I been wondering about the response to all these juried shows with the advent of all the different sites where one can post their stuff online for free.
Here a plea from an apparently desperate art show director

Hi,

I wish to share with you a simple letter about The Art of Photography Show. In case you have not seen one of our "call for entries" emails, the 2013 entry deadline is tonight, June 10th at 11:59 pm PDT.

We are encouraging each photographer to submit images which are a unique _expression_ of you, your vision, your creativity. No limits, no boxes you need to fit into. Though the title of the show is evocative of what the exhibit is about: The Art of Photography Show. Our Prospectus contains all of the information about how to enter your work.

The Art of Photography Show is an international photography competition, with the exhibition occurring each fall at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park. Now in our ninth year, one of the distinguishing characteristics of the competition is that our judge is always a highly acclaimed museum curator. Most photographers feel that having their work exhibited in a museum is the ultimate goal. Yet, getting exposure to museum curators is normally very difficult. This project provides that opportunity. We’re very excited that Julia Dolan is our judge this year, the Curator of Photography at the Portland Art Museum. In this era of "online exhibitions," we feel it's very important that photographers exhibit their work as "objects of art" in physical galleries. The Sa n Diego Art Institute is a very elegant 10,000 square foot gallery, right next to the San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of Photographic Arts.

A key point of the show is to provide a forum for independent photographers to exhibit and sell their work. The Opening Reception on October 12, 2013 will be attended by over 1,500 people (for free). That evening we will announce the award winning images and give away $10,000 in cash prizes, including $2,000 for first prize. And we'll be giving away thousands of copies of the Show Catalogue, which will feature the images and information about each of the exhibited artists. On the morning of October 13, Julia Dolan will give a curatorial presentation, talking about some of the work she selected and about contemporary photography today. There will also be several artist talks during the five week exhibition, similar to what we did in 2012. This document provides additional information about the show.

Marketing and promotion for the Art of Photography Show is extensive, with numerous cross-promotions, tens of thousands of announcement cards, as well as promotion to thousands of fans and friends on social networks. We will be sending a personal invitation to our list of over 25,000 collectors, luxury consumers and art connoisseurs to the Opening Reception and to all of our special events in the gallery. The purpose for all of the above activities, events and efforts is to promote the selected artists and to sell their work. And we truly love photography, so we are diligently working to elevate and promote this art form.

Just to share a few additional thoughts, we answer every phone call, reply to every email, review portfolios, share sincere feedback, speak at schools and art classes, and do everything we can to assist photo artists -- young, old, aspiring or established. You can read lots of testimonials from artists and attendees of our previous shows here. And please check out this short document by our Associate Producer, Lisa Smith, titled "So what's it really like? If my work is accepted, what happens next?"

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks for your time.

Sincerely,

Steven Churchill
Producer

The Art of Photography Show
www.artofphotographyshow.com
Email: steven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Phone: 1-619-825-5575