Amateur Photographer of the Year

How to enter the UK’s best photo contest

Now in its 27th year, the Amateur Photographer of the Year (APOY) competition is the oldest of its kind in the UK. For the second time running we have teamed up with Sigma and Photocrowd to bring you more than £10,000 of prizes and a simple portal that makes entering the competition very straightforward.

APOY is open to amateur* photographers from around the world, with the overall winner receiving the coveted title ‘Amateur Photographer of the Year 2018’, as well as Sigma equipment worth more than £2,000. The winner of each round (as voted for by the Amateur

Photographer team) will win Sigma kit worth approximately £1,000, while the crowd vote winner of each round will win a digital subscription to the magazine, plus a Photocrowd subscription. It’s important to enter as many rounds as possible because only your top-scoring image from each round will be counted towards your final score.

Free entry per round for AP readers

For the first time we are offering AP readers a free entry per round using a code printed in the magazine (see page 32 for the first code). There will be a different code for each round. When a new round is announced (see table with all the dates on page 32) the relevant code will accompany it.

There are no restrictions on equipment, so feel free to use a phone, plastic camera, compact, or top- of-the-range DSLR. While the competition is open to all amateur photographers, entrants who live outside the UK who win any of the prizes will be liable for any local import taxes.

After the closing date of each round all the entries will be narrowed down to a shortlist, from which the AP team will decide an overall winner of that round. There will be one winner as voted for by the AP team and one as voted for by members of Photocrowd.

All the winners will appear on Photocrowd, and the top 30 pictures of each round, as voted for by the AP team, will appear in the magazine. AP will also print the Crowd Vote winner. The title Amateur Photographer of the Year will be awarded to the photographer who receives the highest number of points from the AP team. Good luck! *For the purposes of the competition, the definition of ‘amateur’ refers to a person who earns 10% or less of their annual income from photography or photographic services.

About Sigma

SIGMA is once again offering a wonderful array of top- end prizes to the winners of the Amateur Photographer of the Year 2018 competition.

Sigma’s mission is to provide exceptional products at an affordable price. All its products are manufactured exclusively in the company’s own dedicated factory in Aizu, Japan.

Sigma’s reputation for advanced cutting- edge lens design is demonstrated by its series of lenses, ranging from 4.5mm right up to 800mm. These lenses are designed for enthusiast and professional photographers alike, and all of them are backed by a three-year UK warranty when imported by Sigma Imaging (UK) Ltd.

Sigma’s Global Vision range of cameras and lenses incorporates the latest in optical technology, with unique innovations such as the ultra-fast 18-35mm f/1.8 Art lens and USB dock that allows unrivalled customisation of Global Vision lenses by the photographer using Sigma Optimization Pro specialist software. This groundbreaking range is winning praise and awards for its quality and innovation from both customers and industry commentators alike.

To find out more visit www.sigma-imaging-uk.com.