25.8.2015 Olympus Global Open Photo Contest 2015 SYDNEY 25 August 2015 Olympus Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of the Olympus Global Open Photo Contest 2015. Celebrating the beauty of both the human experience and of the natural world, this photographic contest welcomes entries from amateur and professional photographers from around the world. Entrants are free to use their own make and type of cameras, inclusive of smartphones. Olympus, a brand that is synonymous with innovation and optical excellence, is a world leader in the manufacture of photographic, medical and industrial-scientific imaging products that positively affect human lives. Since the introduction of the first Olympus camera and Zuiko lens in 1936, photographers everywhere have used Olympus cameras to capture significant life moments and to record precious memories. Olympus OM-D, PEN and Stylus digital cameras continue to embody technological innovation, high performance imaging, and superior system portability, to help you capture the world the way you see it. The Olympus Global Open Photo Contest 2015 warmly welcomes still photography entries from amateur and professional photographers worldwide using their preferred brand and type of camera equipment, or even smartphones. The competition comprises four subject categories of Life, Future, People and Technical that are divided into five themes. Participants submit entries online based on a theme, or themes, of their choice. The Grand Prize winner of the photo contest will receive the latest Olympus PEN camera and one million Japanese yen. Other prizes include Olympus OM-D and PEN interchangeable lens cameras, as well as custom edition Moleskin notebooks. Separate to the photo contest, contest site visitors who prefer to browse can also win prizes by participating in a Viewer s Raffle. The adjudication of this photo contest will be by a panel of international photography experts. Entries to the Olympus Global Open Photo Contest 2015 will be accepted through the special contest website at http://gopc.olympus-imaging.com/ from 2:00 pm, Tuesday, August 25, 2015 to 11:00 am, Friday, November 20 (Japan Standard Time) 2015.
CONTEST OVERVIEW The information contained within this press release is not final and must not be considered as such. For the actual rules and regulation governing this contest, please visit http://gopc.olympus-imaging.com/ (1) Entry themes Entrants may choose to submit entries each of the five themes that relate to the four subject categories as follows: i) Life subject: New Beginnings theme This theme is for entries that symbolise the beauty of the beginning of life, such as seedlings, babies, etc. ii) Future subject: Places to Preserve theme This theme is for entries that express a scenery that you wish to see preserved for the future, such as natural landscapes, buildings, and towns etc iii) People subject: Smiles theme This theme is for entries that capture those special smiling moments iv) Technical subject: Macro and Art are separate themes Macro theme: This theme is for entries of dramatic macro photos of flowers, insects, water droplets, etc. Art theme: This theme is for entries that showcase creative images captured with the use of incamera Art Filters, retouching, composition, or caused by the subject matter itself. (2) Eligibility The contest is open to anyone from professional to amateur photographers, using any type of camera or smartphone, inclusive of digital and film cameras. (3) How to enter Entry to the contest is only available on the internet. Simply register on the contest site at http://gopc.olympus-imaging.com/ and upload your entries. (4) Entries & acceptable no. of entries Up to 5 entries per person, per theme. Image data files created with any type of camera or smartphone from any manufacturer are acceptable (inclusive of high quality digital scans from film). Image data files may be digitally altered using any photo editing software Only images in the JPEG file format are accepted, with a file size limit of up to 15 MB. Entrants may change entry titles, cancel entries or re-enter at any time during the entry period
(5) Photo contest entry period and expected announcement schedule Entry period Results announcement From 2:00 pm, Tuesday, August 25, 2015 (Japan Standard Time) to 11:00 am, Friday, November 20, 2015 (Japan Standard Time) strictly February 2016, on the contest website (6) Contest site supported languages Japanese, English, German, French, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Thai, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Dutch, Finnish, and Polish (14 languages in total) (7) Global Photo Contest prizes and total number of winners The contest will award one entrant as the Grand Prize winner, and for each of the five themes, prizes will be awarded to fourteen entrants in the following manner: Grand Prize (One winner) Winner to receive one latest Olympus PEN series model with lens, and 1 million Japanese yen Theme Prizes (The 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place and Bonus prizes will have one winner each, and there will be ten winners of Runners Up prizes. As there are five separate entry themes, the total number of Theme Prize winners in the contest is seventy) Per theme Position No. of winners Prize 1 st Place 1 2 nd Place 1 3 rd Place 1 One set of Olympus OM-D E-M1 with M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens One set of Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with M.Zuiko Digital ED14-150mm f4.0-5.6 II lens One set of Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II with M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ, or, one set of Olympus PEN Lite E-PL7 with M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 EZ lens Bonus Prize 1 One latest Olympus PEN series model with lens Runners Up 10 Moleskine custom editions hardcover notebook with PEN logo
