Canon PhotoMarathon 2.0 begins today with a new format

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Canon PhotoMarathon 2.0 begins today with a new format

Canon's PhotoMarathon returns in a new format for a time of change. (Image source: Canon Singapore from its 2019 event)

Back in a new format

Canon is announcing the return of the Singapore stretch of its annual PhotoMarathon photography competition, this time under the new PhotoMarathon 2.0 format, similarly how HardwareZone's annual Tech Awards event has transformed. With pandemic showing no signs of stopping, Canon has shifted the competition online, this time taking place across a span of three months, rather than a physical event on a single day.

The overarching theme of this year's PhotoMarathon is 'Dare to Reinvent', where participants are encouraged to capture changes in their daily lives with reimagined and unique perspectives. The new format will also see a different theme for each month, with December being 'Reinvent Light'. The themes of the next two months have yet to be revealed.

Contest rules

Some of the requirements and rules from previous PhotoMarathons have been carried over:

Photos can be taken with a digital camera of any brand or model, but not using smartphones (for now)
Multiple entries are allowed, but participants will not be considered for more than one prize in each month
Captions are not mandatory, and photo editing is allowed, but images must be original
Photos have to be taken and posted within the dates stated on Theme Announcement posts
Photos have to be uploaded to Instagram, with your profile set to public, and tagged with #CPMDareToReinvent, the relevant theme hashtag stated on the Theme Announcement post, and with @canonsingapore also tagged

Prizes to be won

There will be three winners for each month, with each month's top three receiving the following:

1st Prize: Canon EOS R6 body + RF50mm f/1.8 STM lens, 1TB Exceria Plus Portable SSD, and a 64GB Exceria Pro UHS-II SD card (Total prize: S$4,647)
2nd Prize: EOS M50 Mark II Kit EFM15-45, and a 64GB Exceria Plus UHS-I U3 SD card (Total prize: S$1,139)
3rd Prize: PowerShot G7 X Mark III, and a 64GB Exceria Plus UHS-I U3 SD card (Total prize: S$1,039)

Each month's total prize pool is worth almost S$7,000, with the 1st prize totalling over S$4,600. Winners will be announced in March 2022, and Canon's partners will also have special prizes of their own, to be announced at a later date.

How can you join?

Unlike the previous events, Canon PhotoMarathon 2.0 is free for all (i.e. no registration fees) and anyone with a standalone digital camera is eligible to join.

If you're in the mood to join but are worried about lacking the skills, Canon will also be supporting the three-month contest period with tips from Canon's panel of judges, as well as 'Tonight with CIA' webinars on their Facebook page, to supplement those who may be in need of mentoring.

Given that the contest is seeing a long extension, photographers who wish to join now have more time to tweak and submit their photos, and perhaps makes it a bit more accessible for newbies or the less experienced who need more time to find the perfect shot.

If you want to give this a go, the contest begins today (6 Dec) at 6PM SGT. Check Canon Singapore's Instagram and Facebook for Theme Announcement posts as well as updates from the company during the three month period, as well as the aforementioned webinars and tips.

History of Canon's PhotoMarathon

If you're curious, Canon's PhotoMarathon (or CPM for short) has a pretty rich history, starting from its inaugural CPM in Singapore in 2003, making the contest almost two decades old. The CPM has also expanded from its Singapore roots as well, now being available in most of Asia including India, Malaysia and the Philippines.

In fact, this isn't the first online PhotoMarathon under the global CPM umbrella as well, with one having taken place in Vietnam in late 2020, though not under the new CPM 2.0 format.

The contest is popular among shutterbugs as well, attracting 1,549 participants in Singapore in 2019, and about 1,800 in 2018. It also achieved status as one of Singapore's largest photography competitions in the past as well, having hit 1,704 participants in 2010 with a 2,000 target for 2011, which was broken with a pool of 2,078 participants.

The CPM has also seen some of its share of revenue go to charitable causes, with registration fees from the 2018 event going to The Straits Times School Pocket Money fund, where funds raised went to schoolgoing children from lower-income families.

Unsurprisingly, 2020's Canon PhotoMarathon was cancelled due to the pandemic. As a result, though, with such a dramatic format twist due to the current climate, this year's CPM 2.0 will certainly write itself into the history of Canon's PhotoMarathon.