The mission of the Moscow International Foto Awards is to find and reward skilled photographers from around the globe and show them to the Russian community. It is an annual competition for photographers, beginners, and students studying the art of photography. The award notes the achievements of the best world photographers that create the modern world of photography.
Newbies and experts can take part in the contest or view the works of other photographers on the official website. In this review, you will find out what categories are available and why this award is better than other photography contests.
The Moscow International Foto Awards is one of the best awards when it comes to the number of genres and categories. On its website, you can find many creative photography ideas implemented by professionals. There are several categories available: Advertising, Architecture, Editorial, Events, Fine Art, Nature, People, Science.
The Advertising category includes commercial photos that can be used for promoting products, people, or services. Here, you may find elegant portraits, fashion photos, pictures of accessories, musicians, concerts, product photography, and travel photography.
The organizers also accept photos in the Self-promotion category. It allows a photographer to promote their personal brand.
Moreover, you can also send your stop-motion films, videos, and slideshows. They are assessed according to the same rules as photographs.
This category of the Moscow International Foto Awards includes photos of buildings, urban photography, pictures of interiors or exteriors, and anything related to architecture. Here, you will find pics taken from interesting angles, photos of bridges and historical monuments. All participants have equal chances to get the award for the best architecture photography.
In the Book category, you will find published projects. These are exhibition catalogs, prototypes, proposals, self-published, traditional, limited edition, multi-author, single-author, intersectional, handmade books, re-issues, etc. This category is for files that include a cover image and six pages. It may be a documentary or an art book.
This category includes photos that were taken to illustrate a story, article, or other publication. Such images usually accompany texts. Here, you may find pics showing armed conflicts and their impact on people and cities.
Chronicle photos describing news, politics, and sport are also included in this category. Here, you can also find photography series ideas. The category also includes 5-minute stop-motion films and videos.
The Events category covers concerts, music, and sports events. If you are not sure to which category your photo belongs, organizers will help you make the right choice. Here, you can find shots of the wedding, engagement ceremonies, receptions, etc.
The Fine Art category includes aesthetic photos that convey a subjective vision of a creator. Such pics usually express an idea, message, or emotion by using special techniques and methods. This category is for those who take experimental photos and create something truly artistic and extraordinary.
This category is for you if you are good at making collages. For instance, you can skillfully combine several pics to create a new composition. Landscapes also belong to this category, but they should be photographed in an artistic way.
The Moscow International Foto Awards also has the Nature category. Thus, if you capture natural elements, like landscapes, flowers, close-ups of natural scenes and textures, this nomination is for you. It includes panoramas, landscapes, drone photos, shots taken from planes. You may submit photos taken manually and remotely. Of course, the category includes images of the landscapes created by people, including farm fields and gardens.
Here, you will see impressive shots of sunsets, wildlife, domestic animals and pets, wild zoo animals, etc. The nomination also includes underwater photography. Such pics are usually taken when diving, snorkeling, or swimming. There are also special remotely operated cameras that can capture underwater life.
This category is devoted to shots focusing on people and their life. You may submit portrait photography or group images. You may experiment as you like. The only rule is to show people in real-life situations. Wedding or engagement parties, ceremonies will also do. You can depict various customs or traditions as well.
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This category is suitable for those who take shots to record medical and surgical procedures, medical devices, etc. Plus, you can submit photographs describing natural phenomena, like global warming, ecological footprint, etc. If your photographs are taken for artistic, research, or monitoring purposes, you are more than welcome to submit them to this category.
If you win the Moscow International Foto Awards, you will get worldwide recognition. Plus, you will become popular because of the numerous media partners of MIFA. Every participant pays an entry fee.
Apart from getting extensive media exposure, you will take part in the Best of Show exhibition in Moscow. As a rule, the partner award in Tokyo also shows winners’ works on its exhibitions. Main winners receive the titles Photographer & New Talent of the Year and get cash prizes of $3,000 and $2,000. One photographer can take both prizes.
If you win in your category, you get a $100 cash prize. It might be a PayPal or Amazon gift card. However, there is only one prize per entry. Works are displayed on the main page of the website and in the online gallery for a long time. This way each shooter can greatly increase their recognizability.
To improve your chances of winning, you can take part in photography workshops to master new skills. Even if you are not lucky to get the first prize in the general or particular category, you can be mentioned in a press release and newsletter announcements sent to over 90,000 members of MIFA Community.
Besides, you will get a participant’s certificate that will decorate your portfolio and allow entering photography associations with free membership. One of the most distinctive features of the Moscow International Foto Awards is that the winner’s logo will be used online and on printed materials till the next winner is chosen.
If you are already 18 years old, you can participate in the Moscow International Foto Awards no matter in what country you live. The award is one of the fairest competitions and everyone can try their hand at it. Professionals compete against professionals, while amateurs compete against amateurs.
If you have taken free online photography courses, you can still take part in the competition. Note that taxes and entry fees vary depending on the professional level:
In all categories, there is a 30% discount per extra category (in case the same entry is submitted to multiple categories). A special Portfolio category requires a fee of $50. The winner doesn’t have to make any other payments. The award, winner packages, and publications are completely free. You can submit as many photographs as you wish.
You may also enter the same photo into as many categories as you like. The only condition is that photos should be not older than 5 years.
Mind that digital photographs should be in JPG format and a minimum of 1000 pixels in either height or width. On the official website, organizers indicate detailed terms and requirements for photographs. One of the demands is to provide files in RGB format, no larger than 4MB per image. The submitted photos are of good quality, which makes it easier for organizers to work with them.
The jury of the Moscow International Foto Awards consists of famous photographers, gallery owners, curators of youth projects, publishers, critics, graduates of the best photography courses in London and other representatives of the art world, like Robert Berman, Laurence Gartel, Thomas Wunsch, Irina Nedialkova, etc.
Here, you will meet representatives of the National Association of Professionals of the Photo Industry. The overall number of representatives of various magazines, agencies, and associations is equal to 37 persons.
However, for many photographers, appreciation and recognition of the ordinary viewers are just as important as the opinion of the professional jury.
