The AMB Photo Awards presented by Shimano are back again, after a huge year in 2023! Last year we had a huge volume of entries and voting, with a big influx of entries from young photographers. In 2024 were are following on from last year, so the AMB Photo Awards presented by Shimano will not only have a stand alone social media video category, but it will only be open to entrants from Australia and New Zealand. The subject matter can be from anywhere in the world.
As in previous years there will be four main categories. Each will have a winner, second and third place as voted by readers on a microsite from a short list put together by a judging panel. There will be an overall winner for the most complete portfolio, selected by a judging panel including pro photographer Tim Bardsley-Smith, 2023 AMB Photographer of the Year Kristina Vackova and our editor Mike Blewitt. The youth category remains and is determined by being under 20 during the competition period. This will be a one off image submitted in any of the categories. This winner will also be chosen by public voting from a short list selected by our judges.
The social media video will need to be a raw upload without music, under 60 seconds and optimised for social media. We want you to capture being out riding and having fun. Let's hear the trail, the stoke and the natural environment we get to play in. All videos will be uploaded to our social media accounts to be shared, but the winner will be decided by our voting panel.
Our judging panel will select the overall AMB Photographer of the Year. The photography categories will have a winner, plus second and third place, as voted by readers from a short list. The Raw Reels winner will be selected by our guest judge and 2024 Raw Reels winner, Jasper Da Seymour.
This category is about celebrating everything that is good in downhill, dual slalom, enduro, freeride, dirtjumping, high speed trail rides and push runs. We want to see the action, dedication and scenery that comes from riding with gravity. This could be a photo from your local enduro event, something from the Downhill World Cup, an image from your local trails where your buddy hits the fall line chute... we want to see high impact photos that showcase gravity riding and racing, with exceptional framing and composition.
Cross-country riding and racing has evolved, and this category celebrates that. Photos entered in this category may come from your club XC race, a big all-day pedal into the backcountry, big action from the XCO World Cup, a marathon race, a stage race, or training for any of these events. What does XC mean to you? We want to see the grit and determination, the bar-to-bar action and the features and settings that really make XC come alive. Our judges will look for unique images that tell a story and capture the sole of XC, with top level composition and framing.
Away from the stacked loops, our playground is immense. A bike is one of the best tools for adventure out there, and it is only limited by your imagination. In this category we want to see the places your bike can take you. Show us the wild environments. Show as the vertiginous places, the serpentine trails along never ending ridgleines and capture the vast nothing in the centre of Australia. A winning photo in this category is going to give the judges a sense of being in the environment, and the dedication required to be there. We'll still be looking for amazing composition and framing – but most of all we want to be inspired. We want your photo to capture our imagination to spur us on to get out and ride!
In 2021 we brought a category to showcase women in sport back to the competition. Mountain biking is diverse and we want to ensure that it continues to be so and grows from here. Women have been underrepresented in the photography of the AMB Photography Awards, and that doesn't match who we see riding and ripping the trails. This category is designed to encourage a broader representation of who makes up our sport. Make it fun, make it inspiring, and make it inclusive. A winning photograph in this category will be all about excellent composition, so make sure it's unique to stand out from the crowd.
Show us what mountain biking is for you via a social media video. Keep it fun, keep it raw and deliver some stoke! We want to see the trails where you get to ride and why it's so good. Submit your sub 60 second video via the instructions on our competition page. We want the raw sounds, no soundtrack. This category will be judged on video editing proficiency and how engaging the video is.
In this category, our judges select a short list from all the images submitted by photographers under 20. So the entries can come from any of the four photography categories. We'll be looking for proficient composition and editing, capturing the moment and really nailing the category. The winner will receive a Shimano SLX M7100 12-speed group set. There will also be an interview in Issue #210 of AMB.
To win the overall title you need to enter a photo in each of the photography categories. You need to blow our judges away as the level to win the overall title has been set really high. Study the categories and shoot to suit. The winner will collect $3000 and a Shimano Deore XT M8100 12-speed group set, plus have a full feature in Issue #210 of AMB.
Not only did Kristina win the Local Shooter category in the 2019 AMB Photography Awards, but she also scored a cover shot for Issue #182 with her feature from the Yakru Enduro in Nepal. The photo awards put Kristina on our radar, but she is a highly accomplished photographer and designer, with a keen eye for detail and a passion for perfection.
AMB’s long-standing editor. Mike is an avid photographic enthusiast, a passion that has grown from sourcing and selecting some of the spectacular imagery that features strongly in AMB. And having ridden his bike in stunning locations all over the world, he is well placed to discern which photos tell the perfect story of an exciting adventure enjoyed on two wheels.
One of Australia’s most talented photographers. More often found in the field than behind a desk, Tim has traversed the globe shooting World Cups and EWS rounds for years. Australia is his home, though, and you will just as often see him on the trail sides of a national round or deep in the bushes on some obscure line. With years of photographic expertise, Tim was a clear pick for a judge in this competition.
Yes you can. You can enter each category as many times as you like. You can also submit multiple portfolios for the AMB Photographer of The Year, but we would recommend picking your best shot in each category to form a single portfolio - the perfect mix will do best.
Visit the Entry page and upload a shot in each of the 4 categories, along with a title and caption for each image. At the bottom of the page there will then be a tick box available to also submit these four shots as a portfolio entry for the AMB Photographer of the Year. Make sure this box is selected before you click ‘Submit My Entry’.
AMB Magazine staff will review all entries and select 12 finalists for each category. The 12 finalists for each category will then be displayed on our micro site https://photoawards.ambmaq.com.au and the public will be able to vote on the best image in each category between 22nd July - 4th August 2024. The winning image will be the one that receives the most votes.
Our panel of nominated judges will review all entries and select the winner & finalists of the Photographer of the Year category. The winner will be deemed as the photographer who has shown the highest degree of technical and creative ability across the four different categories.
You'll be required to select whether you want to be considered for this category when uploading an image. You need to be under 20 at the end of the competition on 4th August 2024.
We make a shortlist with our judging panel, and the winner is via public voting.
You will be notified via email if you are a finalist for any category.
You will be notified via email if you are the winner of any category.
14th July 2024.
No, but preference will be given to images shot in 2023/2024 and within the last 12 months, and to images we haven't seen before. Get out and get creative.
If your image made a category shortlist or won a category last year, it will not be reconsidered for this year’s awards. You may re-submit images which were not shortlisted last year if you feel it is particularly relevant to one of the new categories for 2024, but preference will be given to new entries.
For best results, upload highest-quality JPEGs, with the longest side at a minimum of 1600 pixels. Maximum size is 2Mb.
For best results, upload highest-quality JPEGs, sized a minimum of 1600 pixels on the longest side. Maximum size is 2Mb. Note that finalists and winners will be called upon to submit high-resolution & raw versions of shots if required.
Watermarked images won't be approved.
No you can’t. If you are a winner you may need to supply RAW files.
Basic image editing and colour corrections are allowed, i.e. brightness, contrast, sharpening, mood and temperature balance.
No, you won’t be disqualified, but your image will be judged according to the entered category’s guidelines.
Yes, they can. As long as they are not permanent staff of Australian Mountain Bike, Adventure Entertainment or any supporting businesses, any photographer from Australia or New Zealand can enter.