Kodak has pledged over £15,000 worth of prizes and business-building PR support for winning photographers and their consumer customers for its Kodak Portrait & Wedding Awards 2002 competition - and it expects more photographers than ever before to enter.

Said Kodak Professional marketing manager, Clare Bruce: "We will be extensively promoting these popular awards with more coverage than ever before. Last year's awards created an upsurge in entries on the previous year and with an innovative addition to the rules for 2002 we expect more photographers than ever before to compete for these prestigious national honours."

In a new move Kodak Professional is set to allow images captured on any professional digital camera to be entered into the 2002 Awards.

Digital entries were allowed last year - but only if captured on Kodak cameras.
Said Kodak Professional's marketing manager, Clare Bruce: "This is more natural evolution than a dramatic sea change in policy. Times have changed and increasing numbers of photographers wish to enter our awards programme but may not be shooting with Kodak cameras. We have now decided to validate these images - but they must still be output on Kodak Professional paper."

She added: "Photographers shooting with conventional film must still continue to submit images shot on Kodak Professional silver halide products and output to Kodak Professional paper."

Photographers will compete across four categories for the overall honours:
Kodak Wedding Photographer of the Year 2002
Kodak Pets Photographer of the Year 2002
Kodak Open Portrait Photographer of the Year 2002
Kodak Child Photographer of the Year 2002.

Four overall winning photographers will each win £750 worth of Kodak UK appointed wholesaler vouchers and tailor-made PR support in addition to £1,000 in cash for their four winning consumers.

The programme will include three seasonal judgings with closing dates for entries as follows:

Spring judging: April 8
Summer judging July 15
Autumn judging: October 21st

The three photographer winners in each category at each judging will share a total of £350 worth of Kodak Q-LAB Service reprint vouchers and their consumers will share £250 worth of reprint credits.

Caldicot-based Tracey Clements, who picked up the Kodak Pets Photographer of the Year award in December, said: "Entering these competitions and awards programmes is the best thing ever for my studio. Winning awards and commendations underlines the fact that we have reached an enviable level of quality and creativity. For me the Kodak Awards programmes have been an absolute Godsend. My window is crammed full of my winning pictures, certificates and trophies - and there is no doubt at all that customers want to be associated with that success."

For literature on the 2002 programme call 01925 246519.

For further information, please contact:
Trevor Lansdown
Tel: 01206 241575
or
Kodak Professional
Tel: 01442 845146

Kodak Professional online: www.kodak.co.uk/go/professional