© 1999, Mike Hollist/England, All Rights Reserved

The world's largest salon of photography is looking for a few good photographs. Actually, a lot more than a few--and that's the golden opportunity. The 1999 edition of the Hasselblad Austrian Super Circuit hopes to find and reward the very best in photography from around the world.

There are no restrictions on subject matter, style, technique, or genre; there are, however, special sections for nature, wildlife, travel, and experimental photography. The accompanying photos, chosen from images submitted in the past, are indicative of the contest's great range.

The 1998 competition attracted more than 32,000 entries from amateur and professional photographers from 120 countries.

The fact that the contest is called the Hasselblad Austrian Super Circuit is not a restriction; it signifies that Hasselblad is a sponsor, and pictures taken with any camera are welcome. One of the prizes is a Hasselblad--a 503-CW; a Minolta 800Si is another; and cash awards totaling $30,000 will also be given. Some 400 trophies and medals and an invitation to the gala Night of Photography in Linz, Austria, are other highlights of the competition.

Three hundred and fifty of the best entries will be collected in a catalog of the competition, a copy of which will be given to each participant.

We were happy to help promote the 1998 contest, which aimed to encourage greater participation by American photographers. Contest chairman Chris Hint-erobermaier has told us that due in part to Shutterbug's help, US response totaled more than 1000 requests for entry forms and US participants more than doubled from the previous year. And Americans didn't just enter--they won, with, among others, an amateur photographer taking the Chairman's Trophy.

This year the deadline for entries is August 2, 1999. For complete information and entry forms, write to Hasselblad Austrian Super Circuit, Postfach 364, A-4010 Linz, Austria, Europe; or fax your request to 011-43-732-750100; or e-mail it to: austriansupercircuit@netway.at.

If you've got the goods, here's a big chance.