The contest gives photography enthusiasts a chance to have their images exhibited at the HP Gallery created specially for the duration of the 10th Annual CONTACT Photography Festival, May 1-31. HP Canada is a premiere sponsor of the CONTACT Festival.

A panel of renowned Canadian photography experts including photographer Edward Burtynsky, gallery owner Nicholas Metivier, and Toronto Star Photo Editor, Ken Faught, will select the winning images. Winners will be awarded a portfolio review, as well as prizes from HP, including the grand prize of an HP Designjet 130 photo printer with $1,000 in HP supplies; an HP Designjet 90r photo printer as second prize; and an HP Photosmart 8750 photo printer as third prize.

The exhibition at the HP Gallery, located at 510 King Street West in Toronto, will continue to evolve as new works from contestants are submitted. These photographs will be reproduced, using the latest HP digital printing technology, and then hung on the walls to create an exciting kaleidoscope of changing images.

"HP's contest aims to inspire creativity and artistic expression in digital photography and vividly demonstrate that digital images truly come alive in the print," says Danny Ionescu, vice president, sales and marketing, Graphic Arts, HP Canada. "With HP's innovative printing technology, brilliant colour and superb image quality is possible for all levels of photography enthusiasts, including professionals. And we're excited to be able to publicly showcase the submissions in their final, printed form, as true to life as the photographer intended."

To enter the HP 2006 Photo Contest - 'Imaging a Global Culture' visit www.hp.ca/CONTACT2006 and submit up to two digital images that document or articulate globalization and the increasing cycle of interconnectedness on a world-scale, whether economic, environmental, political, technological or cultural. Submissions will be accepted April 1- May 20. Early-bird submissions made from the period April 1-22 will be eligible for an early-bird prize by random draw to win an HP Photosmart 475 photo printer.

"Advances in photo printing technology are transforming the potential of photography as an artistic medium," says Emily McInnes, Director of Development, CONTACT. "We are pleased to be working with HP on this exciting contest which opens up the opportunity for exposure for 'undiscovered' photo artists and are looking forward to seeing what stories are shared through it."

In addition to showcasing a selection of images submitted to the 'Imaging a Global Culture' contest, the HP Gallery will be equipped with some of the latest HP printers and visitors are encouraged to bring in their digital images to try HP's innovative printing technology for themselves. The HP Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday, throughout May.

About CONTACT Toronto Photography Festival 2006 CONTACT is the largest annual photography event in North America, featuring the work of over 500 local, national and international artists at 180 venues across the Greater Toronto area during the month of May. CONTACT has become a premiere cultural event for the city, stimulating discussion and innovation among Canadian and international artists. For CONTACT Festival information, visit www.contactphoto.com.

About HP

HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2006, HP revenue totaled $87.9 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.

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For further information: Editorial contacts: Angela Rea, HP Canada, (905) 206-3493, Angela.rea@hp.com; Janet Conover, Arts & Communications for CONTACT, (416) 966-3421 ext. 215, jconover@artscom.ca; HP Media Hotline, 1-866-266-7272, pr@hp.com, www.hp.com/go/newsroom; Hewlett-Packard Company, 3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, www.hp.com

Source: newswire