2008 saw the inception of our first Global Travel Photo Contest. With entries from more than 30 countries, we were amazed by the breadth, depth, and adventurousness of your entries. Having just recently published our 2008 winners and runners-up,we're now excited to announce our 2nd annual Global Travel Photo Contest, with the utimate Grand Prize: A round-the-world ticket, open for one year, with an 8-page portfolio covering your trip to be published upon your return. Best of all, there will be a winner in two different categories this year, so you'll even have a better opportunity to win!

This year, we're dividing the contest into two categories. They are: General Travel and Portrait. There's no need to specify your category; our editorial team will place it in the category that best fits and then present the two categories to our judges. The good news: a grand-prize winner and two runner-ups will be selected from each category, so there will be double the number of winners in 2009!

PLANET is the first and leading contemporary global culture magazine blending the latest in art, music and fashion with coverage of distant cultures, unique travel experiences, and environmental awareness. Since our launch in 2001, PLANET has become known for its outstanding photography, shot by many of today's top photographic talents, from dynamic up-and-comers to great masters and enduring legends.

PLANET's photo contest offers photographers from around the world a unique opportunity to share their vision of travel, life, people, and sub-culture with our top editors and a distinguished panel of judges culled from the highest levels of New York's international photography community.

Best of all, the Grand Prize winners will receive a round-the-world ticket (or $1,000) with a portfolio assignment covering your trip.

Two runner-ups per category will each receive a liveBooks PJ portfolio website (basic web package or $500 toward any liveBooks website package or upgrade.) and a portfolio of their work published by PLANET in 2010.

Ten finalists will have their work appear in a special contest portfolio.

Our ongoing theme is 'Many Worlds, One Planet', and we'd like to ask photographers to not only capture defining images of a particular place but to also consider the people, lifestyles, and sub-cultures of the places they document; a powerful portrait or image of a gathering can equally reveal the depth and mystery of the travel experience.

At PLANET, our concept of travel is different from other magazines. It's not just about destinations; it's about journeys. And for each of the last several years, we've published our annual "Journeys" issue rather than a mere "Travel" issue. For us, travel is a state of mind, and as much as we're passionate about traveling to distant places and discovering new people, delicious food, intriguing nightspots and scenic locations, it's also possible to discover new worlds in your own city simply by changing neighborhoods or documenting a different circle of culture.

Based on this broad understanding of travel, photographers are encouraged to submit traditional travel images, studies of the people and environs they encounter as they travel, and even explorations of their own local surroundings. Above all, entries should inspire PLANET readers to explore the many worlds contained in this, our one planet.

To enter, please read the following guidelines and then click the button below to register and submit your image. Each entry contains one image. Photographers may submit multiple entries. There is a $15 fee per entry to cover administering the contest.

GUIDELINES

All entries must be submitted as digital files through the upload feature we've provided. Photos delivered via post or email will not be accepted.

Images may be color corrected and retouched, however no photo illustrations or digitally created images will be accepted.

All photographers must hold copyright to their submitted images and will be asked to confirm as such by accepting our Terms and Conditions.

Size specifications for upload are: Between 6x4 and 8x10 at 72 dpi. Finalists will be requested individually to submit 300 dpi images.

DEADLINE

The extended deadline for submissions for the PLANET Magazine Global Travel Photo Contest is November 30, 2009, midnight. Winners will be selected by January 15, 2010.

THE JUDGING PANEL

This year's contest will be judged by an esteemed panel of international photography professionals and PLANET editors.

The panel includes:

Alexander Berg is originally from Stockholm, Sweden and has lived and worked in New York City for the past fourteen years. He is a photographer who first earned a reputation as an assistant for such luminary photographers as Annie Leibovitz, Bruce Weber, and Parick Demarchelier. He currently shoots for a range of commercial clients and interntional magazines and, for the last four years, has been pursuing a mammoth portrait project called One Shot, which was covered in PLANET in the fall of 2007. The project includes segments on New York, Beijing, and Istanbul, and a Havana segment is in the works.

Michael Costouros is Founder of liveBooks, which is currently the leading provider of customized portfolio websites for photographers. He is also a life-long photographer himself, with both a passion for shooting and for supporting the photo community to succeed in marketing their talent. He graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute, (SFAI) in 1997 with a BFA in Interdisciplinary Studies, and currently sits on the board of trustees for SFAI.

Lyle Owerko is a photographer and filmmaker who shoots a broad range of subject matter. Known for his perception and knowledge of urban movements, his intuitive and technically crafted images have made an impact on both pop culture and photojournaism. On September 11th, 2001 he captured the image that appeared on the cover of TIME magazine's special issue documenting those terrifying events. Owerko's current projects seek to bridge social and political gaps while celebrating the unique perspectives and dialogues of our modern world.

Derek Peck is Founder and Creative Director at PLANET Magazine. Over the years, PLANET photographers have been honored in numerous publications and have won awards worldwide. In addition to his work at PLANET, Peck is a writer and photographer and regularly contributes to the UK style magazine, Another.

George Pitts is Photography Chair at Parsons the New School for Design, in The School of Art, Media and Technology. Previously, Mr. Pitts was Director of Photography at LIFE Magazine from 2004-2007. And from 1993-2004, he was the founding Director of Photography at Vibe Magazine. In 2006, he received the Lucie Award for Picture Editor of the Year. He is a photographer, painter, and writer. His paintings, drawings, and photography have been shown in numerous exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Indiana, Japan, and Canada.

Sara Rosen is Founder of Miss Rosen Editions, a split imprint with powerHouse Books, and powerHouse Magazine, an twice yearly journal published in conjunction with exhibitions of the same name at The powerHouse Arena, Brooklyn. Miss Rosen's career highlights include curating "Nature of a City" for Timberland (2009), the 25th Anniversary Breakin' Event at Lincoln Center Out of Doors (2007), and the graffiti episode of NBC's "The Apprentice" (2005).

Christian Witkin is a New York City-based photographer born in Manchester, England. He grew up in Amsterdam until age 17 when he moved to America to pursue his education in fine art and photography. Since launching his career in 1993, Witkin has photographed portraits and fashion for editorial clients such as Vogue, W, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, The New York Times Magazine, Arena, ID, PLANET and many others. Witkin has also created memorable campaigns for GAP, American Express, Calvin Klein, Levis, Esprit, Nike and numerous others.