Single Picture Categories

All entries must adhere to the NPPA Code of Ethics. If you have questions about the eligibility of your entries, based on the organization for which it was created, contact Contest Chair Andy Mendelson.

Every single image entry must have a title (i.e., the name of the entry, e.g., Football Jubilation). Place the appropriate title in the Headline field in the IPTC info panel.

Spot News (SPNW) A picture of an unscheduled event for which no advanced planning was possible. No photographs taken outside of the United States, Canada, or Mexico are allowed.

General News (GENW) A picture of a scheduled event for which advanced planning was possible. No photographs taken outside of the United States, Canada, or Mexico are allowed.

Feature Picture (FTSG) Usually a “Found” situation with strong human interest or a fresh view of the commonplace, domestic or international.

Sports Action (SPTA) A peak action picture that captures the competitive spirit, domestic or international

Sports Feature (SPTF) Sports-related feature pictures other than game action, domestic or international.

Portrait / Personality (PTPN) A picture of a person that reveals the essence of the subject’s character, domestic or international.

Pictorial (PICT) A picture that exploits graphic, aesthetic qualities of the subject with an emphasis on composition, domestic or international.

International News Photo (INTR) A single news picture captured in a country other than the United States, Canada or Mexico.

Environment (ENVT)  A photograph from our natural environment or relating to an environmental issue, whether they report on a specific local facet or phenomenon of this global crisis, or if they address a national or global policy or initiative. Climate change photos should be entered here. Photographs can be from any part of the world.

Picture Story Categories

All entries must adhere to the NPPA Code of Ethics. If you have questions about the eligibility of your entries, based on the organization for which it was created, contact Contest Chair Andy Mendelson. 

It is acceptable that parts of a picture story could have been made earlier than 2022. That said, the entry should not have been entered in a previous year’s contest nor should the majority of it have been published before 2023. Story category entries may contain images made in prior years, but the majority of the work must have been made between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.

A maximum of 12 images per story is allowed. Additionally, all picture stories must start with a title slide, whether submitted on their own or as part of a portfolio. Each complete picture story is considered one single entry. Entrants are encouraged to edit tightly. Images in picture stories will not be judged individually. To enter a photo from your picture story on its own, you must provide a separate entry using the correct still category. A story summary must be included in the caption field of the first photo in your story.

The decisions of the contest judges and committee are final.

News Picture Story (PSNW) Any general or spot news subject portrayed in a multiple-picture fashion. This category is for stories produced in the United States, Canada, or Mexico only.

Feature Picture Story (PSFT) Any feature-oriented subject portrayed in a multiple-picture fashion, domestic or international. Pictures should be edited to convey a single theme.

Sports Picture Story (PSSP) Any domestic or international sports-oriented subject portrayed in a multiple-picture fashion. Pictures should be edited to convey a single theme, domestic or international.

International Picture Story (PSIN) Any general or spot news subject portrayed in a multiple-picture fashion. This category is for stories produced outside the United States, Canada, or Mexico.

Multimedia Entries

(**for each multimedia entry, please upload a screenshot in the photo slot on the entry form)

All entries must adhere to the NPPA Code of Ethics. If you have questions about the eligibility of your entries, based on the organization for which it was created, contact Contest Chair Andy Mendelson.

Entries must be entered as an active URL to your company’s website or a hosting site such as Vimeo. File uploads are not accepted. URL’s MUST remain active through April 30, 2024. Multimedia URLs will not be accepted behind a paywall. When submitting, please use the appropriate Multimedia Entry Code, followed by a colon and then the active url. Separate entries on individual lines. (example   MMDI: www.yoururlhere.com)

Daily Multimedia Individual (MMDI) A single piece of work of a maximum length of 3 minutes produced by a single journalist containing stills and/or video. Audio, text, graphics, etc. are allowed by not required. The use of archival materials is acceptable. Entries in this category should have been shot in roughly a single shift. The story was shot, edited, and produced by, or almost exclusively by, one person with little outside help. Permissible outside help includes things like feedback on story structure, minimal timeline adjustments, minimal shooting assistance, etc. If more than one person is listed in the credits, the entrant must state explicitly in the entry notes exactly where they were assisted so judges can determine if it is permissible.

