Canon Australia Launches Light Awards for 2016

With thousands of submissions in its pocket from 2015, the Canon Light Awards sees a facelift for the new year

Rejuvenating the vibrant photography competition for photographers, by photographers, Canon Australia is excited to reveal a refreshed format for its Canon Light Awards from March 2016 – kicking off with a brief on Stillness by Canon Ambassador and Australian sweetheart, Guy Sebastian.

From today, there will be a new brief set every two months, as opposed to a monthly brief, allowing participants to fully immerse themselves in the challenge. Three device-focused categories will also replace the previous Open and Student categories, to further encourage participation from everyone who has a love for photography – whether a hobbyist using a compact camera, or a professional who works with full frame DSLRs.

To nurture the winner in each category’s’ imaging skills and knowledge, they will also be awarded unique experiences with some of the best photographers in the country, on top of vouchers and product prizes.

“I love the buzz and excitement of world tours and being focused on performing my music live to my fans, but outside this, some of my most precious moments are spent behind the lens, observing and capturing the world around me. It is in these moments of stillness where I can really appreciate the little hidden surprises at every turn, the small details that often go unnoticed as we hurtle through our days,” shares passionate photographer and Canon ambassador, Guy Sebastian.

“For my Canon Light Awards brief, I’m encouraging people to use their creativity to focus on ‘stillness’. When you stop, take a deep breath, and find your sense of wonder, you surprise yourself with the beauty that lies in your frame.”

The Canon Light Awards was launched in 2015, as a series of monthly creative photography challenges aimed at nurturing Australians’ love for visual storytelling. With 14 judges and briefs set to date, thousands of memories captured in time, and two 2015 Grand Final winners just announced last week, the Canon Light Awards truly had a remarkable year. For 2016, the Canon Light Awards is set to continue as the ultimate program for inspiration, experimentation and growth.

“What sets the Canon Light Awards apart from other photography competitions is that we actively encourage everyone from people tinkering with a camera for the first time, to professionals who have made a career of capturing moments through the lens. With every new brief set by some of the best in the industry, we encourage creative shooters to push the boundaries of their imagination, craft and skill. Our focus on unique experiences for Canon users is further exemplified by other great initiatives such as the Canon Collective’s ‘Shoot the Brief’ photography meets that take place with every new Canon Light Awards brief announced.” said Jason McLean, Director – Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia.

For more information on the Canon Light Awards, and should you or your community want to get involved, do spread the word and check out http://lightawards.canon.com.au

To see the outstanding submissions from the Canon Light Awards 2015’s 22 finalists and two Grand Final winners, please see the full gallery of high-res images available for download via http://bit.ly/1mVQ4qs

For more information on the Canon Collective, click here.

Overview of changes to the Canon Light Awards

To continue as the ultimate program for inspiration, experimentation and growth, these are the key changes made to the Canon Light Awards from March 2016 :

In line with the new categories and keeping unforgettable photography experiences at the heart of the prizes, winners and runners-up for each brief can expect :

About the Canon Light Awards

Created by photographers, for photographers, the Canon Light Awards encourages all creative shooters to push the boundaries of their imagination, craft and skill by responding to a creative brief with powerful images that tell a story. With a new challenge set every second month by Canon’s master photographers, the Canon Light Awards is designed to help Canon camera users to achieve their photography creative potential.

Canon Australia and Sally Fitzgibbons Launch Dream Squad

Sydney, Australia, 16 February 2016 – Canon Australia is delighted to announce the appointment of Australian surfing World Champion and Managing Director of Fitzgibbons International, Sally Fitzgibbons, as an official brand ambassador. To kick off this new role, Sally and Canon are launching the Canon Dream Squad - a mentorship-based competition that will inspire young Australians to turn their passion into a career.

Now open and available for submissions, the Canon Dream Squad will enable one lucky Australian to learn the ropes of business strategy, content creation and social media from some of the most talented and inspirational creatives and entrepreneurs from the start-up and imaging sectors.

“To be successful in today’s world, young Australians need courage, creativity and the ability to collaborate with people from all backgrounds who can inspire them, no matter what they want to achieve from life. My dream to be a world-class athlete, a philanthropist and an entrepreneur came as the result of a lot of hard work and support from all those around me. That’s why I’m thrilled to launch the Canon Dream Squad, which gives me the opportunity to support and encourage another young Australian and help them fulfill their passion,” said Sally.

According to Sally, digital and social media give young people unrivaled opportunity to quickly establish and nurture their business to passionate fans and customers through authentic and meaningful content.

