2013: You Lose Some…

Lots of compers have already contacted me about my 2013 wins post – it was great to get so much positive feedback and tales of your own successes, and I wish you all the best for your 2014 creative comping! This post is just my short annual roundup of my favourite competition entries which DIDN’T win me a prize in 2013. I never like to think ANY of my creative comping efforts are a waste of time as they’re challenging and fun, take me to new places, delight my son, and are occasionally delicious. Most importantly, they regularly make people smile!

In January last year, Pizza Express launched a lovely creative competition on Instagram where you had to take a photo of their new calzone pizza for a chance to win a holiday to Italy. This was a great excuse to treat a friend to dinner and I decided to take along Ry’s toy Buzz Lightyear as a prop! I love this photo and although it didn’t win, I was super pleased when SuperLucky reader Claire won it with her Italy map – you’ve got to love comping props!

Alpro too wanted photos featuring their products – this time, an Alpro breakfast! The winner got a trip to New York. I used my Photoshop skills for this one, which perhaps was a bit too clever!

I also used a bit of Photoshop for this Instagram shot for the Ecover Toilet Humour competition to win cleaning products. I had a spare toilet seat (as you do!), so popped it round my neck and got Rob to take a photo, then I cut round it in Photoshop and pasted it on top of a photo of my bathroom. Again this was may have been a bit TOO advanced – and scary! – to be a winner. This competition closed months ago and despite me chasing several times, Ecover still haven’t announced the final batch of winners – perhaps they should get a hurry on, before the ASA give them a ring…

Now, I did actually win a small prize of a Wolverine sake set with this photo for the Yo! Sushi competition, but forgot to include it in my Wins post! Like Ecover, this was a competition where a few of us requested that it should be changed from a voting competition to a judged competition to make it fairer and encourage more entries. The top prize was a trip to Japan, and I got a runners up with my Harajuku-inspired take on the Wolverine pose!

I entered this Mission Wraps blogger competition to create a lunch inspired by a movie – this is Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs!

Finally, although this Halloween photo wasn’t for a particular competition I just LOVED dressing up as Grotbags the Witch for the day and chasing Ry and his cousin round the garden. Cackle!

This year I want to spend less time in Photoshop, and more time out in public in fancy dress! Bring on the creative World Cup photo and video comps – and I’ll see you in Brazil!

Don’t forget, if you’ve had successes with your own photos and videos last year then enter my competition – details on my ‘You Win Some’ post. Be lucky!