Photography Competitions, Critical Mass, and...Money!

Every year during Critical Mass registration, the topic of entry fees pops up – and we often see the query, “Why is Critical Mass so expensive?” 


Let’s back up, put on our thinking caps and look at photography competitions in general, and then specifically, Critical Mass. I will make this all-important note here, just because we often feel like yelling it from the rooftops: Critical Mass is not just a competition! Even though there is jurying involved, it is a multi-layered program about EXPOSURE that has awards as well. It is a long-established, community-based program, and not a "photo contest". Read on and you will see why our submission fees reflect this.


Cut to the big picture: It seems that more and more photography competitions are popping up left and right, and unfortunately it is left to the photographer to investigate which fall in the “legitimate” “semi-legitimate” and the “genuine scam” categories. Add this to your list of things you have to do on top of just making your work.

AS YOU NAVIGATE YOUR "COMPETITION" OPTIONS, HERE ARE SOME COMMON-SENSE QUESTIONS TO ASK:

1. Is the photo competition being produced by a non-profit organization or a for-profit business?

(We are not saying legitimate competitions are not held by for-profit businesses, but it helps if they exist on a non-virtual level, such as being a mortar-and-brick gallery. Also, please note that "photography competitions" fall under a different category than "juried exhibitions with submission fees".)

2. Does the organizer have a website built solely for information about the contest? Or, is it part of a larger website where you can get information about the umbrella organization? Is there evidence as to how long the organization has existed?

(Non-profits are required to list their staff and board of directors on their website. They make it easy for the general public to contact then. Often, less-than-legitimate competitions will make it hard for you to get in touch with them, perhaps just giving a generic e-mail address, with no real names involved.)

3. Other things to question:  Does the competition organizer announce winners after the deadline? How many jury members are there? What makes them qualified? Can one link the jurors to respected institutions?

(Reputable competitions announce their jury members, prizes, timelines, etc. Final results/material should make it out into the public domain in a clear, timely and useful manner.)


4. As with anything, read the fine print! Don't skim over this.


(There are a number of organizations that are promoting contests as a way to collect imagery to use in various ways, with no compensation to you - and you end up having no say. Don't sign away the rights to your imagery.)

And, as a related topic (hopefully it's own blog post at some point) - now currently on everyone’s radar: Organizations (businesses and non-profits) who are using Kickstarter to fund programming. Which people have mixed feelings about, thus producing a pressure for these organizations to show some accountability for how funds raised during their campaign have been spent.

So – we are looking at both “transparency” and “accountability” as key words here.

NOW, WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH CRITICAL MASS?

Every year, as photographers weigh the pros and cons of entering Critical Mass, the question of money comes up. Critical Mass has a two-tiered entry fee - $75 US ($90 International) to enter and $200 if you make the Finalist round. Yes, this might initially seem like a lot of money compared to other “competitions” out there, but please pause to consider the total workings of Critical Mass – there is a lot to absorb! So, stick with us here, and read on.

QUESTION:  HEY - WHAT DOES PHOTOLUCIDA DO WITH ALL THOSE SUBMISSION FEES?

Established 12 years ago, Photolucida is a 501c3 non-profit. We are required to show that all of the income the organization takes in is used to further our mission. We show on our tax return what the Critical Mass income goes toward, and have established transparency on this topic to the public.

For details on where the registration income goes, AND many more interesting facts about Critical Mass, including a cost/benefit analysis, please look at our FAQ page. We have taken the time to spell it out for you here.

Photolucida has annually addressed the Critical Mass money question on our blog in the past: 

Here in 2010.

Here in 2011.

And, we were pleased when Joerg Colberg picked up on our 2011 post and used Photolucida's example as a call for industry transparency in his Conscientious blog.

This is a topic that is on a lot of people's minds.

You may not know that Photolucida gives back as well as takes in. In addition to the Critical Mass awards and the DVDs and monographs sent out to entrants and jurors, we do some behind-the-scenes things that are pretty neat:

Photolucida gives Critical Mass scholarships to “foreign” photographers from countries that might be under-represented in mainstream awareness of emerging photography and/or truly unable to pay submission fees. Photolucida also gives scholarships to our Portfolio Reviews event to deserving photographers as part of the Critical Mass programming. We also have a Library Program where we send each year’s Critical Mass publications to over 30 Oregon art school, college, university and public libraries. And, we send the finalist DVDs to educators who request them, as it is a great teaching tool in photography classes.

QUESTION: OK, ALL THIS SOUNDS GREAT, BUT HOW DO I KNOW I GET MY MONEY'S WORTH IF I SUBMIT TO CRITICAL MASS?

Let’s establish the premise that you are a photographer falling somewhere in the wide scope of emerging photography – and you want people to see your work. Realistically, there needs to be some kind of “marketing” line item for you as a photographer where you do have to spend time and money to promote your work. You need to decide how best to get your work out there in the most efficient way possible to people who may be able to offer opportunities. You can spend your “marketing dollar" on a multitude of things: a new website, business cards, leave-behind materials, Portfolio Reviews…you need to decide what makes sense for you at this point in your career and what your finances can accommodate. Critical Mass is just one of your options.

So, after reading all of this, if you feel like you have a solid portfolio of ten images, a sincere artist statement, and feel excited to get the work out in the world, now might be the time to submit to Critical Mass.

We don’t promise instant success – you should be wise enough to know the art world does not work like that. But we do know that exposure through submission to Critical Mass produces results…because we hear success stories from people all the time.

Usually, the most dramatic feedback from our book award winners:

'Winning the Critical Mass book award has really changed my life. It has exposed my work to so many people, and over the past couple years I've been lucky enough to work with some of them.

David Bram of Fraction Magazine first saw my work as a juror, which then led to a feature on Fraction and that led to gallery representation with Jennifer Schwartz Gallery. Since then I have had my work featured in PDN, Flak Photo, and One One Thousand. I’ve shot assignments for The New York Times and Oxford American Magazine. Not only has my work been exposed to over 200 jurors in the photo world, but it is still being seen in a new and more final way through the publication of the monograph.

I can’t express in words how thrilling it has been to work on the monograph and share it with so many people in the photo community.'

— Jeff Rich

And stories that are more subtle, but meaningful just the same:

'I believe the exposure helped to keep my work on the minds of some influential folks who were on the selection committee at the Griffin Museum of Photography.  This helped lead to my first solo show there.'       

—  Corey Hendrickson

Even if you don’t make it into the finalist group, you still have some substantial benefits: you receive the DVD with all submissions included (so your work goes out to all the photographers who submitted as well) and you receive a copy of the book award winner’s monograph once published. And, you have had the experience of submitting if this process is new to you, and 26 pre-screening jurors will have seen your work.

'I have to say that the entry fee is worth it for me. It might seem a little bit steep as compared to other opportunities (which typically "average" about $35 for 3 entries) but Critical Mass is a bit different. For starters, we can enter 10 images, not just 3. Also, we get the CD containing all of the work that was entered. Most juried shows do not offer this and I've found it to be great insight into what others are doing in the field. Finally, we get the great books at the end of the process. Have you priced any photo books lately? Hint: you can't get them (even a Blurb book) for under the price. 

When you combine all of these factors, Critical Mass is a bargain and that's before you release the Top 50 list.'

—  Carol Schiraldi

One more note… (and thanks for reading though this essay of a blog post!) The biggest vote of confidence we could ever ask for comes from our truly outstanding group of jurors that have chosen to give their time to us. Some have asked us if they could jury, and some have been jurying for us going on nine years. Many of these industry greats have said, “I would love to jury! I believe in what you do.”