“Imagery is really important to my business because it captures my unique view of the world and connects the people who are important to me - friends, fans and consumers of my products,” says Sally. “Today, almost 50% of consumers access social media each day and this brings them closer to my world with content that inspires and resonates, which is fundamental to the success of my business.”

The Canon Dream Squad competition is open for submissions from 16th February until 11:59 pm (AEST) on 31st May 2016. A Canon panel will select three finalists who will then meet Sally and the Fitzgibbons International team where the final winner will be chosen. The eventual winner will then join Sally and the Canon Dream Squad team for a series of workshops and masterclasses from 30th June, 2016, for what will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“During judging, I won’t be looking for the highest-quality production or a video with all the trimmings. Instead, I will be looking for a young person who has a vision and passion for their business idea and a hunger to grow, learn and back themselves no matter what,” says Sally.

According to Jason McLean, Director – Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia, “Sally is an incredible young Australian who has turned her passion of living a healthy and happy life into a flourishing career. She credits a lot of her achievements to the support of the people around her and the different tools she uses. Canon is proud to be working with Sally as an ambassador and to enable her to share her experiences and passion with her young audience, often through creative content and stunning imagery.”

“My role as an ambassador with Canon is unique in that I’m not often behind the lens of a camera. Instead, I’m a professional content creator who uses imagery to engage, collaborate and connect with people looking for inspiration on how to live healthy and happy lives,” says Sally.

As a Canon ambassador, Sally joins a diverse group of high profile Australian personalities including Dr Chris Brown, Steve Waugh, Lisa Wilkinson and Guy Sebastian.

“To live your passion and be successful you have to embrace the belief that no one sees it like you and be confident in yourself. I’m excited to show others how photography can be the enabler of their passions and careers, no matter the dream,” Sally concludes.

To get involved, follow the conversation at #squadgoals and #canonaustralia and visit the Canon Dream Squad at www.canon.com.au/dreamsquad.

How to enter Canon Dream Academy :

Think about what you are most passionate about and why you want to turn this passion into your career

Use your creativity to film your response in a short video (the video should be no more than 5 minutes in length)

Upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo and link to this video supplied in the entry form via www.canon.com.au/dreamsquad

The winner’s prize :

The winner of Canon Dream Squad will spend time with Canon Masters including videographer, Abraham Joffe and surf photographer, Eugene Tan, as well as shadow Sally’s team at Fitzgibbons International and learn from Canon Australia’s Marketing & Sales as well as Sun Studios teams. This will consist of a series of workshops and masterclasses across a 6 month period. The winner will also receive a trip for two to the Target Maui Pro surfing competition in November or December 2016 to capture Sally in action and put their new skills to the test.

Finalist prizes :

Three Canon Dream Squad finalists will receive Canon equipment including an EOS-70D camera, accessories including a tripod, microphone and SD cards, as well as a 12 month Adobe Creative cloud subscription ($49.95 per month) to help kick start their content creation journey.

Canon Australia Announces Light Awards Program

Sydney, Australia, 26 November 2014 – Canon Australia has announced an all-new creative challenge exclusive for Canon camera users in Australia – the Canon Light Awards.

Created by photographers for photographers, the Canon Light Awards will encourage creative shooters to push the boundaries of their imagination, craft and skill. In return, Canon has prepared a program to help them achieve their photography aspirations, including personalised feedback for winners from Canon Master Photographers, and one of Australia’s biggest photo competition prize pools.

“Photographers told us they wanted to become better storytellers and achieve their creative potential, so we developed the Light Awards as the ultimate program for inspiration, experimentation and growth,” says Jason McLean, Director – Consumer Imaging, Canon Australia. “This is a one-of-a-kind competition in Australia, with a total prize pool worth over $150,000, which includes prizes for monthly winners and the grand prize of a luxury photo safari for two in Africa for each category winner.”

Each month, a Canon Master will set a challenge around creating powerful images that tell a story. Entries will be judged by photographers with the three best entries in each category receiving feedback and advice from the Canon Masters, as well as Canon prizes.

In 2016, each of the monthly first place winners will be invited to a cocktail event where the grand prize will be awarded to the overall Student and Open category winners.

The Light Awards will officially launch on the 1 January 2015 with two entry categories : Student (aged between 13 and 25, enrolled in fulltime study) and Open.

To pre-register and receive the first brief on 22 December, visit Canon Light Awards : www.canon.com.au/lightawards

Terms and Conditions apply. Full details will be available on the Canon Australia website from the 1 January 2015.