"Photo Your Faith" Contest Hosted by Faith Counts

In a video below I share some of my thoughts as a Judge of a photography contest... but first let me tell you a bit more about the contest.

Recently I was asked to judge a contest called, "Photo Your Faith" for an organization known as Faith Counts. (You can visit their website here.) Faith Counts gives a platform to many various religious beliefs with the understanding that "We’ve come together to share a simple message: Faith Counts" (source: website). You can read on their about page that, "Faith Counts, LLC — [is] a nonprofit, non-denominational organization comprised of faith communities representing nearly 100 million Americans. The contest, "photo your faith" had a grand prize of $10,000 and $5,000 to the fan favorite.

Contest Details

Theme: Finding God in the World
Categories to Submit to: Nature, Sacred Spaces, Home and Faith in Action
Prizes: $10,000 Grand Prize, $5,000 Fan Favorite

Criteria to Win

Here's a list of the judging criteria for winning the contest used to choose the finalists and winners. I was asked to judge along with four other judges of various faiths and backgrounds.

• Adherence/Appropriateness to Theme 20%
• Uniqueness of Concept 20%
• Composition 20%
• Clarity, Lighting, Exposure, and Quality of Submission 20%
• Messaging, Religious diversity 20%

Photo Your Faith Finalists

These finalists are shared here with their entries in no particular order. You can watch my video posted below to hear me break down what is good about each one of the finalists' entries, what could be improved upon, if anything, and what you want to look for when taking your own photography.

1. Anna Pettersen: "God's Word in Nature"
   

2. Cathy McDonald: "Ready to Serve"
   

3. David M: "Species of Faith"
   

4. Esmeralda Mascorro: "God's People"
   

5. Harry Prasetyo Seno Yudho: "Surrender"
   

6. Miguel Jamaica: "The Way"
   

7. Nkau Lor: "Home"
   

8. Tysha Long: "Let the Church Say Amen"
   

9. Winston Mayo: "God is the Winner"
   

What Makes a Good Photo Entry for a Contest

If you'd like to know what makes for a good entry into a photo contest and why these finalists have good pictures, please watch my link below where I talk about what makes these pictures stand out from the rest of the entries.

Video of me sharing my thoughts on the finalists for the competition... finalists were decided for the judges and we deliberated on a live meeting... but these are some of my recollections and thoughts about the images

Which would you have chosen for first place?

The Winners of Photo Your Faith

Here are the winners of the "Photo Your Faith" by Faith Counts contest:

• Grand Prize: Tysha Long
• Fan Favorite: Harry Prasetyo Seno Yudho

Thank you so much for the opportunity, Faith Counts, to be a judge in this contest. I appreciate the opportunity. If you want to know more about Faith Counts don't forget to visit their website by clicking here.

The first photo in this post was provided by Jarvie. If you want to see and/or purchase more of his photography click here .