HOT 100 Image Contest For 2024 Is Open
This is THE list..the “ it” list of senior photographers.
It is time for our TWELFTH annual HOT 100 image contest! 12 YEARS!!!! This is such a huge year and we are going BIG again this year!!!! Each year the number of entries is mind-blowing! I can’t wait to see your images this year! I have seen several amazing images on social media...like a million of them from all of you and there are no excuses to not enter this year! Check out everything below to see how to enter this year’s contest!!!!
Our contest is the ultimate image contest. We will be selecting the best senior photographers across the globe from the submissions we receive. We are calling ALL photographers to turn in a submission. Do not over think this because this contest only happens once a year at SSG. Everyone has at least one image to submit that is incredible!
We will be compiling the winning photographer’s images into the ultimate print Look Book for senior photographers. This magazine will be your guide to what is HOT and trending in our industry. So once you have the inspiration, you will have the tools to go and achieve your perfect image. The issue will be released February 28th. which will make this the ultimate Senior Magazine just in time for The New Year. This is a prestigious listing and you want your business to be listed in this special edition of our magazine. If you won last year or any of the previous years, you are most definitely going to want to enter to try to reclaim your title! And if you won Icon Status you definitely want to win again this year and the two additional titles we added in the last four years...Photography Influencer and Honorable Mentions! Better yet…try for Photography Legend!
Do not miss out on this. I received this email after the contest was over the first year we had it…“I didn’t enter the contest, now I am kicking myself! I cannot escape the HOT 100 buttons! They are everywhere in my newsfeed!”
Do not let this be you!
Meet our Leading Legends Judges…
Lacey M. Carroll
Lindsay Combs
I will be highlighting our Leading Legends Judges in blog posts throughout the next month!
Our judges have helped grow this industry and have shared their time and talents with our readers repeatedly. Their names are continually listed as photographers to watch. Their imagery is stunning and very much respected in this industry and amongst their peers. And these are the judges YOU selected in our poll which we love when that happens!
All images submitted will be judged by these incredible photographers.
* The founder of Senior Style Guide, Vickie Black, will be picking the cover winner from one of our Leading Legends Judges.
This issue will feature an image showcase from of all three judges of their favorite work!
Style Divisions…
10 photographers will be chosen in each of the 10 categories below:
Backlit
Urban
Sports
Studio
Editorial
BW
SOOC (straight out of camera-no tweaking or retouching and make sure you export it as a .jpg)
Organic (Think fields, flowers, beach, Bohemia, nature, country and barns)
Senior Guy
Photographer’s Choice (Do you have an image that does not fit in any of the above categories? Then this is your category! Please be certain that your image does not fit one of the other categories listed above.)
Look for visual inspiration throughout the next 2.5 months of past winning images by category to help aid you in your selection process. Check our instagram, private fb group as we discuss how to maximize your submissions.
The Details…
The contest will run from October 21st.-January 6th at 11:59 pm eastern 2025 . This gives you plenty of time to pick the perfect image(s) for submission. Winners will be announced by name only on February 3rd. (deadline for announcement could change due to number of images submitted or unforeseen issues.) All winners will be announced on our blog and Facebook page. The winning images will be unveiled in the magazine due out February 28th. This magazine will be available for purchase digitally and in print. To purchase last year’s HOT 100 magazine click HERE
Submission Fee…
$4…1 image
$8…3 images
$16…5 images
To add to your submission more than 5 images, for example 10 images you would need to purchase the $16 option twice. The more you enter, the better!
If you are sending a ton of images and want to do one quick payment you can send the payment directly via PayPal to sales@seniorstyleguide.com Please put in the message how many images and that it is for the 2024HOT 100.
There are Multiple Chances To Win!
Yes you read that correctly! By entering this contest you are essentially entering multiple contests as there is more than one title up for grabs! There will be the potential to receive multiple HOT 100 winning buttons this year and you know you want to take home multiple badges to proudly display!
HOT 100 Winner...
We are welcoming all photographers to turn in submissions to this contest (with the exception of our 3 judges of course!) All categories will be up for grabs to all photographers who enter them. If you win one category, your name will appear in that category as a HOT 100 Winner!
Icon Status…
All categories will be up for grabs to all photographers who enter them. This year we are again putting a new spin on this… If a photographer takes three or more spots, their spots in the HOT 100 immediately go silent and they are elevated to ICON STATUS. This allows for them to receive special recognition and for other photographers to have a chance at their original HOT 100 spots! So let’s play hypothetical here…lets say there are 105 photographers on the list, does that mean there are a 105 HOT 100 photographers? NO. It means there are 100 HOT 100 photographers and 5 photographers who obtained Icon Status…does that make sense? This year the HOT 100 will be the best yet! So not only do you want to win this year…you want to win more than one category!
*Please note anyone attaining Icon Status will have their images highlighted in the magazine titled “2023 Icon Status.”
Photography Influencer...
