Contest To Identify World’s Best Amateur Racing Photographer

Coady goes global

Coady Photography, America’s premier pro- fessionals for shooting racetrack pictures, is searching the globe to find the best amateur horse-racing photographer.

The inaugural Coady International Amateur Horse Racing Photography Contest will be judged by an all-star panel of photojournalist experts. The free competition is open to amateur photographers at least 18 years old, with up to three submis- sions per entrant. All must be original and altered only by the photographer, taken within the last five years and depicting horse racing, including backside and scenic shots. Pictures will be judged on technical ability and creativity. Photos taken by smart phones/tablets or using filters are ineligible.

The best 50 photos, as chosen by Coady staff, will be displayed on Coady Pho- tography’s Facebook page, with those finalists receiving a t-shirt. The top three from the Final 50 will be judged by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Dan Dry; two-time Eclipse Award winner Barbara Livingston; 2015 Eclipse honoree Scott Serio; Blood-Horse’s visuals director Anne Eberhardt Keogh; Churchill Downs’ vice president/racing communications John Asher, a five-time radio Eclipse win- ner; and Breeders’ Cup media-relations chief Jim Gluckson.

Entries will be accepted Aug. 1-31, with the winners announced Oct. 20. First place is $1,500, with $500 for second and $250 for third. There also will be a $50 award to the “Fan’s Choice”

winner, determined by “likes” on Facebook.com/CoadyPho- tography.

“We wanted a special way to celebrate Coady Photogra- phy’s 55th year,” said Kurtis Coady, the third-generation

photographer who heads the family-owned company. “We decid- ed to showcase talents of photographers around the world and to give them the chance to have their work judged by some of the top shooters and multi-media specialists in the country.

“We take pride in innovation and constantly challenge ourselves to be better. Even if we think we’re the best, we welcome the possibility of what we can learn from our contest participants, especially by going global. However, that doesn’t mean that the best amateur racing photographer isn’t right here at home.”

Email contest submissions and questions to contest@coadyphotography.com. Please include raw image with the photo (minimum of 300 dpi). Submissions must be labeled with title of photo and photographer’s name, address, phone number, email address and shirt size (specify male or female).

Coady has you covered! Our photo footprint spans: 29 tracks in 16 states
43% of U.S. market by racing days
23% of U.S. graded stakes

Official photographer for 110 graded stakes in 2016
Shooters at a track: 5 minimum up to 25 for Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Shots taken: 5,000 at a track on a typical racing day – 800,000 in the month lead- ups to the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup.
All in the family: Kurtis and his twin Kevin and older brother Shawn began shoot- ing as children at Arizona’s Turf Paradise and now-defunct Trinity Meadows in Texas. Kevin is a pilot, making for spectacular aerial shots.

Founded in 1962 by Jack Coady Sr., Coady Photography has become the gold standard among track photographers, representing 29 racetracks across the country and this year becoming the official photographer for Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Known for its innovation, Coady Photography delivers unparalleled media service for its clients, including coadywire.com providing stock photography, stakes races, events and head shots of owners, trainers and jock- eys from around the country, as well as coadyphotography.com offering for purchase multiple shots from more than 300,000 races. For more information about Coady Photography, call (844) 893-8110 or email Contact@CoadyPhotography.com.