Aspiring photographers from around Australia are currently preparing their entries to the most coveted professional photography awards, the 2010 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards.

The Australian Institute of Professional Photography has added five new categories for the awards including:

• Sport Category

• Travel Category

• Fine Art Category

• Family Category

• Creative Category (formerly the Open Category)

About the Awards

Entrants do not need to be AIPP members to enter the awards but do need to be practising professionals or students.

Entries for the Canon AIPP APPAs will be received online until Wednesday May 26 at 4.30 p.m. with print submissions received up until 5 p.m., Friday, May 28.

Judging for the awards will take place from 4th-7th June at Melbourne's Convention and Exhibition Centre with the winner announced at the prestigious Canon AIPP APPAs dinner to be held at Crown Casino, Southbank in Melbourne on Monday, June 7.

Now in their 34th year, the APPAs attract a prize pool of more than $60,000 in cash and prizes including the grand prize -- $20,000 worth of Canon EOS professional digital camera equipment and the coveted title of 2010 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year.

Entries are subject to three intensive days of judging by some of Australia's most recognised photographers. Each entry is individually critiqued and scored via a scrupulous peer-review judging process to determine the highest-scoring prints across the different categories.

Last year 2,367 images were entered by 655 professional and student photographers in the renowned awards.

The Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards are a celebration of photographic excellence and represent the best of the best in Australian professional photography.

For entry rules and details on how to enter visit http://www.aipp.com.au.

Categories

Categories for the 2010 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photography Awards are:

• The 2010 Canon AIPP Australian Professional Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Commercial Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Sport Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Travel Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Landscape Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Science Environment & Nature Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Documentary Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Illustrative Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Fine Art Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Portrait Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Family Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year

• The 2010 AIPP Australian Creative Photographer of the Year

The 2010 AIPP Student Photographer Of The Year The 2010 AIPP Tertiary Photography Institution Of The Year 2010 Highest Scoring Print Award 2010 Monochrome Print Award -- Athol Shmith Award The 2010 AIPP Australian Wedding Album of the Year Award The 2010 AIPP Australian Photography Book Award The 2010 AIPP Press Photography Award