Name Your Dream Photography Assignment and win $50,000 to Make it Happen
Over the last few weeks we’ve been working with Lenovo to promote their new Name Your Dream Assignment competition (we first announced it here).
The promotion is simple – YOU submit an idea for your dream photographic assignment and go into the draw to win $50,000 (plus a Lenovo ThinkPad W700) to make that assignment a reality.
Today the competition officially opens (in fact it launched minutes ago) and it is now time to submit your dream assignment.
You’ve got one month to submit your dream assignment (entries close on 3rd April). In that time assignments will be voted upon by everyone and a shortlist of 20 will be submitted to a panel of judges (including me) and a winner will be announced mid April.
So get your creative juices flowing and get your entries in here.
Note: this competition is only open to US residents. While this unfortunately excludes some DPS readers as you can see in our previous post, Lenovo have indicated that Name Your Dream Assignment II will be open to international entrants.
32 Responses to “Name Your Dream Photography Assignment and win $50,000 to Make it Happen” - Add Yours
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
pity that those outside the States can’t enter :( oh well, am still keen on checking it out and voting!
March 3rd, 2009 at 5:07 pm
I’ll have to wait for Name Your Dream Assignment II :(
March 3rd, 2009 at 6:39 pm
What a shame this is only for US residents.
As with Ilan – roll on Name Your Dream Assignment II.
March 3rd, 2009 at 7:08 pm
I will wait for Your Dream Assignment II as well and hope then there will not be included just 5-6 countries from EU…
March 4th, 2009 at 12:10 am
Sounded interesting when I read the first paragraphs, and then it said I could not participate, so I just have to wait for the oportunity to do it.
Good luck for those who are going to participate :)
March 4th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Aww open to US Residents only, where is the fun in that?
March 4th, 2009 at 1:27 am
hummmm, we are supposed to pick just one? That could be the hard part, narrowing it down to something quantifiable
March 4th, 2009 at 1:38 am
I just entered and would love to win…………………..:)
California Dreamin’
March 4th, 2009 at 1:56 am
It’s great to see the next one will be open to Canadians. I can’t wait.
March 4th, 2009 at 2:18 am
As I am only a beginning photographer, or should I say “aspiring,” my dream assignment would probably be…
Covering the Tokyo Game Show in Japan. I am a NUT for video games. So this would be a dream! Not only that, I can photograph all the haute spots on that the Yamanote line stops at (e.g. Shibuya, Shinjuku, etc…) .
So it would be a Japan Assignment all together.
But I’m still a beginner. Gotta hone those skills, right???
March 4th, 2009 at 2:46 am
I’m really sorry we could not include the whole world in Name Your Dream Assignment.
There are a host of issues that have to be addressed before making a contest international, and quite honestly, we didn’t anticipate the huge interest shown outside the US. Bear in mind that you can still participate in the voting and commenting, and you can be a big part of making the contest a success. People who have put their Dream Assignment ideas on the Web site totally need your support and involvement.
As Darren noted, we have addressed the issue in various forums including his initial post. Please join us in Flickr and Facebook to join in the discussion. Your feedback and thoughts are absolutely welcome.
Flickr discussion.
Facebook discussion.
March 4th, 2009 at 2:48 am
@Scott Fillmer Each person is allowed to submit 3 Dream Assignment ideas. See the contest Website for info and FAQs.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Hi!
Is there a somewhere on dps where we can promote our dream assignment ideas?
(if it’s ok, I’m going to leave a small blurb here)
My dream assignment would be to create a photo narrative following the quest of Jason and Argonauts in their quest to find the Golden Fleece through the terrifying and legendary landscape of ancient Greece. I want to see what “echoes” remain in the modern-day landscape and also record Greek festivals that speak to the myth’s continuing power and influence today.
If this sounds like your cup o’ tea, please vote at http://tinyurl.com/bzkdu6
thanks!!
March 4th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
It’s not fair at all….first, not all good photographers are located in US, second – Lenovo users are all over the world. Maybe Lenovo thinks that US is their main market…..
March 4th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Hi Catalin,
I agree with you entirely, it would be better if the contest was worldwide. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, it was just not possible to extend the contest internationally. There are a number of discussions ongoing in the Flickr group and on Facebook about this.
However, I do encourage you to participate in voting and commenting. (You do not need to be a US resident to vote or comment.) The sponsors are watching international participation by folks like you to see if they will support another Dream Assignment contest, this time open outside the US.
Again I am sorry for your disappointment, and I really hope that you are not discouraged from voting or commenting, since we really look forward to your thoughts and ideas.
March 5th, 2009 at 6:37 am
Hope it’s ok to promote my dream assignment – help me bring photography to children in need!
My dream assignment is directly inspired by the movie, Born Into Brothels and founder of Kids with Cameras, Zana Briski.
I would like to either set up my own nonprofit like Kids with Cameras, or work in conjunction with Kids with Cameras to travel the globe and work with children in need, giving them cameras and showing them the importance of their perspective on life. I would like to capture our world through their eyes.
