The official challenge: “Slow Shutter.” As always, interpret the theme however you’d like to give us the best shot that you can.

For a little inspiration, check out the photos by Barry Underwood. And if you’ve never shot long exposure photography, don’t let that stop you. Check out examples using the technique in different ways here.

The rules:

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos need to be taken the week of the contest. (No portfolio linking or it spoils the “challenge” part.)
3. Explain (briefly) the equipment, settings and technique used to snag the shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com.

Send your best entries by the end of SUNDAY (yes, we’re moving the contest days) at contests@gizmodo.com with “Slow Shutter” in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs at 800 pixels wide, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email. [Life]

First Place — Jim Chitwood

Second Place — Andreas Kokkinos

Third Place — Sergio Hikawa

Now it’s your turn. What sorts of ridiculous secrets do you wish Infinity Ward put in their latest blockbuster if only they didn’t take themselves and their game so goddamned seriously? Send your best entries to me at contests@gizmodo.com with Modern Warfare Easter Eggs in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Send your work to me by next Tuesday, and I’ll pick three top winners and show off the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it!

First Place — Doc Brown

The Nikon Festival has the theme “A Day Through Your Lens”, and asks budding filmmakers to upload digital films with that theme, of lengths less than 140 seconds, to their website. The contest is six weeks long, starting right now. Festival judges include Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute of The Office fame), photographer Chase Jarvis, and some girl unfortunately described as an “Internet Personality” with the even more unfortunate name of iJustine. But guys, Rainn Wilson!

Oh yeah, and Ashton Kutcher will be sharing his own entry, partly because he has an advertising deal with Nikon and partly because this contest is tangentially related to Twitter. That ’70s Show was a long time ago, you know, and now Twitter is his job — and Ashton Kutcher is nothing if not dedicated to his job.

The winning filmmaker will get $US100,000 and some sweet Nikon gear, and there’ll also be an audience favourite award worth $US25,000, in case iJustine is out of touch with modern independent filmmaking. [Nikon Festival]

Send your best entries to me at contests@gizmodo.com with Retro Gadgets in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Send your work to me by next Tuesday morning, and I’ll pick three top winners and show off the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it!

For that, they would have had to ascend the ribbon with an average speed of 18km/h. They didn’t quite reach that goal but it appears that we are finally making real progress on a concept first proposed in 1895. What’s more, the ground laser that was used to charge the photovoltaic cells used half the power than their previous model with far better results. This year’s contest has not concluded, and there is the possibility that another team could equal or surpass LaserMotive’s results. But at the very least there is reason to believe that the idea of an elevator that reaches space might not be so far-fetched after all.

[AP via PopSci]

If I’m going to be honest, I kind of expected more from this contest: There aren’t many truly impressive drawings submitted as of now, and the current leader in votes is a virulent anti-Obama nutball creation that looks more like the bumper of an Alabama ute than an iPhone case. A drawing of Obama as Heath Ledger’s Joker? What does that even mean? You can’t be an anarchist and a socialist at the same time, they’re completely conflicting ideologies. Take a political theory class, Cardboard iPhone Case Drawing Man!

Anyway, I think there are enough badass illustrators among the Giz readership that could really bust out some impressive entries. I’d love to see what you guys can do — this contest is ripe for a Giz onslaught. Go forth, readers! [Case-Mate via CNET]

The official challenge: “Fast Food.” As always, interpret the theme however you’d like to give us the best shot that you can.

The Four Rules:

1. Submissions need to be your own.
2. Photos need to be taken the week of the contest. (No portfolio linking or it spoils the “challenge” part.)
3. Explain, briefly, the equipment, settings and technique used to snag the shot.
4. Email submissions to contests@gizmodo.com with “Fast Food” in the subject line by Thursday.

Save your files as JPGs or GIFs at 800 pixels wide, and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Include your shooting summary (camera, lens, ISO, etc) in the body of the email. [Image]