Metropolitan Museum of Art Photo Contest

Looking at art—really looking—can be a powerful thing. But it takes time. And patience. And even a bit of practice. The rewards, however, are well worth the effort. Looking often reveals details not registered by the viewer at first glance, elements that can bring a work of art to life.

We've just launched the third iteration of our "It's Time We Met" promotional campaign. Called "Get Closer," this phase highlights details from works of art throughout the Museum: an exquisite pair of bejeweled hands, a tense pile of sculpted feet, the golden swirl of a French horn's looping center, a horse's tail that looks like a sweeping brushstroke cast in bronze. These are but a few of the images that you will now see on kiosks in front of the Met, on buses and subways platforms around New York, and in online and print ads.

But we also want to hear from you. What's your favorite detail from the Met's collection? What have you seen that perhaps the visitor next to you missed? We're opening a free photography contest, encouraging everyone to share—in photographs and words—the details from the Met's collection that have intrigued or inspired them.

We're accepting submissions through Friday, April 8 (all of the guidelines on how to enter are here). The top five photos and descriptions will be published on the Met's website this spring, and the winners will each receive a free Individual Membership to the Met for a year.

So come visit, get closer, and share with us what you see.