APA San Francisco - Something Personal 2022: Contest Entries

Overview and Important Dates

That's right, it's that time of year again to dig through the archives, select your best personal work, and submit to this legendary juried contest! This year, we're excited to bring you a new hybrid event model that creates options for those who want to join the festivities remotely or in person in the Bay Area! On opening night, Tuesday, December 13th, 2022, we'll be broadcasting live from one of our sponsor host studios, a virtual exhibition of all top 100 images, as well as a winner's circle, meet & greet, and interviews! Join the Livestream from home, or come out & rub elbows with the community at one of several live watch parties hosted by Bay Area photo studios!

• Friday, October 7, 9 am Pacific: Call For Entries Opens
• Monday, November 14, 12 pm Pacific: Call For Entries Closes
• Tuesday, December 13, 7-9 pm Pacific: Exhibition Opening Night

All-Star Lineup of Judges

Jigisha Bouverat, Agent at Bouverat Collective

Jigisha Bouverat, owner of Bouverat Collective, brings a distinct level of experience and perspective from many sides of the industry. Before she became an agent, she was the Director of Art Production at TBWAIChiat\Day. During her 18+ years at the agency, she managed and mentored teams of Art Producers responsible for revolutionizing the creative and business practices in the industry. Jigisha worked with a diverse roster of emerging and established creators to produce some of the most celebrated advertising campaigns.

Bouverat Collective emerged from a belief Jigisha developed over the course of her career - that representing globally diverse artists was important and necessary. To Jigisha, representation is more than a business relationship. It's a personal commitment and partnership that nurtures the development of each artist's creativity and culture.

Jigisha is also the co-founder of KOMYOON. A platform committed to connecting commercial industry professionals in a modern and equitable manner.

Blake Bakken, Executive Creative Director at blakebakken.com

Blake is an executive creative director in branding with expertise and passion for translating a brand's core values, strategy, and voice into striking visual executions. With an insatiably curious approach to design, he's been the creative engine for major clients such as Apple, Audi, Google, and HBO.

Brooke Farrington, Photo Art Director at farringtonfoto.com

Brooke Farrington is a Photo Art Director with 18 years of experience in the fashion retail industry. She has worked with new, emerging, and heritage brands and provides creative leadership on and off-set. Brooke is trained in photography and also shoots personal work focusing on portraiture, and fashion editorial. She is currently a Sr. Creative at Old Navy. Brooke is a Bay Area native and lives and works in Oakland, Ca. Reach out and say hi!

Fred Abercrombie, Creative Director at The Lagunitas Company, http://fredabercrombie.com

Integrated CD, copywriter, and all-around creative problem solver. Fred spent 12 years at agencies like Ogilvy, Publics, & BSSP; and the recent nine years in-house at Lagunitas. After seeing both sides of the agency fence, he still believes the grass is always fun to play on.

Jess Shay, Art and Print Producer at Duncan Channon

Jess has worked with Bay Area agencies for years producing print campaigns and photo shoots for a diverse roster of clients. She appreciates the challenges and magical moments in every project, with both seasoned and emerging artists. Current clients include Kona Brewing Co, InnovAsian, CA Dept of Public Health and more.

Mike Ruiz, Creative Director at Video/Meta

Mike is a Bay Area-based dad, baker, gardener, and Creative Director, focusing on film and video direction, digital advertising, brand strategy and 360° campaign development. Previous to joining Meta, he spent 15+ years on the ad agency side developing creative campaign work for a range of brands including Intel, Google, T-Mobile, Sony PlayStation, Fitbit and Facebook before the name thing.

Liesel Vink, Photo Editor at Godfrey Dadich Partners

Liesel is a Photo Editor at Godfrey Dadich Partners. She combines a discerning eye for photography with her archival background to curate and resource dynamic imagery for teams and clients.

Before working with Godfrey Dadich, Liesel's love of photography landed her managing the archive for photographer Steven Meisel, and later as the archivist for Milk Studios. She pursued a degree in library science and was the Visuals Editor for the Rockefeller Archive Center.

Liesel lives with her family in Cold Spring, New York where she cultivates her love of photography and flower gardening. She holds a BFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts and an MLIS with advanced certification in archives from Pratt Institute.

Matt DeMilner, Art Director at mattdemilner.com

Matt is an art director at MUH-TAY-ZIK / HOF-FER, cyclist, painter and native Michigander living in San Francisco.

Greg Garry, Creative Director at greggarry.com

Greg Garry is currently the photo creative director of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and several other editorial and advertising clients. His recent past includes stints as photo director of magazines Entertainment Weekly, Out, Complex, and Radar. His favorite things to shoot are funny conceptual covers, underwater shoots, pinups, and animal portraits. Greg's work has been cited for awards from both ASME (American Society of Magazine Editors) and SPD (Society of Publication Designers.) He has also curated several gallery photography shows, acted as a judge in photography contests, and guest lectured at several universities about the photography business. After over 20 years in this crazy business, he still loves starting the creative process with a blank sheet of paper and collaborating with all kinds of artists.

Matt Klug, Creative Director, Cisco, mattklug.com

I grew up in a small North Dakota town playing sports and spending time with my father whose side job was in taxidermy. Little did I know learning to be quick on the ice and creative in an ice-cold garage would come in handy later in life.

