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Author Topic: Is this legit? $10.00 to enter photo contest?  (Read 2413 times)

MikeKeyW

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Is this legit? $10.00 to enter photo contest?
« on: November 19, 2008, 06:40:40 pm »

I received this email last night:
Quote
You've been sent a Flickr Mail from unscene:

------------------------------------------------------------

:: The UnScene Tour's next stop: Miami


Hello,
I noticed your work and thought that you might be
interested in a couple photography contests that the
UnScene Tour is holding. Deadline- November 26th. The first
contests asks that you upload your unscene images of Miami,
where the second contest asks that you submit your
masculine, vibrant and edgy work. If chosen a finalist of
the first contest you will continue to compete with 6 other
market finalists for a spread in 944 magazine. This is a
great opportunity. Please go to www.unscenetour.com.

For questions for concerns please email Nicole at
Nicole@unscenetour.com

Good Luck,
Nicole

The one "contest" is requiring a $10.00 entrance fee, is this something new? It's been a long time, like 35 years, since I entered a contest but never heard of an entrance fee. Anyone hear of this?
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Paul Sumi

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Is this legit? $10.00 to enter photo contest?
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2008, 08:42:22 pm »

Quote from: MikeKeyW
I received this email last night:


The one "contest" is requiring a $10.00 entrance fee, is this something new? It's been a long time, like 35 years, since I entered a contest but never heard of an entrance fee. Anyone hear of this?

I would be more concerned about the fine print of the contest terms and conditions.  Many legit contests will nonetheless try to grab the rights to use ALL entries (not just winners) in whatever way they feel fit.

Paul
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Is this legit? $10.00 to enter photo contest?
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2008, 08:55:25 pm »

With the growing popularity of photography and the big easy of online submissions, thanks to the widespread use of digital cameras and the Internet, fee-based contest organizing has become a lucrative business in itself. It is a rare occasion these days that contests do not charge entrance fees, that typically range from $10 to $50 per image or entry. A few remaining free contests might carry a catch hidden deep in the small print: you surrender the usage rights of your photos to them forever (a notable example often being National Geographic, of all things).

spidermike

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Is this legit? $10.00 to enter photo contest?
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2008, 12:46:20 pm »

It seems reasonable to charge an entrance fee.
Though I think they should get someone else to write their e-mails - in this particular case the language and typos are all too reminiscent of web scams to me.
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russell a

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Is this legit? $10.00 to enter photo contest?
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2008, 05:05:07 pm »

To my mind, all photo contests are scams to some degree.  Even most "respectable" contests (those in which there is some degree of "prestige" and the promise of a decent amount of traffic) are fundraisers that play to the undernourished psyches of  would-be entrants.  The question one should ask, I think, is "what will I get out of it".  Meaningful publicity?  Not likely.  If there are prizes, cash or merchandise?  Low probability when one considers the ratio of the number of prizes to the number of entries.  Personal satisfaction?  Maybe, only you can decide depending on your degree of undernourishment.  

On-line contests are the worst, for the reasons cited by earlier posters.  There is virtually zero chance that any contest participation will lead to anything else.   The world of reputations and commerce are not structured that way.

The dominant question should be (which I have offered before in the forum) is "how much is it worth to me to play artist in the venue at hand?".
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Rob C

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Is this legit? $10.00 to enter photo contest?
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2008, 09:33:11 am »

Can´t beat the reasoning: for what it´s worth, let somebody else pay to satify their own ego; your money is better spent towards a damn good meal that satisifes the belly, and hence the soul.

Rob C
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