SALT LAKE CITY (June 18, 2014) – After holding the very successful Ski Salt Lake Shootout for seven years, Visit Salt Lake (VSL) announces the inaugural Salt Lake Exposed photo contest, running June 19 - July 6. To sign up for the contest and submit images, participants simply link to a special contest tab on VSL’s Facebook page.

 

Whereas the annual Shootout competition is for professional photographers, Salt Lake Exposed is for photographers of all levels, from those who simply point-and-shoot with their smart phones to amateur shutterbugs to budding professional photographers. A total of $3,750 in prizes is being awarded to the winning images in five themed categories, a “best of show” grand prize and a Facebook fan favorite. The five categories include Salt Lake After Dark, Urban Adventure, Taste of Salt Lake, Gather 'Round and Art & Architecture. Judging takes place on July 7, with a grand prize winner receiving a $750 gift card to Pictureline, Salt Lake's premier photography store, and one winner from each category receiving a $500 gift card to Pictureline. For the Facebook Fan Favorite category, the top three non prize-winning photos from each category will be voted on by VSL’s Facebook fans with the photo getting the most ‘Likes’ taking home a Pictureline gift card of $500. Winning photos also will be featured in VSL’s 2015 Spring/Summer Visitors Guide.

 

In addition to the prizes, VSL is hosting two photography workshops. The first, "Photography 101," is Wednesday, June 25, at Pictureline (305 West 700 South) from 5-6:30 p.m., while the second is Tuesday, July 1, at Squatters from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and is featuring Lee Cohen, local outdoor adventure photographer extraordinaire. 

Visit Salt Lake is a private, non-profit corporation responsible for the promotion of Salt Lake as a convention and travel destination. In partnership with Salt Lake County, Visit Salt Lake improves the area economy by attracting and providing support to conventions, leisure travelers and visitors with a strong commitment to sustainability and stewardship of the area’s natural environment. Salt Lake is a unique fusion of metropolitan and mountain; the towering Wasatch Mountains that embrace the Salt Lake Valley offer a dramatic backdrop to the vibrancy and activities of the urban environment.