With over 8,800 entries, Canon’s annual EOS Photo5 contest is the biggest one yet

The six winners of Canon’s annual EOS Photo5 competition, as voted by the public, were revealed 1 December. Each year, EOS Photo5 showcases the incredible talent and creativity of amateur Australian photographers. The popularity of the contest has grown dramatically, generating 8,811 uploaded images, a 33% increase from 2009.

“The challenging nature of Photo5 always brings out the best in the Australian photography community, pushing them to new creative heights creative boundaries,” says Chris Macleod, Brand Manager – EOS, Canon Australia. “The passion for excellence and the willingness to share knowledge within the growing community really echoes what the EOS brand is all about.”

The panel of EOS Photo5 judges was comprised of six professional and highly-respected photographers in Australia and New Zealand who chose the finalists. The winner of each category was chosen through a phase of public voting.

“There was an enormous volume of new images this year, which generated a great deal of discussion on the World of EOS blog and the Canon Facebook page. The strong talent made choosing a few favourites quite a difficult task!” says Jackie Ranken, Canon EOS Ambassador and professional photographer and lecturer. “It’s always interesting see which images the voters will choose and I think this year’s winners did exceptionally well with each of the briefs.”

Participants received a box with four objects (which had to be shot using a particular photographic technique) as well as a fifth ‘sound brief’ – a recording that was open to wide artistic interpretation. This year, there was new a Portfolio category, where the winner was chosen for having excelled in all five briefs.

The winner of each brief category receives: an EOS 5D Mark II premium kit (camera body and EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM Lens) and an incredible 3-day creative photography workshop in Queenstown, New Zealand with Canon EOS Masters Jackie Ranken and Mike Langford. The winner of the portfolio category receives the same prize package, plus one of the brand new Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye lenses and a PIXMA Pro 9000 Mark II printer.

To view the entries and winners of this year’s Canon EOS Photo5 competition please visit the competition website . Or visit the World of EOS blog to hear others’ thoughts on the competition, and join in the conversation!

The EOS Photo5 competition is one of the enthusiast photographer challenges offered on the World of EOS – EOS’s online world that inspires photographers of all levels to take their photography to the next level.

Other World of EOS Challenges

Due to the popularity of the competition, Canon introduced a brand new 6th Brief competition , which was launched in collaboration with Channel 9’s Today Show Weekend. With this new category, Canon saw over 700 participants take part, many of them new to photography and looking for a creative challenge.

The 6th Brief required photographers to simply “feature an egg”. The winner of this contest will be announced live on the Today Show Weekend on 11 December, and will receive an amazing prize package worth $14,000, including a 1-on-1 master class with Eugene Tan.

Canon EOS offers photography enthusiasts the opportunity to participate throughout the year in EOS 1wal l and EOS photochains , both of which provide ongoing exercises for those looking to develop their abilities and creative potential.