Not so long ago when GTA Online's latest DLC, Lowriders: Custom Classics was released, it was closely followed by a week-long event to commemorate it, as per tradition. Part of said tradition is Rockstar hosting a Snapmatic contest, were players must take award winning shots of some of the new content included in the new DLC.
The Snapmatic contest awards winners with GTA $ 1 million and the honor of having their work shown off on the Rockstar Newswire, the developer's proprietary online news platform. Rockstar has held many such competitions over the years, with some winners having taken the prize more than once.
GTA Online has, among countless others, a subculture dedicated to in-game photography, primarily using the Snapmatic app on the in-game smartphone. This allows players to take lore friendly screenshots and apply various filters. The competitors then submit their shots to the Social Club with the hashtag indicated in the event announcement and wait.
Rockstar always selects a handful of winners, though there is no set rule as to how many people may take home the one million bucks. While former winners may win again in subsequent competitions, one photographer can only have one winning snap per competition.
This time around, the three new rides, the two new weapons and the wealth of new character customization items were on show. As you might guess, the Custom Slamvan got most of the spotlight with the Donk and Classic Virgo coming in close. Meanwhile, pictures which rather focused on the guns and clothes were few and far between.
The first winning shot is a stylish black and white snap of a Custom Slamvan flying the flag of Benny's. The shot has a pretty rugged and rusty vibe going on, which perfectly fits the car on display.
The second shot is one of the most creative GTA V snaps we've come across. The paint-job based on American World War II bombers is a stylized shark, which as seen in the snap has been taken back to its natural habitat. Even without bonus points for originality, the shot is beautiful and perfectly set up.
This next shot is once again a take on a wildlife scene, this time using a pair of Donks. Pay note to the paint jobs and you'll understand what the photographer intended to recreate here. What is it about Custom Classics that made everyone go all Animal Planet?
The only shot paying any homage to the new customization options, this snap still has a pretty obvious Custom Slamvan sitting smugly in the background — even so, props for the double barrel shotgun getting center stage.
This shot is a solid runner up for dethroning the second one for title of most creative shot. Playing with perspectives makes the rather large Custom Slamvan look just like a matchbox, with a fitting caption to boot.
As always, Rockstar has also listed a few honorable mentions, though these almost-winners didn't get the million buck worth of in-game currency.
Rockstar also took the space to feature some other fan-made content related to the most recent GTA Online DLC. Several videos focusing on the SUMO Adversary Mode were featured, including the highlights and best moments of the official Rockstar livestream event.
This particularly charming Donk-centric clip, courtesy of the subreddit focusing on GTA V's spectacular rides, surely would have won a motion-picture contest if there was such. Rockstar also announced the winners of the physical merchandise sweepstakes that were held on the Social Club the day that the event went live.
Are any of you award winning GTA Online photographers among our readers? If so, sound off!
