Chicon 7 (Worldcon), the premier gathering of authors, artists, fans, dealers, and more in the world science fiction community, invites artists and designers from around the world to create a base that is worthy of the Hugo Award and with a theme appropriate to Chicago and the Midwest. The Hugo Awards for achievement in science fiction and fantasy have been presented by Worldcons for over 50 years. An instantly recognizable rocket forms the central element of the prestigious trophy, while the base design changes yearly, often reflecting the country, state, or province in which the convention takes place. The winner will receive a full five-day attending membership to Chicon 7!

Read more about Chicon 7: Hugo Award Base Design Competition on Contest Watchers.

The PDN Photo Annual Competition 2012 is open for entries! This highly anticipated photography competition awards excellence in photography annually, in several different categories. Single entries, series as well as video submissions can be entered. This year PDN is giving away over $15,000 in cash and prizes! The winning entries will be published in the June 2012 issue of PDN Magazine, the award-winning monthly magazine for the professional photographer. The PDN Photo Annual 2012 is open to anyone from any part of the world.

Read more about PDN Photo Annual Competition 2012 on Contest Watchers.

Over the last 50 years, D&AD has celebrated the outstanding design and advertising that has influenced future generations of creative talent. In its 50th year, the Awards are looking forward to nurture, support and champion the brilliant design and advertising of the future by aiming to make the 50th D&AD Awards and Annual the ultimate benchmark in commercial creativity, setting the standard for new generations of commercial creatives. The D&AD Awards have been running since 1962. While the UK still leads the way in submissions and awarded work, the 2011 D&AD Awards received work from 64 different countries.

Read more about D&AD Awards 2012: 50 Years of Looking Forward on Contest Watchers.

Entries are now being accepted for the Powerhouse Museum Photo Competition 2012 – Trainspotting. This competition recognizes excellence in railway photography. Now in its third year the Trainspotting competition attracts entrants, both amateur and professional, from around the world. From casual observers to avid railway photographers, the competition draws an impressive range of entries. Trainspotting: the Powerhouse Museum International Photo Competition 2012 is proudly presented by the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, commonly known as the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia.

Read more about Trainspotting: the Powerhouse Museum Photo Competition 2012 on Contest Watchers.

THE MEME and Samsung Electronics invite designers and engineers to contribute feasible ideas for embedded support systems for digital cameras. The embedded support system should be integral to the camera (not detachable), hidden (or aesthetically integrated), easy to expand and retract, and usable in as many physical conditions as possible. The challenge in this competition is to design embedded support systems that come as a replacement to tripods. What if a light, compact support system could be attached to the camera body, expanding only when necessary? What if your digital camera could support itself on any surface, without having to attach a cumbersome tripod?

Read more about THE MEME Embedded Camera Support Design Contest on Contest Watchers.

It’s time for another edition of the Epson International Photographic Pano Awards! The 2012 competition is now open for all professional and amateur photographers with a combined prize pool of over US $25,000 in cash and prizes. The Epson International Pano Awards showcases the work of panoramic photographers worldwide and is the largest competition for panoramic photography. The 2011 competition saw 3586 images submitted from 985 photographers in 62 countries.

Read more about The Epson International Pano Awards 2012 on Contest Watchers.

Videoex, the International Experimental Film & Video Festival, is currently calling for entries for its next edition. Scheduled for 26 May – 3 June, 2012, Videoex 2012 will present and promote video and experimental film works from around the world. Videoex 2012 will include an international and a Swiss competition. The total prize amount is 3,500 CHF (more than €2,800). The 14th edition of the Videoex festival will be held in Zürich at Kunstraum Walcheturm and Cinema Z3.

Read more about Videoex 2012 – Experimental Film + Video Festival on Contest Watchers.

Students, the :output Foundation is inviting you to register your works for the 15th :output Award! The :output Award is the biggest international competition for students in design and architecture. The best work is honoured with the :output Grand Prix which includes a scholarship of 3,000 Euros. Every year more than 1,000 students from more than 40 different countries submit their best projects to the competition. An international jury makes the selection which will be presented in the :output yearbook.

Read more about 15th :output Student Design / Architecture Award on Contest Watchers.

The 2012 DC Shorts Film Festival opens up for entries in its annual film and screenwriting competitions. DC Shorts turns the spotlight on truly independent short films, created by new and established filmmakers in an era when the art of filmmaking is opening to everyone. The organizers select films from every genre for their competition screenings – with a special focus on films created by metropolitan Washington, DC-based directors and writers. The festival is open to filmmakers around the world. Last year, DC Shorts received hundreds of submissions from 42 nations and showcased 145 films from 23 countries in 17 unique showcases to a combined audience of over 7,200 people.

Read more about The 2012 DC Shorts Film Festival Competitions on Contest Watchers.

The Portrait Award, now in its thirty-third year at the National Portrait Gallery, is an annual competition aimed at encouraging artists to focus upon and develop portraiture in their work. The competition is open to everyone aged 18 and over in recognition of the outstanding and innovative work currently being produced by artists of all ages working in portraiture. Last year 2,372 artists submitted their work and the exhibition, which featured fifty-five paintings, was seen by over 341,000 people at the National Portrait Gallery.

Read more about Call for Entries: BP Portrait Award 2012 on Contest Watchers.