Cover Search 2024
Show Us Your BEST SHOTS OF NJ
New Jersey Monthly and Unique Photo’s Cover Search 2024 is bigger and better than ever! Enter your photo(s) for a chance to win 1 of 39+ prizes totaling over $15,000. GRAND PRIZE is a Sony A7IV w/ 24-70mm GM II (a $4,796.00 value) plus your photo featured on the COVER of our December 2024 issue. BONUS: when you enter your photo in the contest, you will automatically be entered into a random monthly drawing for an additional prize from Just Jersey for Photo of the Month.
The photo contest is open to all amateur or professional photographers living in the Garden State and we invite you to submit your best shots taken in New Jersey (preferably after January 1, 2023) through Noon EDT on September 13, 2024.
Photographs can feature people, nature, iconic places in NJ, newsworthy moments, sports, weddings and more! Entry fee is $15 per photo submission. Full-time students (ages 25 and under) can enter for free (with proof of active student status when entering).
Hear some helpful tips and advice in the video below from New Jersey Monthly’s art director, Gail Ghezzi, get inspired browsing past winners, or scroll down further for photography-related tips to keep in mind when entering. Good luck!
A portion of the proceeds will benefit Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey.
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COVER SEARCH TIPS
VERTICAL WORKS BEST
If you submit a horizontal image, roughly half of it will get cropped to fit the cover frame.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Think of the cover as a mini-poster. The best covers are visually simple and can be seen from a distance. Picture your image on a newsstand surrounded by other magazines. A complicated image is more likely to get lost among other visual clutter.
COMPOSITION
Remember that the top portion of the image needs to accommodate the New Jersey Monthly logo, which cannot be covered. Aim for an image that has a consistent tonal range in this area so that the NJM logo can be either dark or light in color. Skies and simple color fields work well for this space. It also helps to have some clear areas in your image to allow for additional cover text.
THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
The best cover images are surprising. Consider visual puns, unexpected angles and unusual juxtapositions.
CAPTURE THE SPIRIT OF NJ
Photographs must be taken in New Jersey but can show any facet of life in the Garden State. Categories include landscape and nature, down the Shore, wildlife, architecture and lifestyle. Special photography (drone, aerial, etc.) can also be submitted.
THE DETAILS
Keep as much of the photo in focus as possible. Vivid colors tend to be ideal, but black-and-white photos are also welcome. Bright images typically work better than dark ones.
IMAGE SIZE
The final trim size of the cover will be 7.75" x 10.875” with 1/8th bleed all around.
PREVIEW
To see how your image might look as a cover, use our cover template on the entry page. Simply upload your image and the template will overlay it.