Photography power Canon is rolling out the latest iteration in a pair of football-themed contest promotions- and its long-time sponsorship of the national Football League—to publicize the launch of a new camera line.
One of the contests, “Why Do You Love Football?,” is designed to get fans of the junior and amateur game to take and submit pictures that capture the thrill of non-professional football. Amateur shutterbugs can take photos of anything from a backyard scrimmage up to a youth or high-school game and submit them to the Web site between now and Dec. 2.
A judging panel consisting of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, Sports Illustrated photographer Peter Read Miller and other photo and photo editor professionals will select a group of 14 finalists from among the shots submitted in two categories, “Action” and “Feature” (basically, anything other than game plays.) Submissions will also be sorted into teen and adult entrant categories.
Web visitors will then be able to vote for their favorite shot among those 14 finalists from Dec. 21, through Jan. 8, 2010.
The photographer of the winning snapshot will be awarded a trip for four to the 2010 enshrinement celebration at the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a trip for four to Super Bowl XLIV in Miami in February 2010. The winning shot will be on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for a year.
The “Why Do You Love Football?” competition will be publicized on scoreboards and video screens at the games and in a link from the Canon-sponsored photo gallery on http://www.NFL.com. Manning, the father of MVP quarterbacks Payton and Eli Manning, will also promote the contest through media tours and in online communications.
“Being involved in Canon’s ‘Why do You Love Football?’ photo challenge is something I really enjoy,” said Manning in a release. “This is my fourth year as a judge and I continue to be amazed by the quality of photographs we receive year after year.
For the fifth year in a row, Canon will also offer its “Shoot like a Pro” contest, giving amateur fans of ten NFL teams the chance to enter a random drawing for a chance to shoot home-game warm-ups from the sidelines under the guidance of the teams’ photographers—and with the gift of a free Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1 camera kit. Winners will also receive free tickets to their home team’s games.
According to press reports, Canon is letting photo equipment dealers offer slots in the “Shoot like a Pro” contest as incentives for customers signing up for camera workshops or for salespeople.
As part of the “Why Do You Love Football?” amateur contest, Canon will donate $150,000 worth of products to the NFL’s 15 current Youth Education town facilities. Built in Super Bowl host cities, these centers focus on neighborhood youth development and empowerment. The product donations will include EOS Rebel T1 cameras, wireless photo printers, and hi-def camcorders, along with staff and student training from Canon.
“Canon is proud to continue to build upon its long-standing sponsorship of the NFL by lending our support to the NFL’s YET afterschool centers,” said consumer imaging Group senior vice president and general manager Yuichi Ishizuka. “NFL YETs do a tremendous job of inspiring youth in their communities, and we hope to help foster the next generation of photographers and community leaders.
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