TNPPA Image Competition Spring 2023
March 31, 2023
Friday, 9 AM CST
Country Inn & Suites, Cookeville, TN
We have an amazing round of judges for our spring Image Competition all of whom are industry leaders and competition veterans. This is a great opportunity to get your work in front of some very practiced eyes!
Judges for 2023:
Gena Tussey
Michael Collins
Angela Lawson
Competition Contact:
For questions, contact Dana Barrett, Image Competition Chair, danakbarrett@gmail.com. (615)715-9218
Important!! please be sure to read all of the information below.
General Information:
STEP ONE: --->>READ ALL INFORMATION!<<---
STEP TWO: Log in to TNPPA.com and submit an image registration form. Pay registration and optional critique fees. *NOTE*: You will not upload your images to the TNPPA website. https://www.tnppa.com/form/image-salon-registration-2023
STEP THREE: Make sure you have read the TNPPA COMPETITION RULES before uploading your images to www.printcompetition.com!
STEP FOUR: Upload image submissions to www.printcompetition.com. There is a nominal charge to set up an account if you do not already have one. Note: You may pay your registration fees at TNPPA and then upload images to printcompetition.com at a later date, however, all image uploads must be complete prior to the deadlines noted below or your submission will not be accepted! Please allow ample time for your files to fully upload to the site.
DEADLINES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
- EARLY REGISTRATION opens February 13, 2023, and ends AT MIDNIGHT, CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, March 14, 2023.
- Competition registration ends at MIDNIGHT, March 28, 2023, CST (Late registration is March 15 - March 28, 2023, at midnight)
**NOTICE:** No image entries will be accepted after the stated deadline.
No exceptions or extensions will be granted for any reason.
Please upload early to allow ample time to upload before the deadlines.
About TNPPA Image Competition:
The purpose of this competition is to allow photographers to enter digital files and/or digital albums to be judged against a standard of excellence based on criteria using PPA's 12 Elements of a Merit Image.
Entries in the Master Artist category/Artisan Case are judged based on not just the final image result but also the execution of technique and degree of difficulty.
Guide images must be added to the digital canvas for all elements not created by the maker.
Fee Schedule:
The early-registration entry fee is $15 per entry. An entry is defined as a single image or single album in the album category. Note: Your images and albums must be uploaded to printcompetition.com BY the early registration deadline to be eligible for the early registration rate. Images submitted after the 'early' deadline will be invoiced at the late registration price.
The late entry fee is $20 per entry (for image submissions made after midnight CST on March 14, 2023).
CRITIQUES: Individual critiques are available for an additional charge of $10 per image or album. Note: Please indicate on www.printcompetition.com what images you would like critiqued that you have paid for, if an image isn't selected the competition chair will make a selection for you. NOTE!!: Critiques are not available immediately and can take two to four weeks to be processed. If you have ordered a critique, you will be notified via email when your critique(s) are available.
Setting up an account on printcompetition.com:
Navigate to printcompetition.com and create a "New Artist Registration" with your email address. There is a nominal fee to create the account on their site which will allow you to submit your images throughout the year. Through this service, you will have access to upload your images and also access other print competitions across the country. You may also select a premium membership which incurs a nominal quarterly charge but grants access to all image competition archives, audio recordings of judges discussion, and access to the Pregame & Postgame app as well as other benefits. In order to receive email and/or text notifications when your image is judged and the score received, you must have a premium account, however, with a basic account you can see your scores on printcompetition.com.
Live Image Judging Information:
Members are welcome to sit in and view the judging! For those new to image competition, it a great way to learn what it takes to earn merits with your images. It is a fantastic learning opportunity to hear judges discuss in real-time as each image is displayed. Join us live.
The Image Competition will be recorded on printcompetition.com If you are unable to attend in person, you may order the recording!
All points earned from an Artisan Case are considered A merits toward the new Artisan Degree (starting in 2019, not retroactive). All points earned with the Photographic Case are A merits for the Certified Degree as well as past points earned. Only active members are eligible to earn degrees. TNPPA Merits are awarded as follows: Images scoring 76-79 earn 1/2 merit. Images scoring 80 or above receive one full merit.
Scoring System:
Scoring will be as follows: Exceptional 95-100, Superior 90-94, Excellent 85-90, Deserving of a Merit 80-84, Above Average 76-79, Average 74-75, Acceptable 70-73.
