NME PARTNERS NIKON FOR 2012 PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS WITH GETTY IMAGES GALLERY EXHIBITION

July 5, 2012

Internationally famous music brand NME has partnered camera manufacturer Nikon to find the UK’s best music photographers with the 2012 NME Music Photography Awards competition.

The NME Music Photography Awards with Nikon aims to find the most stunning and original music photography from both amateur and professional photographers. This year’s winning imagery will be exhibited at the home of some of the greatest photographic collections in the world, London’s Getty Images Gallery.

Initially rated by www.NME.com users, entries will go on to be judged by a specially selected expert panel headed by acting photo director for NME and NME.com Zoe Capstick, alongside renowned music photographers and experts from Getty Images.

Images shot by amateur photographers are accepted in various categories, including Live, Portrait, Reportage, Festivals, and Under-21s. All winning entries from these categories are also in with a chance of winning the Grand Prix category. There are also two categories open to professionals: Photographer of the Year and Outstanding Contribution.

Winners of each category will win Nikon camera equipment and be invited to NME’s HQ, London’s Blue Fin Building, to meet NME’s picture editor and one of NME’s established photographers for a photography masterclass. The best two will then be chosen to shoot a gig for NME and one eventual winner will get to shadow an NME photographer and have their work published by NME.

Rob Hunt, head of Creative Media, IPC Inspire men & music, says: "We’re delighted to partner Nikon for the third consecutive year having worked so well together in the past. We have uncovered so much talent and we’re expecting an even stronger, more exciting level of entry to come through this year. This campaign offers both amateur and professional photographers a chance to get their work seen by some of the biggest names in music photography, and each year we get thousands of entries. I can’t wait to see what comes in this time around”

A picture gallery on NME.COM will showcase some of the best photography on a co-branded competition microsite – www.nme.com/photoawards2012 - which will be promoted via social media.

Jeremy Gilbert, Group Marketing Manager at Nikon UK Ltd, adds: “We’re very excited to be involved with the competition again this year; there are so many great photographers out there motivated by their love of music. The competition is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate new talent and this year will see the winning images showcased at the world famous Getty Images Gallery!”

The competition is open for entries from today and voting will take place from today until 12th September, when the competition closes. The overall winner will be announced on 3rd October.

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About NME

NME has become a truly unique multi-platform media proposition. Across the magazine, nme.com, NME Radio and the brand's live events and awards, NME reaches over one million music fans every week. NME is the longest published and most respected music weekly in the world.

About Nikon Founded in Japan in 1917, Nikon has grown to become the world leader in digital and precision optics technology with a strong presence in all four corners of the world. Through its award-winning product line-up, including entry-level and professional digital SLR cameras, interchangeable NIKKOR lenses and the consumer COOLPIX range, Nikon regularly raises the standard in product design and performance. With over 90 years of engineering expertise, it is no wonder that Nikon is the top choice for photographers around the world.

About the prizes

Prizes will be won by the entrants who the judges feel submitted the strongest entries. The judges will make special consideration of those photos that are shortlisted by the public vote.

Winners in all categories will win a Nikon 1 J1 camera worth £319.99.  The winner in the professional photographer of the year category will win a 36.3 megapixel Nikon D800 camera worth £2,599 and a 24-120mm f4 lens.  Plus the winner in the professional outstanding contribution category will win a Nikon 1 V1 and a 10-30mm lens, with a combined value of camera worth £499.95.

About Getty Images Gallery

Getty Images Gallery is London's largest independent photographic gallery with unique access to one of the greatest photographic collections in the world. With archives holding millions of negatives, prints and transparencies from the 1850s to the present day, and vast contemporary libraries featuring the most creative photographers of the moment, its aim is to make this incomparable collection accessible to all.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT NME PLEASE CONTACT:

Anna Gawan, PR manager, IPC Media on 020 314 85405 or email anna_gawan@ipcmedia.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT NIKON PLEASE CONTACT:

Jenny Grace, Senior PR Officer, Nikon UK on 020 8247 1797 or email Jenny.grace@nikon.co.uk

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