Competitions are a beneficial way to get your photography work out there weather you are just starting out your career and want people to notice you or if you are a professional. By winning competions you get seen by more people and you can include them on your art CV. They help with exposure and recognition. This is dur to key figures in the industy looking at and reviewing your work. Within competions if you are win, are longlisted or short listed these are the competitions that you should refrence on your website and Cv, because you were not discarded straight off the bat. Most photography competions prizes are money or more likely grants to carry out more work. 

With photography competitions most cost money to apply, therefor there is no point doing competitions that are not relevant to you, your style or practice. With any competitions you have to read the small print and make sure that you are happy to pay for the ones that you enter. As you have to pay for most competitions to enter, you have to make sure you are happy to pay as there is no guarantee of susses. by reading the small print on competitions it helps you to not fall into any traps that you do not actually agree to, for example image rights, some competitions will require the photographer to sign over some or all of your rights for there own marketing or look for silent partners or organisations that may profit from your work partner companies and sponsors. If you do not read the fine print you can lose out on the rights to the images that you put into the competition. Photographers have to ensure that they are fully aware of their potential commitments, such us: exhibitions, books and interviews. 

Before doing any competitions it is always beneficial to investigate into it. it is beneficial to know what has happened in the competition from previous years, such as who won and who where the judges. By finding this information out you can find out the judges styles, what they like and do not like. Which will help benefit you when you apply for the competition. 

When submitting your photos you have to make sure that they are consist and stand out. The files will also have to be in the designated size and file type. By also showing your work to others and seeing what it says to them it can help you decide if the are appropriate or not. 

“Less is more” 

Is what is said about applying at competitions. Less photos means they stand out more and the write up for the competition has to also stand out and be precise. 

I wrote a write up as practice for applying for a competition. Within it is an introduction which opens up the idea behind the project. It then moves on to why I as a photographer want to do it and what it is you want to say with your work. Later on I have to descried how I am going to go about creating the work or have gone about creating it. Also what research I have done into the projects. Sometimes there is need for a budget within a competition to show how you would budget a grant. That you could get for winning the competition. Here is what I would write up for a competition below if I applied: 

Therapy and Assistants Dogs : 

Therapy dogs are highly trained dogs, who assist in multiple areas of peoples lives. They help support people in Hospitals, retirement homes, schools, disaster areas and nursing homes. They are also used with people who are blind, have autism and many other disabilities. they support these people by providing affection, comfort and love to the people who need it. Therapy dogs are known to reduce anxiety and depression, over all bring comfort to those who need it. 

The first ever therapy dog was a Yorkshire terrier called Smokey who was found by a member of the MacArthur 5th air force during the second world war in 1944. She was brought of the solider who found her by a corporal Bill Wynne. Smokey spent every moment by Wynne’s side in combat and also participated in 12 combat missions. After the war Wynne became ill and his friends would bring her to the hospital. Dr Charles Mayo noticed the little dog and observed that the wounded soldiers spirits were lifted by her presence. Smoky visited the recuperating soldiers and continued visiting the hospital for the next 12 years.

This research has led me to a number of different organisations, who form this work I would like to help promote to a wider audience, their importance in the medical and mental health field. One organisation that will I will be working with is “Assistance Dogs UK” which is a collaboration of eight assistance dog charities. They train up dogs that have been credited by members of assistance dog international and international guide dog federation. Having experienced the amazing work of therapy dogs during my education, through this work I plan to show the increased ability of support that one dog can give to someone with any of the former problems I have mentioned.

Here I have worked out a bursary budget based of travelling to where each of the charities are based in the UK: 

Accommodation: £1,120.00

Fuel: £300.00

Living Expenses: £560.00

Contingency: £250.00

The accommodation is based of spending a week in each location at and Air B and B at £20.00 a night. The fuel is based on travelling to each place at £30.00 a journey, and the living expenses is based at £10.00 a day on food. 

This award would provide me with the right opportunity to create  a body of work that I have always wanted to produce. Not only that though it will help me to take a huge step forward in the photography world. It will open up many doors to me, with collaborating with companies, businesses and Photographers. This is an opportunity that I had to take to build on my confidents and other peoples confidents in my abilities. 

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