5 Travel Photography Contests On Flickr

There is something extra special about travel photography. While there is beauty in the commonplace, and so you can get some amazing shots close to home, travel photos open you up to a whole new world. You can experience more, reliving it through those shots throughout your lifetime. Others can feel like they were right alongside you, seeing something new and exciting. Anything could happen when you take a camera on a trip, and there is a reason some of the greatest pictures taken in the career of a photographer were likely taken while traveling for some purpose or another.

Photography Contests

So popular is this style of photography that you can find plenty of contests out there celebrating the best results. As an avid user of Flickr, I take part in a lot of competitions there. Here are five related to travel photography that you can submit your work to.

1. Lonely Planet Challenges

Everyone knows Lonely Planet. They are one of the most popular travel sites on the web, branching out into everything from blogs to videos, and even published books. They have an official Flickr group dedicated to weekly challenges. Each challenge is built around a theme, such as ‘glow’, ‘lost’, ‘dome’ or ‘sleep’. It is a highly active group, so if you like regular contests you should definitely join.

2. Flickr Travel Award

This is a small contest, but a fun one. Get the honor of being featured by the group and getting a ‘stamp’ that announces your award on the winning photo. Anything that was taken while traveling, whether it is near your home or across the world, is welcome here. They allow objects as well as living things to be present in the photos.

3. The Expeditioner

Compete for the chance to have your travel photos included in online travel magazine The Expeditioner, or on one of their many blog posts. They are looking for anything travel related, whether it is something you saw on one of your trips, a landscape of an interesting place, or even a shot of the airport you are moving through. If it inspires wanderlust, they want to see it.

4. Examiner Travel Group

Examiner.com is a popular site that does a lot with user generated content in various niches. Part of their site is dedicated to travel, and they are looking for people who are happy to share visuals from their own experiences while away from home. People, places and events are all welcome, and each month there will be several photographers chosen to contribute to the actual site and their published articles. This is a great way into a career as a freelance photographer or blog contributor.

5. Adventure Cycling’s Contests

Adventure Cyclist is a great publication dedicated to those who love to ride their bikes, no matter what the terrain. But there is a certain bend towards cycling in a travel capacity, seeing new places and things, trying new trails and going new places to do so. They have frequent contests, and that is where this group comes in. They gather images for the contests here, to pick from when the time comes for a new features photographer. If you are a cyclist and want to try your hand and getting your photo published by Adventure Cyclist, definitely check this one out.

Tips For Contest Winning Travel Photos

Now that you know where you can submit your shots, you will want to increase your chances of winning. Here are a couple of tips:

  • Be sure your photo is relevant. Your picture needs to have some context, or else it could just be a photo taken anywhere. Of course, your description is going to provide some of that, but your shot should tell its own story. When deciding on a photo, ask yourself if it gives off a travel feel. If not, you might want to pick another.
  • Be sure your photo is unique. I was lucky enough to be a judge during a recent photo contest. I can tell you right now that it wasn’t enough to be good…everyone was excellent. You had to stand out and provide something special, something we would remember. I remember looking at two photos side by side. One was a shot of a plane taking off from a runway. Another was a shot taken inside of an airport, focused on woman standing still while people rushed around her, causing a somewhat blurry effect. I preferred the second shot, because it was more memorable than the shot of the plane, even though both were well done.
  • Be sure to keep trying! This is the most important tip, I think. Most people submitting a photo to a contest are not going to win the first time. It isn’t statistically likely, and besides, you are against a lot of great competition for the coveted winning spots. But don’t get discouraged, and realize that most (if not all) of the people participating are going to have to try many times before they win.

Do you have a contest on Flickr that is related to travel photography? Have a tip for submitting to one? Let us know in the comments.