Think Twice.
Some contests take a substantial part, if not all, of the copyright to your work.
This is good for the contest organizers, but it is bad for photographers who submit their work.
There’s a group called Pro-Imaging that is helping educate photographers about how entering these rights-grabbing contests negatively impact not only the photographers who enter the contests but also harm the entire photographic industry.
They’ve also developed an “Artists Bill of Rights,” which is based on a set of “fair to photographer” criteria. Please take a look at the Artists Bill of Rights on the pro-imaging website for more information.