Use of Submitted Images:
Entry into the competition permits TNPPA to share competition images on tnppa.com, the TNPPA Facebook page, and/or other marketing material after IPC Judging concludes. All image copyrights remain with the maker and reasonable requests to refrain from sharing member work will be honored.
TNPPA COMPETITION RULES for 2023:
Image file specifications:
Uploaded files must be sized so the longest dimension is 4,000 pixels (20 inches at 200 ppi) and saved as a JPEG with a quality of 10. Image files must also contain an embedded color profile of sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998. Files should be named with the Title of the Image. The name of the maker should not be included in the filename or the entry will not be accepted. Filenames should read as follows: "The_Break_Of_Day", "My_Best_Entry", "See_Spot_Run"
DIGITAL SINGLE-IMAGE ENTRY
- Files are to be named: Image Title. Use _ for spaces: See_Spot_Run.jpg.
- Entries in the Master Artist category/Artisan Case must include guide images on the digital canvas/face of the entry.
- Studio identification or the entrant’s name may not appear on your image or digital canvas.
DIGITAL ALBUM ENTRY
1. All page/spread files must have the longest file dimension at 4,000 pixels, have an embedded color profile of sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998, and should be saved at a JPEG quality setting of 10.
2. Each page/spread file may contain as many images as you desire.
3. An album entry shall contain a minimum of 5 pages/spreads up to a maximum of 36 pages/spreads.
4. All individual files must be compressed into a single ZIP file. ZIP file must be named:
Album_Title_Category Abbreviation
(use _ for spaces: Album_Kaylee_Senior_Album_A-1.zip).
5. All pages must be labeled as follows:
Title_ two-digit page number. For example, Kaylee_Senior_Album_01 for cover, Kaylee_Senior_Album_02 for the first page or spread, Kaylee_Senior_Album_03 for the second, etc.
6. Studio identification or the entrant’s name may not appear on any file within the album entry.
7. When uploading your zip file to www.printcompetition.com, you will need to upload a jpeg of your album cover in addition to uploading your album in a zip file. Your album cover should also be in your zip file as page 01.
SUBMISSION ELIGIBILITY
1. Entrant must have captured and created the original exposure unless where allowed with guide images in the Artist categories, see rule #10. In addition, a maker can use supporting photographic elements that they did not create, provided those elements are referenced as guide images on the face of the entry. Examples of these elements are digital or photographic print backgrounds, textures, or detail elements, or similar. The original photographic capture by the entrant should be merit-worthy independent of the work that was not their own. Elements created by the maker should not be part of the guide images. This includes images within an album entry.
2. For the purpose of these competitions, images created with Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not be considered to have been created by the maker.
3. If an entry, in the good-faith opinion of the Salon Chairperson, violates copyright, trademark, or any other applicable law then that entry shall be disqualified, and any merit awarded will be revoked and no refund will be granted. The maker may petition the TNPPA board to demonstrate the image is in good standing.
4. The entrant’s name shall not appear anywhere in or on the face of the entry.
5. No entry will be eligible that has been made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment.
6. No two entries in the same case shall be of the same subject unless drastically different themes.
7. Entry media is digital files only.
8. If an image has been awarded an exhibition merit in any category at TNPPA, IPC, or SEPPA it may not be submitted in any category, including albums, by any entrant at TNPPA.
9. Any number of entries can be submitted, however, only four (4) entries are required to be eligible for cumulative score awards per case type (Artisan or Photographic).
10. The Jury Chairperson will have the authority to decide on any question not specifically covered by these rules and the Chairperson’s decision will be final. Any entries not following these rules may be disqualified before, during, or after the competition.
11. An entry in the Master Artist category/Artisan Case may be reproduced from an existing photograph, portrait, graphic or any other artwork produced by another person as long as the maker is able to provide appropriate written permission for use at any time before, during or after the competition. All Artisan images are required to have guide images included on the digital canvas.
12. Entries should be presented with a digital mat or finishing as a framed image. PRESENTATION: (as defined by PPA) The way an image is showcased gives it a finished look. Everything in the presentation—mats, borders, color choices—should work to enhance the image.
13. Images that have previously been submitted as part of our collage competition are permitted to be entered. However, the collage may not be submitted.
14. No exceptions or extensions will be granted for any reason. Any image that violates these rules and deadlines will be disqualified and may not be judged. No refunds will be granted for disqualified images.
15. All entries are non-refundable.
16. Competition is open to any individual who has paid a registration fee but only current TNPPA members are eligible to receive awards.
