By Charles Randall
5 December 2011
The MCC have launched their second cricket-themed photograph of the year competition in conjunction with Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and Park Cameras, offering a chance for amateurs to test their skill against the professionals.
Many clubs have enthusiastic amateur photographers who enjoy capturing the essence of our great game. Entries are not limited to professionals, though the 2010 winner happened to be Scott Barbour's picture taken during the Ashes Test in Adelaide. More than 200 entries were received from across the world for that inaugural competition.
Barbour, a Melbourne-based New Zealander, is very much a professional and an international award winner. His picture of James Anderson and the rest of the England team celebrating the wicket of Brad Haddin at Adelaide in a perfect V formation impressed the judges, presumably due to its oddly choreographed look. The runner-up was Gareth Copley for another appeal picture, this time four South Africa cricketers in unison against England in Cape Town.
Other entries focused on different aspects. An image of children playing cricket in Kolkata, by the Indian photographer Supriya Biswas, was placed third, and Paul Kane’s striking snapshot of young cricketers playing on a beach as the sun sets was highly commended.
One could argue that a picture of an appeal is a hackneyed subject in the same way as goal celebrations can be in football. It is an easy fix too often over-played by media picture editors to the detriment of action pictures. But whether one agrees or disagrees with the 2010 winning choice, this is an excellent initiative by the MCC.
In 2011 the winning images will be chosen by a panel of independent expert judges, headed by the former chief sports photographer for the Sunday Times, Chris Smith. The judges will draw up a shortlist of 11 entries, which will be exhibited at Lord’s throughout next year. The top three will feature in the colour section of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2012.
The competition is open to all photographers, and the only stipulations are that entries must have been taken during the year 2011 and in some respect have a cricket theme. The winner will receive £500 and £500-worth of Canon equipment from Sussex-based dealers Park Cameras, but all the short-listed entries qualify for prizes.
Wisden and MCC plan to run this annual competition in perpetuity. The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack editor Lawrence Booth said last week: "We’re delighted to be able to continue our relationship with MCC in search of the world’s best cricket photographs. The standard of entries in the first year of the competition was breathtaking, and we’re looking forward to more of the same from the 2011 batch." The 2010 short-listed pictures can be viewed on the Lords website.
How to enter
Each entrant are advised to check terms and conditions on the MCC website and may submit up to three different photographs taken between January 1 and December 31 2011 via the online entry form.
If an entrant’s three images combined exceed 6MB, then each photograph should be submitted separately. Full caption details must be supplied for each photograph, including the location and date on which it was taken.
For further details, including a full outline of competition rules and technical specifications, please visit the Lord's website.
The closing date is Sunday January 15 (11.59pm).