The first contest of its kind, the Emerging Professional Photo Contest was an opportunity for students and up-and-coming photographers to enter to win $10,000 to launch their career, along with a handful of other prizes. Sponsored by Microsoft and Epson, there were three categories of submission: Fine Art, Fashion/Beauty and Photojournalism.

Last year’s winning photograph was shot and edited by David Maynard. The first-place photographers were Sarah Fretwell (Photojournalism), Jennifer Galatioto (Fashion/Beauty) and Veneta Zaharieva (Fine Art). Those four photos were published in the May/June 2007 issue of Digital Photo Pro, and they, along with some fantastic finalists’ photos, are displayed here.

Click here to view gallery of 2006 Finalists »

 
The deadline to enter this year is December 17, 2007, so get your picture in soon!