(8) Viewers Raffle During the contest, site visitors will also have a chance to win prizes by taking part in a raffle. One person will receive the latest Olympus PEN series model with lens, and there will be three hundred winners who will receive a Moleskine custom edition hardcover notebook with PEN logo. Raffle winners will be selected by lottery from those who enter on the contest website. Photo contest entrants may also enter to win the Viewers Raffle. Entries to the Viewer s Raffle will be accepted up to 11:00 am, Friday, November 20 (Japan Standard Time) 2015. (9) Announcement of results The winners will be notified after judging is completed, through the registered e-mail address from the Global Open Contest office. The actual date of announcement of results may be changed according to judging conditions. (10) Photo Contest Judging Panel The following leading photography experts comprise the panel of judges: Tetsuro Shimizu Tetsuro Shimizu was born in Yokohama city in 1975. After graduating from the Nippon Photography Institute, he worked as the assistant to photographer Toshinobu Takeuchi for three years and then went freelance at 23 years old. His unique viewpoints are seen in a wide variety of formats from natural landscapes to snapshots and documentary photos. In 2012, he published a collection of photos in Mongolia from 15 years of documenting the country entitled CHANGE. His awards include the 1st Younosuke Natori Photography Award, the Excellence Award in the People division of the 2013 Nikkei National Geographic Photo Prize, and the 2014 Newcomer s Award from the Photographic Society of Japan. He also has held many individual exhibitions of his work. Tetsuro Shimizu is a member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society. Kan Mimura Kan Mimura was born in Yokohama city in 1978. After joining the Mimura Atsushi Design Office, he established the niwa no niwa Design and Editing Office in 2008. His work covers a wide range of fields including photo collections, book binding and advertisement design, and total direction of individuals and brands. His work is based in manual labour, advocating lasting designs by being involved from the planning to printing stages. Kan Mimura is currently a lecturer at the Japan Center of Photography. Wakako Jet Wakako Jet was born in Gifu prefecture. After graduating from the Nagoya Zokei University of Art & Design, she worked in the photography department of a publishing firm, then studied under Akihiko Matsumoto and struck out on her own. She currently shoots for advertisements and magazines and enters photos in many exhibitions. Her specialty is capturing the kind, cute, and beautiful aspects of the world. Wakako Jet is currently a lecturer at Digital Hollywood University.
Anne Day Anne Day is a veteran American photojournalist, portrait, wedding and architecture photographer and writer. Her work has appeared in TIME, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fortune, Vogue and other publications. As a photojournalist, she has covered events in Haiti, Cuba, South Africa and Namibia. Anne was recently commissioned for the fourth time by the U.S. Presidential Inaugural Committee to photograph the 2013 presidential inauguration. Kim Lau Based in Singapore. Kim Lau travels through Asia and he has been photographing its landscapes, people and cultures since 2005. His latest expedition started in September 2013 takes him through the countries that made up the four ancient khanates of the Mongol empire. With a multimedia production background, he also documents his travel experiences with video and audio recordings. Kim Lau is currently a lecturer at a polytechnic in Singapore. Silvijo Selman Croatian-born Silvijo Selman is a self-taught photographer specialising in portraits, events, and landscapes. His photographic journey began in 1997, and since then his works have been featured in several photo exhibitions in Croatia and Germany. With a knack for capturing surreal moments, Silvijo takes an impressionist approach to photography, focusing on composition (11) Olympus Global Open Photo Contest URL For complete details about this contest and its actual rules and regulations, please visit the official contest website at http://gopc.olympus-imaging.com/ About Olympus Olympus Imaging Australia Pty Ltd is a subsidiary of Olympus Corporation, headquartered in Japan. Olympus Imaging Australia is responsible for the marketing and distribution of Olympus consumer products in Australia and New Zealand, and through Olympus agents and dealers in Papua New Guinea, Tahiti and the South Pacific region. The Olympus consumer range encompasses still and video imaging products, binoculars and digital audio recorders. Your Vision, Our Future. olympus.com.au For further information or high-resolution images, please contact Olympus: Alexandra Lithgow (02) 9886 3992 pr@olympusimaging.com.au