This fun poster I found the other day said -

Well, here's your chance to give a fitting reply. Google is conducting a photography contest "Google Photography Prize" for students aged 18+ from all over the world. The winner gets a once-in-a-lifetime photography trip to a destination of their choice with a professional photography coach. In addition, the top 10 winners can see their work displayed at the Saatchi art Gallery (London's finest museum for contemporary art) and the top 100 entries also gets a Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone.

At Google, we think great art deserves great exposure. So we are teaming up with Saatchi Gallery, London to offer student photographers around the globe a chance to showcase their work on the worldwide stage.

Jumping in is easy - Just pick from one of 10 categories, upload up to 8 of your best shots in a public Google+ album named "Google Photography Prize" and fill up the submission form. The categories include - Me, Food, Travel, Fashion, Action, Street, Sport, Night, Silence/Sound and point of view.

Google said the jurors will be selecting the winners based on creativity, innovative use of medium and how well your photos represent the category. Curators from Saatchi Gallery will shortlist 100 best submissions from which a jury of renowned photographers will choose the 10 finalists and the ultimate winner.

So hurry up, its time to dig out the long forgotten camera from your closet and get started. The last date for submitting your creations is January 31, 2012. Here are some random entries just to give a picture of how fierce the competition is -

Similar to "Doodle 4 Google", it's a great opportunity for all young budding photographers to showcase their talent. But the "Google+" catch got me thinking. Is Google really conducting a photography contest or is it trying to get Google+ penetrate the student community where no doubt, Facebook rules.

What do you think? The comments section below is all yours.