Nikon’s global photo contest grows with new options for young photographers

Nikon’s annual global photo contest now has two new categories. The company announced today that the 2016-17 competition will also give out a 100th anniversary award, as well as a Next Generation award for photographers under age 30. Neville Brody, a veteran photographer with a portfolio that includes everything from album covers to corporate shoots, will serve as the lead judge.

Next year, Nikon will turn 100 years old, and to celebrate, the company is giving away a Nikon D5 with the AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8E ED VR lens, as well as 500,000 yen, which is just shy of $5,000. Unlike the other contest categories though, the winning photo from the 100th anniversary category must be shot with Nikon gear. The theme? Celebration, of course.

Along with the celebratory 100-year category, Nikon also unveiled a new award as a nod to the competition’s growing number of submissions from the younger generations. The Next Generation Award is open to photographs shot with any brand of equipment, but only to those younger than 30. Participants can submit a single photo, a group of two to five images, or a video. Nikon says that roughly half of last year’s entries were from this younger age group.

“The Nikon Photo Contest is recognized globally as a key place to discover new and rising talent, searching out new insights and rich imaginative power and inspiration,” Brody said. “As lead judge, I feel that it is my responsibility to continue this great tradition by selecting works that express new ideas and superior quality for introduction to the world.”

Along with the two new categories, the contest continues to have an open award that’s not limited to young photographers or only images shot with Nikon equipment. A grand prize winner will receive a Nikon D5 and the 24-70mm lens, while the most popular image earns that photographer a new D810 with the same lens. Within each category, the top three for each medium (single photo, photo story and video) will receive Nikon products, including the D810, D500, and D5500 with lenses.

Both the open and Next Generation categories should follow the theme future — which Nikon says can be interpreted in an infinite number of ways.

The contest will be open for entries from October 17, 2016, through January 27, 2017.