Melbourne web + app developer Run Pixel Run designs photographic contest app ‘Pickature’

Run Pixel Run, a Melbourne based web and app development company, has design and developed a new photographic contest app called ‘Pickture’.

Image sharing, inspiration and the ability to win great prizes are now available in the one place, and in the palm of one’s hand.

Compatible with iOS and Android, the intuitive app activates the capabilities of Instagram to provide users with a platform to share their images, be immersed in photography and have the chance to win a range of prizes.

Pickture was initially released to a key group of high-volume Instagram users in a Beta version. These users had a passion for photography and were an ideal group to have immersed in Pickture. Since its public launch, Pickture has been gaining momentum across the globe.

GET THE APP

How it works:

1.Download: Pickture can be downloaded from the Apple iTunes store or (for Android) from the Pickture website: www.picktu.re

2.Sync Instagram account with Pickture: The new app syncs with users’ Instagram accounts, allowing them to enter their Instagram images into themed daily contests and share them with a global audience. In a time where image sharing is central to mobile social activity, Pickture provides Instagram users with a deeper way to utilise and share their images.

3.Browse the active topic: From portraiture and landscape to street photography and macro, Pickture’s daily contest topics focus both on the thematic and technical side of the photographic medium. With each topic available to enter for only 24 hours (some topics are available over a 48 hour period), the fast paced app ensures that users are continually stimulated.

4.Enter: Users are able to enter into the daily topic by uploading their favourite image from their Instagram feed (from within Pickture) that they believe captures the essence of the topic.

Adding to the competitive element of the app is the inclusion of credits that

are redeemed to enter the daily contests. Users are given 16 credits when they become part of the Pickture community. The cost of an image entry is one credit and more can be purchased through Pickture to allow unlimited potential for creative entries.

5.Pick and interact: Once entries are submitted they are anonymously added

to an image feed within Pickture. Users can browse the entries and view the diverse responses to the topic, ‘picking’ their favourites by voting for images they think deserve to win. No credits are used to ‘pick’, encouraging high levels of interaction. More than one image can be ‘picked’.

6.Win: The most popular images (picked by Pickture users) are then rewarded and recognised with various prizes, including vouchers from Pickture’s current sponsors, which include Postercandy, Casetagram, Instawink, Blurb and Instalab and cash prizes. There is one winner and 10 runners-up selections. The users who chose the winner are also rewarded with two credits for more chances to interact and enter. The ever-growing feed of inspiring past winners acts as a resource and provides an insight into the vast array of creative photographers found among Pickture users.

7. Keep sharing, being inspired and rewarded. 8.Watch as you grow with Pickture’s community.

Says Vincent Tan, co-founder of Pickture: “We found so much creative potential on Instagram, images we knew would be worth sharing with the wider community. We wanted to create a platform that would utilise the capabilities of Instagram and allow users to get more from the images that they post and be rewarded for their creativity and interaction. The result is Pickture.

“It doesn’t make a difference whether you have 10 or a million followers on Instagram, it’s about sharing, being inspired and being rewarded. Pickture is not only a great way to share your images, but also to find images and photographers that you love. The concept of community is central to Pickture.”

The innovative app adopts a multi-platform approach by putting winners in the spotlight both within the app and on Pickture’s own Instagram account (@Contest_Club_Pickture). This provides users a chance to not only be rewarded for their images through prizes, but also with a chance to build their network of followers as they are exposed to a wide audience. Through celebrating the winners, Pickture also enables users to connect with and discover others who hold the same creative interests.

The future is bright for Pickture, with the team working on partnerships with other image-related companies who share Pickture’s vision. A membership component to Pickture, will also launch in the coming months, with the aim of providing increased options for users.