This is a photographer who places in 5 or more of the coveted HOT 100 spots from our esteemed Leading Legends Judges. They are awarded HOT 100 Winner, ICON STATUS winner and PHOTOGRAPHY INFLUENCER winner! Their spots automatically go silent and are opened back up on the list for our HOT 100 winners. Influencers will receive an image showcase of their winning images in the magazine, available January 31st!
HOT 100 Legend…
A HOT 100 Legend is any person who has 10 images place in the contest. This photographer will automatically be Inducted into the HOT 100 Hall Of Fame and will no longer be able to enter their own work in the HOT 100! This is the ultimate accomplishment. They will be given a badge that is not dated so they can market every year when the winners are announced and will be able to put 10 images in a special section of the HOT 100 each year. Our 2020 HOT 100 Hall Of Fame Inductees are Nicki Hufford and Kirsi from LK Photoshoots. Our 2022 HOT 100 Hall Of Fame Inductees are Michelle Cuppy, Paige Day and Jamie Plack.
100 Community Choice Winners...
After the Leading Legend judges are finished and all HOT 100 winners are finalized, we will release the images submitted for the fb community to vote on. This is your chance to be chosen by your peers based on your images submitted. Voting will be open for one week and 100 photographers will be chosen based on the community votes! The winners will be featured in the HOT 100 Community Choice Award Winners Magazine which will be separate from the HOT 100 this year since there will be 100 winners!!!! (Please note that since the community (and not the judges) are voting on the winners for this special category, you could potentially win the HOT 100 and The HOT 100 Community Choice Award!)
*All winners selected by the judges will be featured in the HOT 100 magazine! All 100 Community Choice Winners will be featured in the HOT 100 Community Choice Awards Magazine. Both issues will be released January 31st.
2024 Senior Image Of The Year…
The judges will pick one image that stands out from the 1000’s of images submitted and award the 2024 Senior Image Of The Year. Last year, Lacey M. Carroll won this honor!
2024 Legend Of The Year…
The legends are back and have the opportunity to battle it out amongst the other legends for 2024 Legend Of The Year. Our Legend photographers have been in the Hall Of Fame wanting to compete and we believe the best way for them to enter is to compete amongst other legends! We are excited to see who will win this title in 2024. (Must submit 15 images to be considered. You must use the title legend at the beginning of your image name. For example: LegendVickieSBlack.jpg)
Submission Guidelines…
1. All images must be high resolution and saved as the category you are submitting for and your business name. For example UrbanVickieSBlack.jpg for more than one image to the same category you can add a number. For example: UrbanVickieSBlack2.jpg
2. All images must be placed in this dropbox LINK (Only I can see who puts the images in there don't worry!)
If you are not familiar with dropbox, it is free and you can sign up HERE
3. Remember the category must come first in your file names! For example, UrbanVickieBlack.jpg Make sure your business name is on your file name as that is how the winning images will be announced on the blog and appear in the magazine. No dashes. File names are to be named as listed above!
4. We will not accept watermarked or low res images. If you send them, you will automatically be disqualified. High res images only.
5. You will need to fill out this form stating you have a print release for the images you are submitting. Please Click HERE to fill it out when you submit your images!
6. You may enter either portrait or landscape oriented images all images must be in color EXCEPT for the ones being entered in the BW category. Senior guys can be entered in all categories for example Backlit, BW, etc.
7. You can enter as many images as would like to as many categories. Just be sure to select the appropriate number of images from the paypal payment button or multiple quantities.
8. Do not put your images in the dropbox link in folders. No folders are to uploaded (example: images by categories, etc.) If you upload folders to the shared dropbox link you will be disqualified.
9. Your confirmation of images received will be from dropbox!
All images that do not meet the submission criteria will be disqualified.
No refunds will be given for disqualified images.
Decisions made by the judges are final.
How will the images be judged?
All images will be judged on the following criteria…
Creativity
Exposure
Composition
Posing
Use of light
Style
Editing
Fine Print…
Image must be of a 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025 senior.
All images must be added to the dropbox link above no later than 11:59 pm January 6th at 11:59 pm eastern standard time.
All images must be high resolution.
Do not enter images taken from a workshop, shootout or one on one mentorship. They will be disqualified.
Only the business name (as submitted in your file name) will be listed with the photo in the magazine.
Images will be narrowed by the judges per category.
By submitting you are stating you are the owner of this image and are granting Senior Style Guide permission to print your image in the magazine.
There will be no refunds given.
Each winning photographer will receive a HOT 100 button and any other buttons to titles won and their image will appear in the magazine with image credit. We do not supply free print or digital copies of the magazine to winning entries. To read more about why this is our policy, you can visit HERE
Oh And Wait There Is MORE…
In honor of our 12 year anniversary of the HOT 100 Senior Style Guide is giving everyone who enters 3 months of SSG Insiders (October, November and December 2024!) And anyone who achieves the ultimate status of HOT 100 Legend, will get a free seat to PUSH 2025 (non transferable and cannot be sold.)
There is NO excuse now to not enter!!!!
Read everything and ready to enter…?
I cannot wait to see all of the images this year!
xoxo,
Vickie