Take Photos, Win Sweet Prizes from the Oregon Coffee Board

Photo by Ludo.

The Oregon Coffee Board, a growing consortium of coffee companies and individuals working to promote coffee in (you guessed it) Oregon, has launched its first ever photo contest, with a mess of sweet prizes available to amateur and professional photographers. Not least among them is a grand prize trip to Tanzania.

(For disclosure’s sake, it is worth mentioning right up front that Roast Magazine has a small hand in this contest, as winning photos will be featured in an upcoming issue.)

(related: Beautiful Coffee with Beautiful People in a Year of Photos)

A goal of the contest, sponsored primarily by Dutch Bros. Coffee, is to promote images that best capture the story of coffee at various stages from seed to cup, with winners in each of four categories: Farming, Roasting, Creating and Experiencing. From the OCB:

The OCB invites original and inspiring moments that capture the heart of coffee and the people who bring it to the public — the farmers who nurture the green beans, the artisans who roast them to perfection, the baristas who are part of our daily rituals, and the people all over the world who experience the expertise and attention given to each bean along the way.

Submissions are currently being received until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Nov. 21, 2014, and photographers are encouraged to submit as many photos as they like in each of the four categories. Prizes include an espresso machine, coffee brewers, and a year’s supply of coffee. The photographer who takes home Best in Show will visit OCB member coffee farms in Tanzania, plus have the opportunities to visit legendary Mount Kilimanjaro and go on safari in the southern region of the country. Photos are being judged by a group of seven professional photographers and creative agency directors from throughout the United States.

(related: Dowtown Exhibit Combines Some of L.A.’s Top Roasters with ‘Coffeegraph’ Art)

As a photographer, you might be wondering, “Who are these people?” and, “What are they planning on doing with my photos?” The answer to the latter question can be found here. To your first question, the OCB formed in February of this year as a first-of-its-kind consortium of coffee companies to promote specialty coffee throughout the state. In addition to an actual leadership board, the OCB company membership currently includes a number of well-known roasters and importers including Dutch Bros., Sustainable Harvest, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, Boyd’s Coffee, Portland Roasting Coffee, The Human Bean and Farmer Brothers, just to name a few.