The World Open of Photography LIVE event is a defining moment in a professional photographer’s career. An enormous screen, concert-level audio, thousands of spectators, and the rare opportunity to produce one’s own choreographed show of the best images of their career. It’s powerful. Especially with $25,000US on the line.

The LIVE event is invitational. Photographers can request their invitation by submitting a 3-minute mini-production demo to The Open’s review panel. Why? In our experience in producing live events, there is a difference between a photographer who has an incredible body of published work and a photographer who can also produce a compelling show. It is an art unto itself. The review panel will invite the top six artists to Vancouver, Canada to unleash their full 7-minute shows to the live audience in September 2012. Following the LIVE event, The Open continues to promote the top artists and generate widespread exposure.

It is a prerequisite to have at least one image entered in the SOLO competition to be considered for the LIVE event.

The predecessor to The Open, the Pro Photographer Showdown at the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival. Sold out every year since its inception. Pictured above: 2006 Showdown, produced by W1.