17. Jurors may recategorize any image deemed miscategorized before awards are decided.
DEADLINES AND FEES
Early Competition fees are only $15 per entry. You may enter as many images and albums as you would like. If you have more than fit on a registration form, fill out a second form. The early deadline is March 14, 2023 . Entries must be received by March 14, 2023, midnight CST, in order to qualify for early deadline rates. Otherwise, you will be invoiced for the difference in late registration fees.
LATE entry is $20 per entry and the deadline is March 28, 2023, midnight CST.
The ALL Digital Image Competition Registration will open on February 13, 2023!
Please upload your images early to allow ample upload time.
SUBMISSION DELIVERY
1. All entries are to be submitted digitally to www.printcompetition.com after all case fees have been paid online at www.tnppa.com. Go to EVENTS -->SPRING WORKSHOP --> IMAGE COMPETITION.
2. If an email receipt confirming submission is not received within 72 hours, contact the Salon Chair, Dana Barrett at danakbarrett@gmail.com.
3. All submissions must fulfill the entire requirements of this document or they may be disqualified.
Note: Failure to comply with these rules may result in disqualification of the entry. No exceptions or extensions will be granted for any reason. No refunds will be given. Please allow enough time for uploading of files before deadlines.
PHOTOGRAPHIC CASE COMPETITION CATEGORIES
You must designate one of the below categories for each entry:
1. PORTRAIT
In this category, the person (s) or pet is the primary subject of the image.
P-1 Child – Portrait containing a child or children from birth to age 16.
P-2 Male – Portrait containing an adult male. (18 +)
P-3 Female – Portrait containing an adult female. (18+)
P-4 Group – Portrait containing a mixture of portrait categories such as a family, couple, or other groupings.
P-5 Pets – Portrait containing an animal where the photographer has control of lighting (studio and natural light use), environment, and the photographer or owner has control of the animal.
P-6 High School Seniors – Portrait containing someone who is between the ages of 16 to 18. This category includes standard portraits, stylized portraits, and sports/dance collages.
2. ILLUSTRATIVE
This category includes a wide range of subject matter. Capturing the beauty of nature, wildlife, abstract, and conceptual areas are considered illustrative.
I-1 Abstract – This category is for images that express ideas and emotions with photographed image elements without the intention of creating a traditional or realistic image. They may be achieved in-camera or in post-production.
I-2 Nature- This category includes Wild animals in an uncontrolled lighting environment, zoo animals, botany, flowers, seascapes, cityscapes, urban landscapes, and sunsets with or without people.
I-3 Photojournalism – This category includes sports images, news images, and any other journalistic style images. Images that illustrate an actual public or non-public event, life, an area of human interest, telling news that have meaning on the context or record of events, high impact and/or lasting emotional response. Images that illustrate sporting events are included in this category. ONLY basic color and brightness adjustments, cropping, dodging, and burning in are allowed. Only single-capture images will be accepted. Composite and multiple exposure images will not be accepted. The original image capture (in RAW or jpg) must be available if requested by the committee.
I-4 Illustrative Open –This category is specifically for illustrative images that do not fit in another category. Including painted images or composites that do not belong in the master artist category due to level of difficulty, still-life, conceptual images, storytelling images.
3. COMMERCIAL
This category includes images created for a commercial client to advertise a product and promote a brand or company. This can be an interior or exterior of a structure or within an industrial environment.
C-1 Architectural-This category includes building exteriors or interiors, highlighted architectural features, and real-estate photography.
C-2 Product/Food- This category is for stylized food photography or product photography.
C-3 Commercial Open- This category is for any commercial image that does not fit in the other categories including editorial work, industrial work, and promotional work.
4. SOCIAL EVENT
This category is for event photography.
SE-1 Wedding Candid - Images can portray a subject or subjects from a wedding including candid or detail work.
SE-2 Wedding Formals- Images that depict the formal or posed portraits taken at a wedding including bridal, groom, couple, family, and wedding party images.
SE-3 Events- Images can portray a subject or subjects from all aspects of a social event other than a wedding including traditional portraits, candid, or details.
5. ALBUMS
A collection of digital images across multiple pages that tell a story.
A-1 Open Album – This is any album besides a social event or wedding album. This includes a portrait story, a storybook album, an illustrative album, or a commercial album.
A-2 Event Album- This is an album from a wedding event or other social event.
