THE AMB PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2022
The 2022 AMB Photo Awards presented by Shimano have had a big update! We had a record level of entries and voting in 2021, with a huge influx of entries from young photographgers. We’ve looked over feedback from readers and entrants, and in 2022 the AMB Photo Awards presented by Shimano will not only have a stand alone social media video category, but it will only be open to entrants from Australia and New Zealand.
There will be four main categories. Each will have a winner, second and third place as voted by readers on a microsite from a short list put together by a judging panel. There will be an overall winner for the most complete portfolio, selected by a judging panel including pro photographer Tim Bardsley-Smith, and our editorial team of Mike Blewitt and Georgina von Marburg. The youth category remains and is determined by being under 20 during the competition period. This will be a one off image submitted in any of the categories. This winner will also be chosen by public voting from a short list selected by our judges.
The social media video will need to be a raw upload without music, under 60 seconds and optimised for social media. We want you to capture being out riding and having fun. Let’s hear the trail, the stoke and the natural environment we get to play in. All videos will be uploaded to our social media accounts to be shared, but the winner will be decided by our voting panel.
Our judging panel will select the overall AMB Photographer of the Year. The photography categories will have a winner, plus second and third place, as voted by readers from a short list. The Raw Reels winner will be selected by our voting panel.
ACTION
This is an all time category, and popular year in, year out. Here at AMB we are always looking for the big action shots. This is the kind of photo that stops you in your tracks, whether it’s mid-scroll or on a magazine cover or photo spread. We’ll be looking for a sharp focus on the rider, with either a setting or position that captures and holds your attention. Usually, an action photo will see the rider filling a lot of the frame while still giving a sense of movement and place. An action photo is the most common type of photo any of us will take a winning photo in the Action category will take getting a lot of things just right. From the rider, the lighting, time of day, the trail, the rider’s position on the trail or in the air, and of course the final editing by the photographer.
GREAT OUTDOORS
It’s 2022 and this is the year to get out and about. The great outdoors has been the place for solitude or communal catch ups for so many people, and this category is about capturing the feeling of being out in the natural environment. We want you to make us want to go there, and to be in the photo. Show us the views and the yiews, and exhibit the great places in the outdoors that we get to ride. Winning photos will need to capture the scale of the environment while still having a rider or riders as an essential element. Composition and lighting are essential skills for success.
AMB PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
To win the overall title you need to enter a photo in each of the photography categories. You need to blow our judges away as the level to win the overall title has been set really high. Study the categories and shoot to suit. The winner will collect $3000 and a Shimano Deore XT M8100 12-speed group set, plus have a full feature in Issue #199 of AMB.
BLACK AND WHITE
Mountain biking is a sport of contrasts. While we all love corners and berms, who doesn’t love some straight-line speed? In terms of mountain bike photography, using light appropriately via natural or artificial means is integral to success. But taking photos for a black and white edit takes a bit more skill to ensure the contrasts are just right, and that your photography tells the story you wanted. This category will be judged on the image’s suitability for a black and white edit, plus composition and technical proficiency.
WOMEN WHO RIDE
In 2021 we brought a category to showcase women in sport back to the competition. Mountain biking is diverse and we want to ensure that it continues to be so and grows from here. Women have been underrepresented in the photography of the AMB Photography Awards, and that doesn’t match who we see riding and ripping the trails. This category is designed to encourage a broader representation of who makes up our sport. Make it fun, make it inspiring, and make it inclusive. A winning photograph in this category will be all about excellent composition, so make sure it’s unique to stand out from the crowd.
RAW REELS
Show us what mountain biking is for you via a social media video. Keep it fun, keep it raw and deliver some stoke! We want to see the trails where you get to ride and why it’s so good. Submit your sub 60 second video via the instructions on our competition page. We want the raw sounds, no soundtrack. This category will be judged on video editing proficiency and how engaging the video is.
YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
In this category, our judges select a short list from all the images submitted by photographers under 20. So the entries can come from any of the four photography categories. We’ll be looking for proficient composition and editing, capturing the moment and really nailing the category. The winner will receive a Shimano SLX M7100 12-speed group set and an option to do photography work for an AMB shoot! There will also be an interview in Issue #199 of AMB.