will be featured in a separate issue, available January 1, containing images exclusively from the Influencers! PHOTOGRAPHY INFLUENCERS will also be featured on the website.
Community Choice Awards Winner...
After the Leading Legend judges are finished and all HOT 100 winners are finalized (but not announced), a link will be posted on the blog and in our Senior Style Guide private Facebook group featuring every single entry. Our community can then VOTE for the top 25 COMMUNITY CHOICE AWARDS winners. Yes you read that correctly, there will be a special voting from our community...meaning YOU pick the winning images!
*All winners will be featured in the HOT 100 magazine, on our Instagram, and on our blog.
Submission Guidelines…
1. All images must be high resolution and saved as the category you are submitting for and your business name. For example urbanvickiesblack.jpg for more than one image to the same category you can add a number. For example: urbanvickiesblack2.jpg
2. All images must be placed in this dropbox LINK (Only I can see who puts the images in there don't worry!)
If you are not familiar with dropbox, it is free and you can sign up HERE
3. Remember the category must come first in your file names! For example, urbanvickieblack.jpg Make sure your business name is on your file name as that is how the winning images will be announced on the blog and appear in the magazine.
4. We will not accept watermarked or low res images. If you send them, you will automatically be disqualified. Portrait oriented images should be sized 8x12 @300dpi and landscape oriented images should be sized 12x18 @300dpi for printing.
5. This year, I will contact the winners after they are announced and they will have 1 week to get the model release emailed to me.
6. You may enter either portrait or landscape oriented images all images must be in color EXCEPT for the ones being entered in the BW category.
7. You can enter as many images as would like to as many categories. Just be sure to select the appropriate number of images from the paypal payment button or multiple quantities.
8. If your Paypal name is different than your business name please note that in the paypal message area before submitting payment.
9. I will email every photographer once I receive your images. Do not worry!
All images that do not meet the submission criteria will be disqualified.
No refunds will be given for disqualified images.
Decisions made by the judges are final.
How will the images be judged?
All images will be judged on the following criteria…
Creativity
Exposure
Composition
Posing
Use of light
Style
Editing
Fine Print…
Image must be of a 2018, 2019 or 2020 senior.
All images must be added to the dropbox link above no later than 11:59 pm November 1st at 11:59 pm eastern standard time.
All images must be high resolution.
Do not enter images taken from a workshop, shootout or one on one mentorship. They will be disqualified.
Only the business name will be listed with the photo in the magazine.
Images will be narrowed by the judges per category.
By submitting you are stating you are the owner of this image and are granting Senior Style Guide permission to print your image in the magazine.
There will be no refunds given.
Each winning photographer will receive a HOT 100 button and any other buttons to titles won and their image will appear in the magazine with image credit. We do not supply free print or digital copies of the magazine to winning entries. To read more about why this is our policy, you can visit HERE
Oh And Wait There Is MORE!
Since introducing the Icon Status category several years ago, we have had one photographer sweep the categories each year winning in a record number. In 2015 it was Tara Rochelle, 2016 it was Devon Jones and 2017 and 2018 it was Nicki Hufford! So again this year to add to the spirit of competition, I am awarding the photographer who wins the most categories a HUGE prize pack from some of our most favorite sponsors! There can be only one winner and in the event of a tie, our judges will make the final call on the winner of this prize for 2019!
Read everything and ready to enter…?
I cannot wait to see the winning images this year!
xoxo,
Vickie