Post your perfect shot of the Empire State Building on Instagram and you'll gain some likes.
But enter that same pic in the iconic New York City skyscraper's annual photo contest and you could win up to $5,000.
Now in its ninth year, the competition gives amateur photographers from across the United States the chance to show off their skills when it comes to capturing images of the most famous point in Manhattan's skyline.
Finalists will be selected from eight different categories: best aerial shot, best smartphone shot, best edited work (for obviously Photoshopped images such as any involving, say, the addition of King Kong scaling the building), best weather shot (highlighting fog, stormy skies, falling snow, and other meteorological happenings), best quarantine shot (taken during the spring 2020 lockdown and showing, say, King Kong wearing a facial covering), best view shot (taken from the observatory on the 86th or 102nd floor), best exhibit shot (centered on the building's interior displays), or the catchall general entry if none of the other categories apply.
Each of the winners in those categories will receive $500 and become a finalist for the grand prize of $5,000, plus two tickets for a helicopter flight over New York from FlyNYON. The second-place winner gets a not-too-shabby $1,500.
For the first time, the contest will be interactive this year, with members of the public voting for their favorite submissions online.
You have until November 5 to enter.
That gives you time to visit the building to capture a new photo if you don't have one worth submitting. The Empire State Building has reopened to visitors following its temporary pandemic closure. The top-floor observatory is fresh off a multimillion-dollar renovation completed in December 2019.
For more information about the photo contest, to see the complete set of rules for participating, or to enter, visit ESBphotocontest.com.
