CALGARY, ALBERTA, July 23 /CNW/ - iStockphoto(R), today named August 19 a
special day for creative professionals, and has announced several personal and
financial rewards for its members. August 19, 1839 marked the day Louis
Daguerre formally introduced the camera to the world, and iStock has declared
this date 'Punctum Day' (referring to a profound reaction an excellent image
creates). With prizes totaling $40,000, member voting starts today, to
identify and showcase the year's best iStock files and artists in eight
categories. iStock will also allow unlimited image uploads from exclusive
contributors on Aug. 18 and 19, and has reduced the exclusivity eligibility
requirement from 500 downloads to 250 for contributors who have a 50%
acceptance rate. On a secret date within the next two months, all exclusives
will also receive 100 percent of their sales revenue for the day. The Getty
Images/iStock Photodisc collaboration will soon expand; and finally, iStock is
implementing pricing adjustments that will take effect on August 19.
"As the micropayment stock industry leaders, we feel a responsibility to
say a huge thank you to the community members who contribute so much, and we
encourage other companies to do the same," said Bruce Livingstone, CEO of
iStockphoto. "The 100 percent revenue giveaway day will happen sometime in the
next two months and we continue to create other great international
partnerships and revenue possibilities. This is also a great time to go
exclusive. Most of those who do so tell us the leap has made them more money
in one month than what they earned on three other sites combined."
The Inspiration for "Punctum Day" and Award Details
Roland Barthes was a French literary critic and philosopher born in 1915.
His book on photography, Camera Lucida, suggested two distinct properties of a
photograph. These were studium and punctum: studium referring to its cultural,
linguistic, and political interpretations; and punctum to the sting or
accidental detail that "pricks" or is poignant to the individual viewer.
The year's best creative works and individual artists chosen as winners
for "Punctum Day" should all have this poignant quality in their work. iStock
artists can access complete contest guidelines at
www.iStockphoto.com/punctumday. Community members will select their favorites
in five of the categories from July 23 - August 13, 2007. The top 10 finalists
selected by the community will be announced on August 19th. Winners will be
chosen by a panel of special guest judges and will be announced on September
4th (with the exception of the Steel Cage Battle of the Year). $5,000 will be
awarded to each artist in the following categories.
a) Image of the year
b) Vector of the year
c) Video of the year
d) Flash file of the year
e) Design of the year
f) Steel Cage Battle of the Year (winner to be announced later in
September)
Two more categories will be awarded, chosen by the iStockphoto image
inspection team.
a) Most improved contributor
b) Contributor most deserving of a new camera
Most improved will also receive $5,000, while most deserving will win a
Canon EOS 5D with lenses valued at $5,000. The image of the year will be
printed in large format and mailed to the top iStockphoto customers worldwide.
Prints will be supplied by printing partner myPhotopipe.
Getty Images Photodisc Collaboration Extended
iStock is the only microstock agency that can offer contributors a career
path and the possibility of becoming a prestigious Getty Images' photographer.
Several months ago, Diamond-level iStock contributors were offered the
opportunity to submit up to five new images a month to Getty's Photodisc
collection. The program has gone so well that it will be expanded to include
Gold-level contributors (those with 10,000 downloads) in September.
Pricing
The cost of iStockphoto credits will increase slightly in August, to
$1.30 per credit at the base level. Changes are also occurring in the credit
structure for Vector and Video files. iStockphoto continues to offer the
largest collection of high-quality royalty-free images at the lowest cost,
with images available for as low as $0.97 each. Complete details on these
changes are available at www.istockphoto.com/pricing2007.
About iStockphoto
iStockphoto, www.istockphoto.com, is the world's busiest image market,
with an image downloaded every 2.5 seconds. iStock pioneered the micropayment
phenomenon in this industry, enabling buyers to license images for as little
as a dollar. iStockphoto entered the stock video market in September of 2006,
selling video for as low as $5 per 30 second clip. In partnership with its
members, iStockphoto has turned community into commerce, transforming the
digital imagery market by encouraging passionate dialogue and education, while
making imagery affordable to businesses that may not have licensed imagery
otherwise. iStockphoto is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Getty Images.
iStock(TM), iStockalypse(TM) and iStockphoto(R) are trademarks of
iStockphoto Inc. All other company or product names are the registered
trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.
For further information: iStockphoto Kara Udziela, Public Relations
Director, 360-574-2466 kara@istockphoto.com or Kelly Thompson, Executive Vice
President, 403-265-3062 Cell: 503-260-0441 pr@istockphoto.com
