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  Collage of Coastal Photography


Sponsored by the California Coastal Commission and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.

Complete Guidelines  [PDF]
  Entry/Waiver Form  [in Microsoft Word] [in PDF]
Previous Winning Entries: 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

We are now accepting entries to the 2009 contest.

Here is the information regarding this year's competition.

Entry is free and open to all amateur photographers. An amateur photographer is defined as someone who earns less than 50 percent of their income from photography.

The Coastal Commission is seeking photographs that reflect the importance that the coast has for California residents and the role that the Coastal Commission has played in preserving coastal resources. Entrants are encouraged to submit photos of the following subjects:

• the scenic coast,

• people and the coast, and

• coastal wildlife.

Entrants may also submit photos of any of the above subjects into a separate humor category.

Photographs must be taken from a public place. Plants and animals depicted in photos should be native species in their natural setting. Examples of non-native species include iceplant, pampas grass, and tropical fish. Examples of non-natural settings include a fish tank or public aquarium.
 

The postmark deadline for entries is July 15, 2009.

Winners will likely be notified in September.

See the guidelines for all the details.

Photographs must be accompanied
by a signed entry form.
 [Get it in PDF or Microsoft Word.]
 

Young Cormorant with Parent, Monterey, taken by Carl Peters
Young Cormorant with Parent
Monterey
taken by Carl Peters
 

Prizes

The grand prize winner will receive a choice of one of the following:

Second and third-place winners will select from remaining prizes.

The prize winner in the humor category will win:

Winning photographs will be displayed on the Coastal Commission web site and may be used in additional printed materials or videos produced by the Coastal Commission for governmental purposes. Photos from previous years were used to create  gift cards  and a screensaver.  Photographer credit will be given for every reproduction that is published by the Coastal Commission.


Advice for Taking Pictures

"Here's a central and obvious principle about photography that is sometimes overlooked even by some veteran photographers — that it's about light. Light makes the image. All cameras, whether film-based or digital are wonders of technology but they don't have a clue about subject; they're designed to transmit and register light and a range of its qualities.

It's true that the history of photography is filled with examples in which the subject and not the light is what the viewer's attention is drawn to and many of those images are powerful and memorable. In photojournalism, for example, when the urgency of an event takes precedence over art, the photographer may not have the time or the interest in waiting for the right light. But amongst the most memorable of those images, the ones that put a lump in your throat are those in which the light was a significant and descriptive player. So think about the subject but shoot the light."

- Malcolm Lubliner, Photographer

The Screensaver!

It is free and contains images from our 2001 contest. The file to download  is 3.3 MB.  Right click on this link and select save target as or save as to save it to the directory of your choice before installation. (Remember, screen savers use energy. To conserve energy, turn the monitor off when computer is not in use.)