Shuter 'Taste of Life' Old Objects Photography Contest — Deadline August 31

The well-known Taiwanese office and home storage manufacturer Shuter Plastic Industry Co., Ltd. held its ‘Taste of Life’ photography contest in mid-2020. Any image with a wonderful old-time flavor could be entered, with a top prize of NT$20,000.

The ‘Taste of Life’ theme focuses on ‘discovering Shuter’s old objects in everyday life.’ Whether in a school laboratory, a factory, an office, or your own garage, if you find a Shuter-made storage or office product (such as a parts cabinet, tool box, or sheet-metal cart), simply take a photo (the Shuter logo must be included) and tell a story about how that Shuter product intersected with your life, and you can enter the ‘Taste of Life’ photography contest for free — with a chance to win NT$20,000 on your own.

Although the theme is old Shuter objects, the contest guidelines also mention that ‘the themes are respectively “…discovering Shuter design products in everyday life” and “searching for Shuter’s classic old items in the years gone by”…’ — likely an error caused by the organizer not proofreading carefully.

For this contest, experts evaluate entries on photographic quality (40%), creativity (30%), and composition (30%). As long as you produce a good image, you don’t need to waste energy drumming up hype or paying for likes. It is a pure return to the essence and technique of photography — a rare breath of fresh air among the absurd popularity-chasing contests that flood Facebook these days.

Worth noting: the biggest controversy in photography contests is usually image post-processing. This contest’s rules explicitly accept ‘minor’ image retouching (post-processing). Although they don’t explicitly forbid ‘unrestrained’ post-processing, it’s clear that if you overdo it to the point the judges can’t stand it, you won’t be getting a good score.

Shuter ‘Taste of Life’ Photography Contest Entry Information

1. Content: Chosen by the entrant; submit works based on your own theme.
2. Submission deadline: From now until August 31, 2020 (ROC year 109).
3. Judging date: September 30, 2020.
4. Shooting media: Any photographic device (digital camera, film camera, smartphone, etc.) is acceptable.
5. Works must include a title and a brief description of the story behind the entry, and both printed photos and digital files must be provided. Photos: Up to 5 images per entry set; color or black-and-white both acceptable; print size: 8x12 inches (20.3x30.5 cm).
6. Digital files: JPG or TIFF at a recommended resolution of 1600x2400 or higher.

For other contest details and how to mail your entry, please refer to the official guidelines: ‘2020 Shuter “Taste of Life Photography Contest” Call for Entries’.

‘Taste of Life’ Photography Contest Prizes / Awards

• First Prize: NT$20,000 + one DCGH-60 compact lifestyle dry cabinet.
• Second Prize: NT$12,000 + one DCGH-60 compact lifestyle dry cabinet.
• Third Prize: NT$10,000 + one DCGH-60 compact lifestyle dry cabinet.
• 5 Honorable Mentions: NT$6,000 + one Shuter storage design product.
• 10 Merit Awards: NT$3,000 + one Shuter storage design product.
• 12 Popularity Awards: one Shuter storage design product.