Curator's Choice: #DispatchPortrait Contest on Instagram

The Denver Art Museum recently opened the photography exhibition Alec Soth: Colorado Dispatch. Photographed over the course of a 2013 road trip, Colorado Dispatch presents the core of Soth’s work from the Centennial State, including photographs of ordinary citizens, familiar landscapes and puzzling details of local culture that offer an unromanticized, yet affectionate, view of the land and its people. Soth studies the habits and rituals of ordinary Americans, finding moments of self-absorption and vulnerability that are specific to the people he photographs, yet somehow common to human experience. This concept is much like the popular blog and social media movement, Humans of New York.

We want you to channel your inner Alec Soth and post a portrait of a friend, family member or even a stranger with a quote or short story that truly defines or captures who they are. (A portrait is an artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person.)

How to Enter #DispatchPortrait Contest:

  1. Take a photo that truly captures the essence of your chosen subject with a quote or short story to accompany it
  2. Upload it to Instagram between June 7 and July 7, hashtag #DispatchPortrait #DenverArtMuseum and tag @denverartmuseum
  3. Wait to find out if you’re the lucky winner who will be featured on our website and receive two general admission tickets

How the winner is picked

Members of the DAM photography department will review all of the entries and based on their expert knowledge of the genre, decide on the best portrait and caption combination.

What you win

The DAM will repost the winning #DispatchPortrait entry on Instagram and share the news on Facebook and Twitter. Then, we will interview you and feature your work and background on our Behind the Scenes blog. We will also provide you with two general admission tickets so that you can see Alec Soth: Colorado Dispatch.

Why participate

Curator’s Choice: #DispatchPortrait Instagram contest is a fun, easy way to get involved in the creative community and connect with other local photographers. It’s also a way for you to test out your skills at taking a portrait and learn something new about someone close to you or to make a connection with someone new.

Follow the DAM on Instagram. Read our Q&A with Alec Soth.

Image credit: Alec Soth, Joseph (detail). Walsenburg, 2013. © Alec Soth