ARTISAN CASE COMPETITION CATEGORIES
**Guide images must be included in all Master Artist subcategories**
MASTER ARTIST
A conceptual image altered or manipulated from its original condition. Creations can be a subtle application using post-processing techniques, or a dramatic combination of details to suggest a larger story. The artist is responsible for the idea behind the image and the work done to create the finished art piece. Guide images required.
MA-1 Image Restoration - This category is for redoing damaged images, creative liberties may or may not be taken. The original working image is required to be included as a guide image.
MA-2 Digital Creation - A conceptual image altered or manipulated from its original condition. Creations can be a subtle application using post-processing techniques, or a dramatic combination of details to suggest a larger story. The artist is responsible for the idea behind the image and the work done to create the finished art piece. Guide images are required on the digital canvas.
AWARDS
To be eligible to receive an award the image-maker must be fully enrolled in a TNPPA membership at the time of competition. Members from any membership level (Student, Aspiring, Senior, Active, Out-of-State, Life) are eligible to receive awards unless noted for a particular award. All awards are distributed at TNPPA's Annual Fall Convention Awards Banquet.
Most Improved - D. E. Dickerson Award – the most improved photographer from the previous year based on a cumulative case score.
Stan Baker First Timer Award – This award is to go to the highest overall case score of the maker who has prior to the time of the current TNPPA salon, never submitted to any state, regional, or IPC competition.
Joe Bass Memorial Award – the highest scoring image in the Illustrative category.
ASP Award – the highest scoring image by an ASP (American Society of Photographers) member.
People’s Choice Award – chosen by popular vote of the convention attendees.
Presidential Award - the highest scoring overall image or album with a minimum score 80 or above.
TNPPA Photographer of the Year - W. W. (Bill) Carrier, Jr. Award awarded for the highest cumulative case score.
Tennessee Top Ten – The ten entrants with the highest cumulative case scores based on the highest 4 entries by an entrant.
Judge’s Choice Award – each judge will choose one entry from the competition to receive their judge’s ribbon.
Tank Award – awarded to the PPA Tennessee Local Affiliate with the highest cumulative case score for all members.
AIM Trophy - awarded to the highest scoring animal image in the competition. If there is a tie, judges will decide on the winning entry. Winning entry must have a score of at least 80 (deserving of a merit) to qualify. The winning image also receives free submission to the Animal Image Makers annual competition.
CPP Award - awarded to the highest scoring image by a CPP, Certified Professional Photographer, who is also a TNPPA member.
Each entry is allowed to win only one of the following awards. If your entry fits more then one award category, it will receive the highest award it earned. The lower awards will be opened to other entries. These awards are chosen first by score. In the event of a tie score, the jurors decide which entry will receive the award.
Best of Show – the highest scoring entry in a category with a minimum score 80 or above.
1st Place – the highest scoring image in a subcategory with a minimum score 80 or above . ( Best of Show entries are not eligible)
Distinguished – the next two highest scoring entries in a subcategory scoring a minimum of a 78. ( Best of Show and 1st Place winning entries are not eligible)
Cumulative score refers to the highest 4 entries by an entrant per case.
Good luck to all entrants!
Elena Ganusova
Of Stone and Fluff
2022 Presidential Award
2022 Judges Choice Award
2022 ASP Award
About TNPPA Image Competition
Strive to Be More
Image competition is one of the best ways to test and improve your skills as a photographer.
TNPPA hosts two types of image competitions each year. During Spring Workshop, is our Annual Salon Competition. This is the competition that provides as a stepping stone into PPA District Competitions and then on to PPA's International Photographic Competition which brings image makers from all across the globe. Our Spring Salon is scored by IPC jurors and jurors in training. They are always fair (and sometimes tough!) but the value of professional critique of your images is priceless. Each merited entry in our Spring Salon earns one merit toward TNPPA's Certified degree program. Note: This competition is digital only.
During our Fall Convention, we host a collage competition that allows a maker to submit printed images in an 11x14 format and requires a minimum of four images to be displayed and/or composited. Merits in this competition earn "B" merits toward TNPPA's service degree.
Dana Barrett, TSD, TCD
Dana Barrett serves as TNPPA's Print Competition Chair and oversees all aspects of our Salon and Collage competitions.
Print competitions involve a lot of moving parts and coordination with several people to make everything flow smoothly.
If you are interested to serve on the print competition committee, please reach out to Dana via email danakbarrett@gmail.com