MELBOURNE, Australia, December 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Aperture Awards have announced that a late entry period is now open while the judging schedule is arranged for the competition, extending until the 10th of December.

The 2009 International Aperture Awards is the world's most prestigious international online photography competition. This year a total of USD$88,000.00 in cash and prizes is on offer!

The 2009 open section of the competition is now open for all professional and non professional photographers with combined cash and prizes of over USD$65,000.00. The Amateur section has a prize pool of USD$23,000.00.

The competition is open to professional or aspiring photographers, photographic students and anyone with a hidden gift for capturing a winning snapshot.

We have assembled an international panel of judges from the professional photography industry to judge the 2009 International Aperture Awards. We are very pleased to announce that Peter Eastway G.M. Photog., Hon. FAIPP, Hon. FNZIPP, FAIPP has once again agreed to be our Head Judge for the 2009 Awards. As a world renowned photographer and publisher, Peter brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the competition.

The competition now in its second year is gaining momentum and is regarded as one of the world's great photographic competitions. With its international judging panel, each image will be scored by 5 separate judges and the 5 scores will be averaged to produce a final winner.

This year all bronze awards or better will receive a certificate recognizing their achievement whether or not they have won a major prize.

To enter the competition as a professional or amateur photographer go to www.internationalapertureawards.com

Media Contact: Harry Dillema Ph: +61-03-8581-7620 Email: harry@apertureawards.com

SOURCE: The International Aperture Awards 2009

CONTACT: Harry Dillema of The International Aperture Awards 2009,+61-03-8581-7620, or harry@apertureawards.com