To promote its social network Google+, the Internet giant Google is launching a new competition for up and coming photographers, inviting them to upload their visual works to the new platform. For the contest entitled Google Photography Prize the company has teamed up with Saatchi Gallery, London, which will provide the finalists and the winner with hilarious prizes, which are sure to help them boost their photography career.

Photo: A snapshot from the http:/google.com/photographyprize page

Google is encouraging students aged 18 years and older from around the globe to join the new social network and showcase their stills for a chance to get their photos exhibited in the Saatchi Gallery, the internationally recognized art venue. To join the competition, users are invited to upload their photo(s) in an album, up to eight still can be there, as a public post and then proceed to the registration form to pick one of the 10 categories such as Me, Food, Travel, Fashion, Action, Street, Sport, Night, Sound/Silence, and Point of View, and insert the link on the registration page. The submission period is running until January 31, 2012. Entrants can also visit the profiles of recognized photographers Scott Jarvie, Thomas Hawk, Colby Brown or Claire Grigaut to get inspired by their divine works. According to Google, “more than 3.4 billion photos have been uploaded to the Google + platform in the first 100 days,” and with the new competition the amount of new images is expected to grow dramatically.

The judging panelof photography experts will select 10 finalists, who will get an opportunity to showcase their works at Saatchi Gallery, London for two months next year as part of the Out of Focus photography exhibition. The finalists will win a trip for two to London to attend the grand opening of the exhibition. The grand winner will experience “a once-in-a-lifetime trip to an amazing destination with a professional photography coach.” So far, Google doesn’t say when the finalists and the winner will be announced, but entrants are invited to add Saatchi Gallery’s Google+ page to their circles to get updates on the competition.