I did many contests when first starting out; won many also but now only do the occasional contest if the rules are written to benefit the photographer and I need the exposure.

I first started with contests because I wanted to measure my work against others; once I started to win repeatedly, I stopped entering.

Hello all! I am fairly new to NWP, and fairly new to serious, though definitely amateur, photography, for that matter. I agree with what another reply to this post stated as far as being new; it is fun to measure your abilitites and see where you stand. In fact, I feel it is an important and necessary part of growth, especially in the early part of this endeavor to become a better photographer. But, sadly, it does seem that most "contests" you find on the web are actually just thinly veiled disguises to sell you something. Personally, at least so far, I have only entered contests at the County Fair, a local newspaper, and the monthly challenges in several forums on Nikonians.org (voted on by members, no prizes). At the local level I get to meet the other local photographers and develop relationships, and learn from them. On this forum and Nikonians I get to interact with and learn from some of the best photographers in North America. So, for me at least, a little challenge is a great way to improve my abilities. When I feel that I have advanced to the point that I get consistantly good results, I think it would be fun to enter a serious, respected competition.

Kelly