ABOUT THE COMPETITION

Like any Girls Who Chase engagement, we don’t follow a well-worn path… we blaze a new one. And Storms, Transformed is no exception. Just as we transform inside, when we learn what we’re truly capable of through storm chasing and weather, so can our beautiful images of storms be transformed into art. This is a storm art competition as much as a photography competition.
 

Submission details:

• Submissions will be accepted online from September 15 - October 15, 2023. We’ll make an announcement prior to that timeframe with a link provided for submissions. We’re giving you plenty of notice now so you can capture your best photos this season!

• You must be female/female-identified to enter, and one submission will be accepted per person.

• Entries are free, and welcome from anywhere in the world.

• Entrants do not have to have been previously active with GWC.

• The winning entry will be painted by storm artist Jay Bigam (more info on Jay below), and the original will be auctioned off with a percent of the proceeds benefiting GWC! More detail provided below on the auction process and prizes.

• Winners will be determined by a voting process using the criteria described below (please read carefully, as this isn’t your ordinary photography competition!). Anyone can vote, but you must register to vote and one vote per person will be accepted. More information on this will be provided closer to submission time.

• We will award 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place winners based on the total number of votes received per entry. 

Here’s how to participate, and how to vote for your favorite when it’s time: 

• This is a photography competition, but it’s equally an art competition. We are looking for photos that capture the feeling of what it’s like to be in front of a storm. Technically correct photos are great, but they’re only part of the equation here.

• Both camera and cell phone images will be accepted - the priority is the kind of photo, not its resolution. However, if we cannot discern what is in the image because it’s blurry, too dark or just generally difficult to make out, it will be discarded from the voting pool.

• Here’s how to choose the photo you submit (photos not following this general outline may be discarded from the pool) - and voting criteria will follow this list:

  • Portrait or landscape images in approximately 4:3 format.

  • Images should have good contrast featuring well-defined structure (e.g., a wall cloud, shelf cloud, mammatus, cumulus, etc.)

  • A distinct focus point is a good thing; where are you sending the viewer’s eye in the image?

  • Please avoid buildings or other human construction; those do not work well with the artist’s style. Roads are ok. Images with power lines and fences are ok as they will be ignored in the painting.

  • Images of just a specific part of the storm are not ideal - wider shots showing composition and context are preferable.

  • The more colorful, the better. For example, golden hour images (around sunset) are a good choice.

• Check out the two sample images and paintings on this page to get a sense of what this might look like.