Amateur, shamateur I still won! I’ve never actually won anything before except for a Fall Out Boy promotion at one of the tours a few years back. This one is one I was very excited about. I must’ve checked the PDN and Billboard sites a couple times a day, since January, for 2 months to see if the winner’s galleries were up…but they weren’t, so I gave up. Then, last week while shooting a show at Jillian’s a friend told me that she saw my pics in Billboard. With extreme surprise (I figured they’d email me to let me know it was official and when the pics would be printed) I googled my name and Billboard in the same sentence. My stuff was published in the January 16th issue!!! Looks like the winners gallery has been up for 2 months!!!

I’m yet to receive my prizes. I’m not exactly sure what they are, but I want them. I really should email John from PDN to see if he knows what’s up.  After all I def get a WHOLE YEAR of PDN and Billboard FREE! Update to come. In the meantime,here are the pics and the mystery winner’s prize list:

• Amateur Grand Prize: $1,000 cash, iPod Touch, your image published in the winners’ gallery in Billboard as well as on pdnonline.com and billboard.com. 1 Grand Prize Amateur winner will receive aManfrotto 190XPROB black aluminum tripod with new horizontal center column +Manfrotto 322RC2 horizontal grip action ball head with RC2 rapid connect 2 Amateur first place winners will each receive a Manfrotto 7301YB M-Y compact tripod with aluminum 3-way head and new angle selectors
• Amateur First Place Prize for each category: will receive a digital camera, a Crumpler bag and your image published in the winners’ gallery in Billboard as well as on pdnonline.com and billboard.com.
• All First Place winners receive subscriptions to Billboard & PDN.
• Fans’ Favorite winner will be published in the online winners’ gallery and receive a Billboard “swag bag”.(professional and amateur categories will be combined. There will be ONE winner)