I would myself be photographing select children from around the globe that participate in the program, their families, cultures, communities. I will seek to capture the essence of their cultures, people, and landscapes.
VOTE FOR ME by clicking this link and then clicking on “PIC IT” to pick my idea! Please forward on to your friends – the top 20 most voted on ideas will be reviewed by the judges. I want to make at least top 20 to see if the judges will pick it! (unfortunately, you do have to register so they know all votes are unique and valid):
http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/reneefentress/out-there/
March 5th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
well ….im 41 …going on 42 in 1 week …i was adopted ….found out i was 50% italian ….i was raised english /french here in Canada ….i love my parents to death …but ….for the past 22 years that i have found out i was 50% italian …i would love to go see Italy ….see what it would be like to be italian …even if its just a bit ….i was always wondering what it would be like to go there …even if it was only for a day …just to see who i am inside …i always felt different from the rest of my family ….i was treated great …but never felt like i was like the others …i would love to find me …find out who i am ….take pictures of my journey …finding who i am in the process …it would be a dream come true …and then i could sleep better at night ….i was raised in a small french village in new brunswick canada …so ya …no italians there ha ha …just wish i could find out who i am …thats all
March 6th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
My idea for my dream photography assignment will likely sound too simple for most of you. I am a parapaligic and have been wheelchair bound going on four years now. Prior to my current situation I was a advide outdoormans. I would love to do an assignment that included traveling throughout the rocky mountains taking photographs of wildlife and when possible taking self portraits with the wildlife in the background showing other parapaligics that thy too can still enjoy the great outdoors.
March 6th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
I will wait for Dream Assignment II to be anounced soon. And best of luck to all the aspirants of this assignment.
March 8th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Looking forward to the second one when it’s open to Canada and others nations.
March 9th, 2009 at 3:09 am
There’s a lot of great entries out there, and I hope that everyone takes some time out of their lives to shoot these projects even if they don’t win the contest.
Please take a look at mine, if you have a second:
Walls, the way we separate ourselves.
March 10th, 2009 at 3:18 am
Hi everyone – please check out my dream assignment to shoot HDR panoramas of European cathedrals! For an idea of what these types of shots look like, check out my HDR panorama of Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, OH.
Thanks, and good luck to everyone!
March 10th, 2009 at 11:55 pm
i was a little disappointed when I heard the ‘judging’ procedures for this contest. i imagined it would be a panel made up of professional photographers and sponsors who weighed the value of each entry, narrowed it down to the “best” based on concept, social statement, etc, then declared a winner. instead it is popular vote, as in who has the most contacts on twitter/facebook/flickr/etc. the person with the most friends/votes doesn’t necessarily have the best idea. It also leaves out the majority of entries, made by average people living average photographic lives who thought they might have a chance to do something amazing based on merit of their idea alone.
I wish you all well. I will browse entries and vote for a stranger who has an amazing vision for fulfulling a photographic dream.
March 11th, 2009 at 12:06 am
Hi Wendy,
Thank you for your note. BTW the second and final round of the contest is being judged by a panel of five well-known photographers plus sponsor representatives.
We also include a “random” tab on the Name Your Dream Assignment home page to ensure that all ideas have equal chance of being seen when someone visits the site.
Roger
March 11th, 2009 at 12:23 am
Roger,
Thank you for responding. I appreciate having a better understanding of the judging process.
Wendy
March 11th, 2009 at 2:42 am
Ah I submitted mine a little late but I finally got mine up http://tinyurl.com/c3×9us . Thanks Darren!
March 12th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
thanks for notifying my friend on this i will like to know more about your photography school
March 14th, 2009 at 7:55 am
We want to give the money away! Please vote:
The Dream Give-away: 50 States, 50 Days, $50,000 Donated…
Our Dream Asignment is to travel to each state in the country, spend a day volunteering with a local non-profit, photograph the people helping and being helped by others, and make a donation of $1,000 to each charitable organization.
http://www.nameyourdreamassignment.com/the-ideas/giveaway/the-dream-give-away-50-states-50-days-50000-donated/
March 19th, 2009 at 9:46 am
It is indeed a pity that the project is limited to the US, though I understand the constraints of the organizers. I hope they will figure out a way of making it more inclusive.
I also have an idea submitted in the competition and I would really like to hear your opinion about it. I would like to get cameras into the hands of children in different parts of the globe to get their perspective on the world around them. To a degree this idea is similar to the one that Renee described above and I bet there are a number of other similar ideas in the competition. I truly hope that one of us will make it.
I have to say that even if i don’t win, it was already an interesting experience. I learned a lot about the wealth of photography-related discussion going on online and about some really innovative and beautiful ideas people have submitted to this competition. Good luck to all who participate!
And again, here is the link to my dream: http://tiny.cc/WorldThroughTheirEyes (more details on my website)
March 25th, 2009 at 10:34 am
This is the way things should be, get off what we are on now
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
You gave some great points there.
April 3rd, 2009 at 4:05 am
thanks for this, I really enjoy reading your thoughts.
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