Fotothon 2011 Brighton

Well it's here, it's alive and ready to go - Fotothon 2011.

www.fotothon.co.uk

Fotothon is as far as we know the first event of the kind in the UK. One city, Brighton; one day, the 11th June 2011;  a load of clues, valuable prizes and hundreds of photographers. The concept is simple over a 5 or 12 hour period the photographers have to create 10 individual images interpreting the clues thay have been given. All of the clues will be accessible to all and reached by public transport, walking, cycling, or car etc.

All photographers are welcome, whether you're new to photography, an experienced enthusiast or professional from any genre. It does not matter what kind of camera you have, be it a camera 'phone, digital compact or top-of-the-range DSLR. What the judges are interested in is how you interpret the clues, not that you shot it with big name camera with an embarassingly large chuck of glass stuck on the front! Judging will be totally anonymous and will include a celebrity who will present the prizes.

There were even a couple of 400mm f2.8s in there, somewhere!

Brighton is easy to reach by road, rail and air, and has to be one of the most accessible cities in the world for anyone with disabilities. Fotothon will be based at the Brighthelm Centre which is close to the main railway station with a large car park in the same block.

Entry to Fotothon 2011- Brighton is £18 or £12 for concessions if booked in advance.

There are 13 or more opportunities of winning a prize or getting your work into print as there will be a Fotothon calendar available from September. Major prize categories so far are Overall Fotothon Winner, Student Winner, Under 16s Winner and Chimping Competition.

There will be a special trophy for the best camera club entry of the day - so now is the time to put Fotothon 2011 in your camera club calendar and do battle either as a club or club members.

During the run up to the event we will be publishing a series of photography hints and tips which will be of use to some photographers on the day. There's a clue here - we will not be publishing the clues before the event, but by following this blog and the hints and tips may well help you on the day. We will also publish as series of links for those of you not familiar with Brighton & Hove (the official name for the city by the sea).

There is a specific Hints and Tips page on the Fotothon website which will be updated regulary. You can also join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Mark Burton, author of  The Gadget Scientist has written a tip on street photography which is now available to read on the Fotothon website.

Talking of Twitter, during Fotothon one the clues will be sent via Twitter, so you will need to ensure that you are following @fotothon2011 Don't worry if you don't have a high-tech mobile phone as you can set Twitter to send Tweets by text to your phone.

Book your place now and become part of the biggest one day photography event in Britain and enjoy a day in one of the most buzzing and vibrant cities.

And don't forget to follow this blog for updates on the event and photography hints and tips.