For the seventh year, The Everyman Web site is holding its annual photo contest. The philosophy behind the competition will strike a laudable chord in Blue Collar hearts everywhere.

"The Everyman believes that anyone who has ever taken pictures in their life, has taken good pictures," the site proclaims. "One of the primary differences between professionals and non-professionals is how reliably they can get the good shot. [B]ecause, photography, like any art, is meant to capture a moment, convey a feeling, tell a story, it is erroneous to believe that in order for a photo to be effective or artistic it must have formal composition, ideal lighting or, and most importantly, be taken by a professional."

"[W]hile [I] can appreciate the honed prowess of a skilled photographer, [I] also enjoy the work of amatuer photogs," writes the contest's sponsor Troy DeArmitt. "[A] great problem though is that adequate forums do not exist to showcase and reward the efforts of these less involved owners of cameras."



There are no entrance fees for the contest, which has seven award categories with a total payout in prizes of $730.

According to information at the contest Web site, entrants are limited to two submissions, three if one of them is for the "From the Attic" category. Professional photographers-defined as anyone who profits from their photography in any way other than photo contests-are ineligible to participate.

Digital manipulation of photos is also taboo, although cropping of images is allowed.

Submissions will be evaluated by a panel of at least 15 judges from around the world, None will be professional photographers nor will they be trained in the ways of artistic presentation or composition. Each judge will simply select the photos that strike them most for whatever reason.