That’s right! Starting in January, Jason D. Moore Photography will be hosting a monthly photo contest for our readers. Beginning on the first day of the month and continuing thru the last day of the month there will be an open call for entries. There is no theme, no requirements for how much processing is allowed, and no restrictions on who can enter.

Here’s the rundown:

• Theme:
  • Like I said above, there is no theme. You choose your subject. It can be anything you want.
  • However, please use common sense when submitting your photos. I don’t think I have to spell out what types of images are unacceptable here, we all know what we’re talking about.
  • Any images that I feel are inappropriate will be deleted from the group pool and I will ask that the entrant refrain from taking part in the future.
• Who?:
  • Anyone can enter! This is an open contest and we welcome submissions from amateurs to professionals.
• Post-Processing:
  • While this is a photography contest, feel free to process your photo as much as you like.
• Entries:
  • Photos don’t need to be taken during the contest period but they must be uploaded to Our Contest Flickr Group between the first and last days of a given contest month in order to be considered.
  • Photos submitted for one month’s contest will only be considered for that month’s contest. There’s no rollover.
  • Each person may submit up to 3 entries per monthly contest.
• Judging:
  • On or after the last day of the contest I will review the submissions and announce the winner here on the blog as well as any honorable mentions.
  • I am the sole judge for the contest and will select the photo that I feel is the best all-around image of the month. I don’t have a set criteria for judging, but I look for composition, overall photographic skill, and whether or not the image is compelling (tells a story, moves me, has that extra “something”).
• Prizes:
  • The prizes will vary from month to month from B&H Gift Cards to personal prints and more.
  • I’m also going to be contacting some photo-related companies to see if I can get anyone to sponsor prizes too.
  • If you have any ideas or suggestions for prizes, please leave a comment or email me!
• What to do if you win:
  • If your photo is chosen as the winner of the contest, please contact me via email to claim your prize and we’ll make arrangements from there.

Prizes For January 2009:

• Adobe “Photoshop Icon” Long Sleeve Tee - L or XL
  (Embroidered “Ps” logo on a dark blue shirt with navy collar and sleeves)
• Adobe Logo Pen
  (Blue, with black ink)
• Adobe “Illustrator Icon” Stickers
  (1″x1″)

Remember to upload your photos to Our Contest Flickr Group by January 31st to be considered!

Ok, so I decided to forego this week’s regularly scheduled P&P Weekly so we can start off with the top half of the Blogroll during the first week of 2009.

Instead, I thought I would move the schedule up a little bit and reveal one of my “New for 2009″ offerings here on the blog: Monthly Desktop Calendars!

Each month I will publish a new version featuring one of my photos as well as a custom calendar with holidays and other important dates listed. Click on one of the links below to download yours today so you’ll be ready for January!

• 800×600
• 1024×768
• 1280×1024
• 1680×1050

*If your screen resolution is not displayed, please leave a comment and I’ll be sure to include it next time!

I almost missed it, but with #104 The P&P Weekly has been going strong for two years of (almost) weekly editions!

Thanks to everyone, especially my occasional helpers!

Couldn’t have done it without you!

Welcome to edition #104 of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll’s P&P Weekly!

Apologies once again for being late with last week’s P&P Weekly. Instead of seeing this as a late edition, I like to look at is as a “special bonus holiday edition” - or something more festive than “late.” If it really upsets you that it’s late, I mean REALLY upsets you, we’ll call this the “Festivus Edition” and you can use the comments section as the forum for the annual “Airing of Grievances” - just don’t for get to bring your pole!

It’s been an exciting week here at the blog. After an unexpected email from one of our fellow members at just the right time a number of ideas for where to take the blog in the New Year sprang into my mind and it’s been a flurry of activity at “P&P Central” ever since.

I know I’ve been throwing out teasers for awhile now about what’s coming but you won’t have to wait much longer. The first of, count ‘em, six new features/series will be on Wednesday following tomorrow’s regular installment of The P&P Weekly.

Until then, just sit back, relax, and read on!

The Geographic Composition series is now open to anyone who would like to contribute. A special welcome to our newest participants! And I hope some of you are inspired to join us next time. Our upcoming themes - and their posting dates - are:

• Week #44 - January 2: “Moving Parts”
• Week #45 - January 16: “Green”

More details about Geographic Composition.

In the meantime…

Click here to become a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. A great resource for training, tips, and connecting with other creatives.

And as always, take a moment to grab one of the chicklet links to show your support for this blog and, for blogroll members, be sure to pick up your P&P Blogroll Member badge link.

Finally, here are some of my favorites from what’s been happening in the bottom half (L-W) of The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll:

• Jennifer of Laughing Lion Design - “Free Sets of Seamless Wood Backgrounds“
• Matt of Lightroom Killer Tips - “Video Tip: Smart Collections“
• Mike of Mike Palmer Photography - “Little Leah” & “Big Ben“
• Dave of New York Photography - “Engineer’s Gate“
• Heather of One Shot Beyond Photography - “A Holiday Party“
• Matthias of Pabst Photo - “Leaning“
• Jim of PHOTOBLOG by Jim Larimer - “Got Milk?“
• Crash of Photographer Interviews - “Annabel Williams“
• Scott of Photoshop Insider just unveiled a cool new look to his blog.
• Jeff of PhotoWalkPro - “Thursday Around the Web“
• Troy of Ramblings Around Texas - “Clouds Resting“
• Roger of Roger Madsen Photography - “Warning: Upgrading Lightroom to version 2.2“
• Sam of Samuel Barr Photography - “A Walk in the Woods“
• Shawn of SDuffy Photography - “New York City at Christmas“
• David of Strobist - “Cheap, Soft, 360-Degree Light“
• Richard of The Airstream Chronicles Continued - “R. L. Carpentier Photography, LLC“
• Terry of Terry White’s Tech Blog - “MacWorld Expo Just Died“
• Derrick of The Digital Story - “5 Reasons to Shoow RAW + JPEG“
• Dewdrop of The Flight of a South Georgia Storm Chaser - “Dreaming of Tornadoes“
• Andy of The Global Photographer - “Photo of the Day“
• Rob of Towner Jones Photography - “Guest Blogger - Rosemary Jones“ 
• Michael of travel+photography - “Winter“
• Lori of VirtualPhotographyStudio.com - “A Blast from the Past“
• Andy of Visual Realia - “In the Night“
• Scott of Weekly Photo Tips - Three Posts About Marketing (1, 2, 3)
• Aaron of What the Duck - ”WTD #632″
• Martin of What the Heck Journal - “Clutter“
• Ben of Where is Ben? - “5D Mark II Upgrade Impressions“
• Christopher of Written By the Light - “Maple Leaves and Rocks, Superior National Forest“

Please be sure to visit the great blogs of our other members found in the sidebar. And if you would like to be considered for The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll, email Jason.

No P&P Weekly this week. I kept putting it off and never quite got to it. Also, I’ve been planning a few of the new features for the blog that will be unveiled after the New Year which has taken up a good chunk of my time this week.

Have a great weekend everyone!