Unstaged: Photography Competition to the Stars

Earlier this year I was delighted to be invited by BAFTA Scotland to be a judge for their 2009 awards. For the first time there were to be three distinct digital media gongs dished out, each recognising the increasingly vital contribution being played by developers of games, web and interactive works to Scotland’s economy. Dundee developer Proper Games won the Games award with its PSN and Xbox Live Arcade title Flock!, their first title. As for the other two, now BAFTA traditionally celebrates the moving image industries, so at New Media Scotland we must commend them wholeheartedly for embracing two projects quite outside the spectrum of the moving image. The FOUND collective scooped up the Interactive award for Cybraphon, the autonomous, but now infamous robotic diva, and the Web award went to Blipfoto.com.

Founded in 2006 by Joe Tree, Blipfoto is a no nonsense daily photo journal. Upload one picture a day, on the day that you took the picture. It’s as simple as that. The interface is elegant, it has a touch of the Christian Dior about it. On the one hand it’s all about discipline - you’ve only got one shot at this, so make it count. On the other it’s blissed out and relaxed, there are no police at Blip HQ in Leith ready to dismisseth us for not uploading everyday. There’s a free app for the iPhone too, plus the Blip API is open-source for developers. In an age of digital diarrhea it’s good to have focus, and a frame for creativity.

If I’ve whetted your appetite for more, Blipfoto has teamed up with Channel Four and the National Theatre of Scotland to bring you Unstaged, a worldwide photographic event comprised of three consecutive competitions. The first, Unstaged, invites you to capture the spirit of performance and play in Scotland. Entry is simple. Get yourself a Blipfoto journal, and upload five photographs between now and the 12th February 2010. It’s free, and along with the rest of the Blipfoto community you can nominate your favourite entries for final judging. New Media Scotland will be hosting a special pop-up photographic event for budding Blipsters at Inspace in Edinburgh before the competition closing date. Keep your eyes open.