Inkjet & Digital Printing

Photo Finish: Xerox Announces MyShot08 Photo Contest Winners

Sunday 08. June 2008 - College Students Across America Show Their Creative Side

A woman backlit by a haunting glow. An old man sitting in a bubble bath. A road surrounded by sunflowers. A young girl standing in a room surrounded in pink.
These are just a few of the appealing images that captured the attention of judges as winners of the MyShot08 photo contest. Seventeen college students from across the country took home prizes for their creativity. The winning entries can be viewed at www.MyShot08.com. The MyShot08 contest, sponsored by Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX), FUJIFILM, USA, Inc., Adobe Systems Inc., and H&H Color Lab, showcased the talents of a new generation of photographers working in emerging digital printing applications.

The students were challenged to create innovative and aesthetically striking photo specialty products using Web-based templates in three categories: photo books, greeting cards and calendars. Contest judges reviewed more than 200 submissions.

“We were very impressed with the quality and creativity of the entries, and were fascinated by how the students used the three template types, fitting their creative visions into each of them,” said lead contest judge and professional photographer George Kamper. “The first year of the contest was a great success and students really took to the idea of marrying digital photography to the exciting possibilities of these hot specialty photo applications.”

Jeneé Jones, a junior photography major at Virginia Commonwealth University, won “best of show” honors for her greeting card. Jones’ photograph made use of light and shadow to depict a woman in a standing pose. Kamper said Jones’ photograph was the best image of the show.

As the MyShot08 best of show winner, Jones will have the opportunity to be mentored and work side-by-side with Kamper at a photo shoot, receive a Fujifilm Infrared camera valued at $3,000 and a $500 printing credit at H&H Color Lab.

Jones, 20, of Charles City, Va., said the contest was a learning experience for her.

“When I entered the contest I looked on the Web site at the entries and thought there was no way I could win,” she said. “I’ve never been on a real photo shoot, so it will be interesting to learn from a pro – to see how they use the lighting and to watch how shoots are conducted.”

MyShot08 winners and honorable mentions for each category are:

Calendar category, 80 entries:

First Place – JC Martins; Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, Va.
Second Place – Joshua Hultquist; Academy of Art University, San Francisco
Third Place – Jean-Philippe Dobrin; Academy of Art University
Honorable Mention – Katrina Eugenia; Pratt Institute, New York
Honorable Mention – Ian Aleksander Adams; Savannah College of Art and Design
Greeting Card category, 106 entries:

First Place – Jill Chu; Academy of Art University
Second Place – Jean-Philippe Dobrin Academy of Art University
Third Place – Ian Aleksander Adams; Savannah College of Art and Design
Honorable Mention – Jui-Hung_Chien; Academy of Art University
Honorable Mention – Anastasia Jantz; Savannah College of Art and Design
Photo Book category, 46 entries:

First Place – Briana Johnson; Rochester Institute of Technology
Second Place – Tonja Gabryshak; Edmonds Community College, Lynwood, Wash.
Third Place – Tonja Gabryshak; Virginia Commonwealth University
Honorable Mention – Katrina Eugenia; Pratt Institute
Honorable Mention – Tara Van Der Linden; Pratt Institute
First, second and third place MyShot08 winners will receive MasterCard gift cards, print credit at H&H Color Lab and Adobe software. Two honorable mentions were added to each category by the judges because they felt the quality of submissions warranted more recognition.

Virginia Commonwealth University will receive an award for having the most students submit entries and will be rewarded for producing the best of show winner. The VCU prize package includes a $3,500 donation to their photography program, a FujiFilm S5 camera, a $250 print credit at H&H Color Lab and up to $3,000 in Adobe software.

America also had its chance to be heard by voting online for its favorite entry. University of Maine at Augusta student Brandi Dyer received the most votes from Web users, more than 24,000, for her multi-color greeting card submission and will receive an Apple iPod Touch valued at $300 and a $250 print credit at H&H Color Lab.

Kamper was joined in the judging by well-known professional photographers Jamey Stillings, Salem Krieger and Jean Miele and industry print expert Jim Hamilton, group director, On Demand Printing & Publishing, InfoTrends, a leading industry research and consulting firm.

Each student who entered the MyShot08 photo contest received one copy of their work professionally printed by H&H Color Lab on a Xerox DocuColor 240 Digital Color Printer/Copier, for their own use.