On Prizes and Awards (a Long and Tiring Musing)

Prizes and awards are ubiquitous also in the photography world. There is an award for everything, and I wouldn’t be suprised to discover an award for the best photo award as well.

When we’re just starting out on our photographic journey, it’s natural to think about entering a competition. I am not an exception, in fact I tried a few myself and I also got one honorable mention for the photo featuring this post in a competition organised by a local chapter of the Italian Photoamateur Association (FIAF).

I was really pleased to have broken through the wall of anonymity for the first time. At the beginning of the career it felt good to be acknowledged as a photographer, even if it was only in a small prize. However, instead of pushing me to participate to other contests, this experience had the opposite effect. I asked myself if it actually made sense competing.

I got a ‘reward’ for my photo. So what? Does this acknowledgement make me a better photographer? Do I get new jobs thanks to it? And why, in the first place, was my work supposed to be better than that of the other participants?

Unable to find the answer, I decided to stop competing and focused on exchanging ideas with a more experienced photographer instead.

There will always be someone who takes better photos than me, so winning a prize does not make me a better photographer. At least, it wouldn’t if the only thing I received was a featured article in an online magazine that used the award to make a few pennies from referral sales of gear from online sellers, or a few likes on my social profile. Similarly, the winner of a mono-brand contest —be it a camera, a lens or anything else— is the brand itself, which gains a massive promotion for its gear, and not the photographer.

In principles, I’m fine with prizes and awards, as long as they don’t claim to have been born on July 4th when, by contrast, they are a way to push for specific products or contents, or for the organiser(s) to self-promote as ‘internationally renowned’ players in the photographic business without any real merit other than being the organiser of a prize.

There are a few things to look out for that suggest you should think twice before entering a contest.

For instance, one of the most common claims in the awards business is that it’s ‘run by photographers for photographers’. This is just a marketing ploy. Being on a jury doesn’t make me any more authoritative as a juror.

Also, just because I can take good photos doesn’t mean I’ve got the right training, skills and education to judge other people’s work. And even if I do, that doesn’t imply that I will stay focused enough to provide a fair assessment of the massive load of pictures sent by the participants.

By all means, this argument doesn’t imply that these kind of contests are, per se, scams or just a marketing stunt. However, it does not hurt to act under the old advice: ‘trust but verify’.

Let me reiterate the concept: there is nothing wrong with contests. If winning is what one sees as an achievement, so be it. Personally however, as I said, I have found the direct interaction with fellow photographers more productive. Over time, more often than not, I have received harsh criticism —made in good faith, but harsh nonetheless. I did not always agree with it, but I did not dismiss it either. If a criticism stings, than it means that it’s worth a second look.

An easy rebuttal of these ideas would be: were you actually a good photographer, you would have entered competitions and taken your chances. So, don’t hide your lack of capability behind convoluted intellectual musings.

However, the counter-counterargument is also straightforward. Firstly, unlike in sports, where winning is decided fairly objectively, in photography — as in the arts — subjectivity reigns supreme.

Secondly, if photography is more than just a soulless 9-to-5 job or a way to show off, what really matters isn’t the number of prizes collected, but the conversations, reflections and growth that come from engaging with others who share the same passion.

This, as a side effect, improves the quality of your work and makes you a better photographer.

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