How to enter the 2024 AMB Photography Awards presented by Shimano
Our annual AMB Photography Awards presented by Shimano are open again - so how do you enter to be part of the $5500 cash prize pool?
The 2024 AMB Photography Awards presented by Shimano are back for another year, with a similar roll out to previous years. This is a golden opportunity for any budding photographers, or videographers, to shoot creatively and enter to win a share of $5500 cash and two Shimano 12-speed group sets.
For 2024 we have four new categories to enter:
Gravity
This category is about celebrating everything that is good in downhill, dual slalom, enduro, freeride, dirtjumping, high speed trail rides and push runs. We want to see the action, dedication and scenery that comes from riding with gravity. This could be a photo from your local enduro event, something from the Downhill World Cup, an image from your local trails where your buddy hits the fall line chute… we want to see high impact photos that showcase gravity riding and racing, with exceptional framing and composition.
XC Whoa!
Cross-country riding and racing has evolved, and this category celebrates that. Photos entered in this category may come from your club XC race, a big all-day pedal into the backcountry, big action from the XCO World Cup, a marathon race, a stage race, or training for any of these events. What does XC mean to you? We want to see the grit and determination, the bar-to-bar action and the features and settings that really make XC come alive. Our judges will look for unique images that tell a story and capture the sole of XC, with top level composition and framing.
Women who ride
In 2021 we brought a category to showcase women in sport back to the competition. Mountain biking is diverse and we want to ensure that it continues to be so and grows from here. Women have been underrepresented in the photography of the AMB Photography Awards, and that doesn't match who we see riding and ripping the trails. This category is designed to encourage a broader representation of who makes up our sport. Make it fun, make it inspiring, and make it inclusive. A winning photograph in this category will be all about excellent composition, so make sure it's unique to stand out from the crowd.
Outback and Beyond
Away from the stacked loops, our playground is immense. A bike is one of the best tools for adventure out there, and it is only limited by your imagination. In this category we want to see the places your bike can take you. Show us the wild environments. Show as the vertiginous places, the serpentine trails along never ending ridgleines and capture the vast nothing in the centre of Australia. A winning photo in this category is going to give the judges a sense of being in the environment, and the dedication required to be there. We'll still be looking for amazing composition and framing – but most of all we want to be inspired. We want your photo to capture our imagination to spur us on to get out and ride!
AMB Photographer of the Year
If you enter all four categories and tick the box stating you want to be considered for AMB Photographer of the Year, your portfolio of four images will be considered for the overall title by our judges. Each photo will still be considered for each category – but the overall winner cannot win any individual category as well.
AMB Young Photographer of the Year
If you're under 20 in the competition entry period – any photo you enter is considered in this category!
Raw Reels
In this social media video category we want you to show us what mountain biking is for you via a social media video. Keep it fun, keep it raw and deliver some stoke! We want to see the trails where you get to ride and why it's so good. Submit your sub 90 second video via the instructions on our competition page. We want the raw sounds, no soundtrack. This category will be judged on video editing proficiency and how engaging the video is.
Click here to enter your Raw Reel
Who can enter?
Any Australian or New Zealand residents can enter, as long as they are not a judge in the section of the AMB Photo Awards they are judging, or if they are a permanent staff member of the organisers. The full terms and conditions are listed online.
This means any AMB contributors are allowed to enter, as are photographers who shoot both professionally or as an amateur. You can also enter as many times as you like.
What photos can I enter?
They must suit the category they are entered in, and most importantly they need to be a photo you have taken. Not a photo of you, unless you are very handy with a self timer or remote. Any photos that are deemed to not be taken by the person entering them will not be approved. You can find out specifics in our FAQ section.
Click here to enter your photos
So – what do I win?
The overall winner of the AMB Photography Awards presented by Shimano wins $3000 cash from Shimano Australia, along with a full Shimano Deore XT group set.
Each winner from the four main categories will win $500 each, and the Best Young Photographer wins a full Shimano SLX group set. The Raw Reels winner will also score $500.
How are winners selected?
Once photos are approved, they will be shortlisted by our judging panel. The judges will select the overall winner, and then set 5 short lists for:
– Gravity
– XC Whoa
– Women who Ride
– Outback and Beyond
– Best Young Photographer
These categories are then open to public voting, which determines the winner. The Raw Reels winner will be selected by our judge Jasper da Seymour.
When do entries close – and what about voting?
Entries close on July 14 – put it in your diary. Public voting opens on July 22nd and closes on August 4th.
So you know what they say – you've got to be in it to win it!
