Frommer’s Rights-Grabbing Contest Loses Prestigious Judge!

Rick Sammon, AKA “The Digital Dude” and consumate travel photographer, is no longer listed as a judge in Frommer’s odious travel photo contest.

Way to go, Rick!  You are indeed, the dude.

When I contacted Rick to ask him about the contest, he forgot that he had even signed on as a judge (it happens when you’ve got as much going on as Rick). Same thing happened to me when I agreed to judge the travel photo contest for USA Today with Nat Geo director of photography David Griffin.

Once David and I got wind of the rules, we pressured USA Today to change them. Because we were 2/3rds of the judges, we succeeded.

But Rick was 1/6th of a panel that otherwise consisted entirely of Frommer’s employees (in this job market, nobody’s gonna rock the boat on a fulltime day job in the editorial world by pressuring their corporate legal department to change unfair entry rules). So, being the only truly independent judge on the panel, Rick did the right thing, and walked.

Rick probably also walked from a nice honorarium for the day’s work. (Unless, of course, he’s a complete sucker liked me and agreed to judge the contest for a box lunch, mileage, and tolls because “budgets are tight these days.”)

But I think he’s too smart for that, and I’m happy to see that he’s also too conscientious to participate in a contest that so blatantly rips off both professional and amateur photographers!