It is that time of year again! Can you believe it?

We all look through photos on different websites and blogs, right? So, I thought it would be a great idea to recognize the talent of the many photographers who work so hard to create the inspiring masterpieces we drool over every day.

The Third Annual Bliss Photo of the Year Contest in on (!!!) and I couldn’t be more excited. Last year, we had almost 10,000 readers checking out the 400 submitted photos and over 5,000 votes to name the top photos of the year. Almost TRIPLE the attention that we had the year before. I was shocked by the turn out! This year will be a little more structured, thanks to the insane number of emails and submissions received last year. We had photos from all over the United States and a number of submissions from all around the world, including South Africa, Ireland and Canada, to name a few.

So, photographers, let’s do this! Read the rules below to learn how you could have THE BLISS PHOTO OF THE YEAR! We have three categories this year; Engagement, Michigan, and Global. All should be pretty self-explanatory, but please leave a comment on this post if you have any questions, or Tweet me on Twitter (@BlissAmanda) and I will be sure to get an answer to you. Please remember to follow these rules closely. If you don’t, your submission may be disqualified.

Please feel free to share this contest with photographers. The more submissions we have, the merrier! The official #hashtag for this contest is #blissphotocontest. Check back often for contest updates and the beautiful artwork from some amazing photographers! You can see past contest posts by clicking HERE.

Last year’s winners…

Bryan Rupp Photography – First place in Global Weddings

Flashes of Life Photography – First place in Michigan Weddings

Derek Cookson Photography – First place in Engagement

Rules:

  • Photo must have been taken in 2010.
  • Only professional photographers can submit a photo, or the couple featured in the professional photograph, with written permission from the photographer.
  • May NOT be from an inspiration shoot.
  • Only one photo per category per photographer may be submitted.
  • Must be submitted by midnight on February 10, 2011
  • Send all submissions to blissphotooftheyear@gmail.com
  • Email must contain the following:
    • Please TITLE your email with the category you are submitting to (Engagement, Michigan, Global) and your company name. For example: Engagement: Bliss Weddings & Events
    • Company Name, Location and website
    • Photographer’s first and last name
    • Name of Couple, Wedding Date if applicable, Location of shoot
    • A brief explanation of the photo
    • Which category you are submitting for
    • Please send photo as an attachment, do NOT paste in email
  • If any of these rules are not followed, your submission will not qualify.

Process:

  • All submissions will be received by Midnight on February 10, 2011
  • A panel of judges will rate each photo and the Top 10 in each category will be featured for public voting
  • Each category will have a week of public voting and the Top 3 will be announced

*Dates subject to change without notice.

Our gorgeous contest logo was created by Meant To Be Creative. Please do us a favor and visit her website! You can also follow her on twitter @Meant2bcreative and @Meanttobesent on Twitter.