Somehow I found my way to Texas for college. My first position out of ad school was in an agency studio assisting creative directors. I spent years as an Art Director and eventually became a Creative Director. No matter the title, I've spent my career digging into every aspect of the creative process from creating strategic visions with teams and clients to planning and executing content alongside production partners. I believe relationships are the key to making great work and are essential for brands to connect with people in today's world.

Outside of the office, I co-direct and produce documentary films. It's a great excuse to head out on adventures, collaborate with talented friends, and stretch myself creatively.

The judge's panel is constantly growing! Visit APA SF's page for the latest additions.

Incredible Prizes Packages

Best In Show

• Portfolio review from 2 judges
• Lifetime membership to Crucial Crew
• Lighting kit from Stella Pro lighting
• Free studio rental day + $1,500 EQ package from StoodilyDoodleyO
• Free studio rental day + $1,500 EQ package from Flash SF
• $1,500 Rental EQ package from Little Giant Lighting
• $800 Rental EQ package from Samys San Francisco
• 30x40 print from Dickerman Prints, which will hang on the walls of their lab for 1 month + $200 gift card for DIY or Print on Demand
• $250 gift certificates for Drum/Phase One Scanning Services as well as Archival Pigment Print services from Hanson Digital
• 6 free projects on The Personal Photography Project for a year!
• $150 store credit from Think Tank Photo
• $75 gift card to Starbelly restaurant
• Package of Clover CBD Caramels

First Place

• Portfolio review from 2 judges
• 3 year membership to Crucial Crew
• Free studio day +$500 EQ package from Flash SF
• $1,000 Rental EQ package from Little Giant Lighting
• $400 Rental EQ package from Samys San Francisco
• 24x30 print from Dickerman Prints, which will hang on the walls of their lab for 1 month + $150 gift card for DIY or Print on Demand
• 4 free projects on The Personal Photography Project for a year!
• $200 gift certificates for Drum/Phase One Scanning Services as well as Archival Pigment Print services from Hanson Digital
• $100 store credit from Think Tank Photo
• $50 gift card to Starbelly restaurant
• Package of Clover CBD Caramels

Second Place

• Portfolio review from 2 judges
• 2 year membership to Crucial Crew
• 1/2 day studio + $500 EQ package from Flash SF
• $500 Rental EQ package from Little Giant Lighting
• $250 Rental EQ package from Samys San Francisco
• 24x30 print from Dickerman Prints, which will hang on the walls of their lab for 1 month + $100 gift card for DIY or Print on Demand
• 3 free projects on The Personal Photography Project for a year!
• $150 gift certificates for Drum/Phase One Scanning Services as well as Archival Pigment Print services from Hanson Digital
• $75 store credit from Think Tank Photo
• $25 gift card to Starbelly restaurant
• Package of Clover CBD Caramels

Third Place

• Portfolio review from 2 judges
• 1 year membership to Crucial Crew
• Free 1/2 day studio rental from Flash SF
• $250 Rental EQ package from Little Giant Lighting
• $150 Rental EQ package from Samys San Francisco
• 24x30 print from Dickerman Prints, which will hang on the walls of their lab for 1 month + $50 gift card for DIY or Print on Demand
• $100 gift certificates for Drum/Phase One Scanning Services as well as Archival Pigment Print services from Hanson Digital
• 2 free projects on The Personal Photography Project for a year!
• $50 store credit from Think Tank Photo
• Package of Clover CBD Caramels

Prizes for Runners Up!

• 10 of the top 100 images selected as each judge's favorite will also receive a virtual portfolio review!
• 16 of the top 100 images will also receive 1 free project on The Personal Photography Project for a year!

Note: Prizes are not redeemable for cash, may be subject to change, and may include additional terms and conditions as established by the individual sponsors. APA is not responsible for allocation, redemption or conditions of sponsor prizes.

Entry Fees

APA members save up to 50% on each entry. There are different Entry Fees for different APA Member levels this year.

• $15: APA Leader, or Professional Members
• $20: APA Associate, or Supporter Members
• $25: APA Contributor Members
• $30: Non-members

Submission Guidelines

Follow these guidelines and image requirements carefully to ensure the proper submission of your entries.

• APA Members simply login to their APA Profile to automatically receive the appropriate discounted entry fee.
• Non APA members can enter by creating a guest account with business name, email address and password.
• You can upload as many images as you would like during the process (no more than 10 at a time).
• The system will automatically charge you based on your membership level.
• Once your transaction is complete, your submission is final and you cannot edit your images.
• You can return to your APA account at any time to review your entries. You may submit additional images until the final deadline.
• You will receive an email confirmation upon entering.
• If you do not receive a confirmation email, please check your spam, then contact:

Image Requirements

• All files must be .jpg format
• File size limit: 2MB
• Image size: no smaller than 1200 pixels
• Image size: no longer than 1800 pixels
• Color profile is sRGB, image resolution : 72 ppi
• Do not include disallowed characters (©, ®, •, $, #) in file names which can corrupt the file
• Images should not contain any text that is not part of the image
• Judging is blind: image file names are not visible to the judges
• Each entry fee is for a single image.
• Please upload no more than 10 entries at a time.
• You can enter more than once, in batches of 10 or less, if you would like to submit more.

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