AP phenom photog Stephan Savoia told me long ago that the value of contests isn’t the winning but the opportunity to personally review and rate your work from the past year. So sit down with your favorite external backup device and start sifting through folders. Like what you see? What do you want to do better in 2009?

-NPPA = contest deadline Monday Feb. 9

-POYi = contest deadline Thursday Jan. 15

-World Press Photo Contest = online entry request deadline Jan. 9 / contest deadline Jan. 15

-Joseph Costa Award for Courtroom Photography = contest deadline Jan. 15

When I was shooting, one of my favorite assignments was as a courtroom pool photographer. Something lovely about all the action and creative options stuck in a finite space right in front of you. Image below is from years and years ago during trial downtime. The murder defendant is in TV, family members listening to testimony.

A happy nugget hello to Texan Mark Hancock who posts a yearly contest list on his blog. Complete with blurbs about each one. As he says, double check the deadlines – a few are wonky as the deadlines are for 2008. But he hits all the major players. Good place to start.

Make Region 1 members proud and send out your best images and video for the world to judge. We in the editor sphere love nothing more than seeing fantastic winning images.

-Sarah Evans