Fourth of July #2, Independence, Missouri by Mike Sinclair

If you are a photographer and follower or collector of 20x200, did you know that the only way to submit your images to be considered for an edition is through the Hey Hot Shot! photo competition? Carlo Van de Roer, Gregory Krum, Mike Sinclair and Colleen Plumb all first graced us with their presence through their entries in HHS! prior to selling out their editions in 20x200. There are also a plethora of other opportunities afforded by entering the competition: online exposure, automatic entry to win one of the competition's Curator's Choice Awards, and a chance at this year's Grand Prize of $5,000 and two years of gallery representation. So on that note, we want to let you know that the HHS! 2010 competition is now underway!

The deadline for submissions is August 22, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. (EDT).

Since its inception in 2005, Hey, Hot Shot!, the premier international photography competition, has provided one hundred and twenty-nine photographers from all over the world with unrivaled exposure, support and recognition. This year marks the 5th anniversary of the competition and the 7th anniversary of Jen Bekman Gallery. In celebration, we are introducing even more incredible opportunities for every contender.

In addition to the hallmark awards of past competitions, this year we are offering a $5,000 honorarium and five Curator's Choice Awards.

A diverse panel of photography professionals--including founder Jen Bekman, Aperture Foundation publisher Lesley A. Martin, Chronicle Books chairman and CEO Nion McEvoy, a founding editor of Radius Books Darius Himes and photographer Kent Rogowski--reviews every entry.

This season, we are thrilled to welcome Tod Lippy, editor-in-chief of Esopus magazine and president of the Esopus Foundation Ltd., to our panel. Tod served as a senior editor at Print magazine from 1990 to 1997, is an award-winning filmmaker and also a frequent lecturer on topics ranging from screenwriting to graphic design.

Our panel will select five photographers as the 2010 Hot Shots. Each photographer will be awarded:

+ A $500 honorarium.

+ Participation in the 2010 Hot Shot Exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery.

+ The opportunity to release an edition on 20x200.

Jen Bekman will select one of the five 2010 Hot Shots for the Grand Prize and announce the recipient on March 15, 2011. In addition to the honors as a Hot Shot, the grand prize recipient will be awarded:

+ A $5,000 honorarium to support a personal project.

+ A solo exhibition at Jen Bekman Gallery.

+ Representation from Jen Bekman Gallery for two years, commencing with his/her selection.

All entrants are reviewed for participation in 20x200; entering the competition is the only way for photographers to have their work considered for an edition. In addition, we will feature one contender each weekday during the competition on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog. Every contender receives ample opportunity for online exposure through our blog and on Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, where HHS! has thousands of fans and followers and serves as a leading voice in the dialogue about contemporary photography.

Ever looking to expand contenders' opportunities for recognition, each month, a guest curator will choose a photographer from those who have applied todate for a Curator's Choice Award. This contender will be featured in a Hey, Hot Shot! newsletter and awarded a prize from the curator's affiliate organization.

Darius Himes, a founding editor of Radius Books, will be the first month's guest curator! All submissions made before April 22nd, 2010 are automatically eligible to win a gift bag from Radius, including three outstanding monographs:

Transfigurations by Michael Lundgren

The Spirit and the Flesh by Debbie Fleming Cafferty

Domestic Vacations by Julie Blackmon.

The photographer Darius selects will be notified by email and featured on the blog and in the newsletter.

The guidelines are simple: submit five photographs from a single body of work, using our online upload tool, with an entry fee starting at $60.

The entry fee will increase throughout the competition, so don't delay: Apply now!

Got more questions? Check out our frequently updated FAQ.