Applications call for the SPIE International Day of Light Photo Contest 2020. The SPIE International Day of Light Photo Contest is held annually to raise awareness about IDL and to demonstrate the impact light has on cultural, economic, and political aspects of our global society.

Theme

The theme of the photo contest is A World of Light: The Vital Role That Light and Light-Based Technologies Play in Daily Life. Examples of content include, but are not exclusive to, artistic images that depict:

• Various properties of light and how it interacts with the atmosphere, nature, and materials
• Light technology such as lasers, LEDs, etc.
• Images created with light technology such as telescopes and microscopes
• People interacting with light and/or light technology
• The betterment of the human condition with light

Prizes 

• First Prize: US $2,500
• Second Prize: US $1,000
• Third Prize: US $500
• Technology Prize: US $750
• Youth Prizes: Surprise gift box of SPIE Merchandise

Who can enter?

The photo contest is open to people from age 13 and up, both amateur and professional photographers, except
employees of SPIE and optics.org, their immediate families, the contest judges, and consultants/contractors of
SPIE. Immediate family means all grandparents, parents, spouses, siblings, children, grandchildren, in-laws, or anyone living in the SPIE or optics.org employee’s household. Entrants are subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The contest is void where prohibited by law.

Image Specification

• Photographs depicting the vital role that light and light-based technologies play in daily life must be in digital format, suitable for public exhibition and printing at high-resolution.
• All images must be 300 dpi or more and at least 3,000 pixels on the longest side.
• File size should be no less than 5MB and no greater than 20MB. TIF and JPEG/JPG are the ONLY accepted formats.
• Applicants must submit the highest quality images that meet these requirements.
• Images that don’t meet these criteria will not be judged.

See the rules.