The Africa Photographic Awards entices a worldwide audience of amateur and professional photographers with a broad spectrum of photographic categories and the largest prize pool ever offered for a photographic competition, being in excess of three million Rand! The main prizes have been donated by the distributors of Nikon in South Africa, Toyota, Kenya Airways and Sabi Sabi game lodges.

The range of categories includes wildlife, fashion, photojournalism and visual art to name but a few. Anyone may enter and there are specific categories for scholars and students too. Any make of camera may be used and some categories allow for artistic digital manipulation. Photographs submitted for each category will be showcased in leading magazines on a monthly basis, for the duration of the competition.

Africa Photographic Awards seek to establish a greater awareness of photography and inspire passion for the art amongst the younger generation. Leading supporter the distributors of Nikon in South Africa’s CEO, Stefan van der Walt elaborates: “We want to create a greater awareness of the importance of the role of photography in our society and to promote it as a career and rewarding hobby for life. Photography is the most powerful and widely used medium of communication today whether for recording history, for capturing memories or as an expressive art form.”

Africa Photographic Awards has pledged to help educate and enhance the lives of those less fortunate so that they too can experience the joy of photography as a medium of expression and as a rewarding career. Proceeds will benefit The Tomorrow Trust and will be used to create scholarships for the underprivileged, leading to job creation and self-sustainability. The Trust provides support structures for orphans to pass their school exams and follow a tertiary career path of choice.

This annual competition is deemed to become the largest and most prestigious of its kind. It will be judged by a panel of local and international judges. Final awards will take place at a prestigious gala dinner to be held in South Africa and attended by prominent authorities and celebrities. This glittering event is to be held during May 2010 and will receive wide press coverage.

Entries for the first annual Africa Photographic Awards will be accepted online from 15 May 2009, and the closing date is 30 March 2010.

Full details can be found at www.africaphotographicawards.com or www.nikon.co.za