Short-form Multimedia Individual, non-daily (SFMM) An individual piece of a maximum length of 5 minutes produced by a single journalist containing stills and/ or video covering a period longer than a single day. Audio, text, graphics, etc. are allowed but not required. The use of archival materials is acceptable, The story should have been shot, edited, and produced by, or almost exclusively by, one person with little outside help. Permissible outside help includes things like feedback on story structure, minimal timeline adjustments, minimal shooting assistance, etc. If more than one person is listed in the credit, the entrant must state explicitly in the entry notes exactly where they were assisted so judges can determine if it is permissible.   

Long-form Multimedia –  Individual (MMLF) An individual piece of a maximum length of 5 minutes produced by a single journalist containing stills and/or video covering a period of time longer than a single day. Audio, text, graphics, etc. are allowed but not required. The use of archival materials is acceptable. The story should have been shot, edited, and produced by, or almost exclusively by, one person with little outside help. Permissible outside help includes things like feedback on story structure, minimal timeline adjustments, minimal shooting assistance, etc. If more than one person is listed in the credits, the entrant must state explicitly in the entry notes exactly where they were assisted so judges can determine if it is permissible.

Team Multimedia (MMTM) Work produced by a staff or team containing stills and/or video. Audio, text, graphics, etc. are allowed but not required.  The use of archival materials is acceptable. Entries in this category can be produced by multiple journalists and contain multiple stories on a single theme or a longer form piece. Not all team members are required to be NPPA members.

Portfolio

All entries must adhere to the NPPA Code of Ethics. If you have questions about the eligibility of your entries, based on the organization for which it was created, contact Contest Chair Andy Mendelson.

There is a single Photographer of the Year category that covers still photographers and multimedia journalists. Thus, entrants can submit a portfolio that contains only still photographs, only multimedia pieces, or a combination of both.

For Portfolio entries, group the single entries together, starting with a title slide labeled “Singles.” Start each story with a title slide. Also, include a title slide with a screen grab for each multimedia piece in portfolios. They should follow the naming convention above. Slug the label slide ending with 01 and continue naming the files sequentially. ALL portfolio entries need to be named beginning with PORT_2125551212_storyslug_01.jpg, etc.

If you want your images and video/multimedia judged in the portfolio category, every single file name in your portfolio entry must begin with PORT.

Professional Portfolio Entries – PORT

Still Portfolio: 
A portfolio may contain up to 20 entries totaling no more than 80 images. Picture stories count as a single entry. A portfolio MUST include entries from at least two of the picture story categories. It must also include entries from at least four Singles categories, one of which MUST be a news picture. Singles within the portfolio should not be repeated in a picture story in the portfolio. Portfolios will NOT be broken down into individual categories for single-picture judging. Portfolios will be judged on their impact as a unit demonstrating diverse ability and photographic excellence.

Multimedia portfolio: A reel of no more than five video packages, a total reel of no more than 15 minutes (so an edit of a longer form video). Must draw from at least two of the individual video categories. Portfolios will be judged on their impact as a unit demonstrating diverse ability and photographic excellence.

Combo Portfolio: A portfolio may contain up to 20 entries totaling no more than 80 images. Individual multimedia categories may be included as part of the portfolio. Picture stories and multimedia entries count as a single entry. A portfolio MUST include entries from at least two of the picture story or individual multimedia categories. It must also include entries from at least four Singles categories, one of which MUST be a news picture. Singles within the portfolio should not be repeated in a picture story in the portfolio. Portfolios will NOT be broken down into individual categories for single-picture judging. Portfolios will be judged on their impact as a unit demonstrating diverse ability and photographic excellence.

** The decisions of the contest judges and committee are final.