OFFICIAL RULES - Updated Jan. 2024

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 26, 2024. Entries must be fully uploaded by March 26, 2024, MIDNIGHT, CDT, to qualify for the early deadline rate. Entries made past the early bird deadline will be invoiced for the difference in entry fees.

LATE entry is $20 per entry and the deadline is April 9, 2024, MIDNIGHT, CDT.

Image Competition Registration will open on February 22, 2024!

Please submit your images early to allow ample time to complete your uploads. 

CRITIQUES

Individual critiques are available for an additional charge of $10 per image or album. Please indicate on www.printcompetition.com what images you would like critiqued that you have paid for, if an image is not selected the Print Competition Chair will make a selection for you. 

*Please Note: Critiques are not available immediately and can take four weeks to be processed. If you have ordered a critique, you will be notified via email when your critique(s) are available.

SUBMISSION DELIVERY

1. All entries shall be submitted digitally to www.printcompetition.com after entry fees have been paid online at www.tnppa.com.

2. If an email receipt confirming submission is not received within 24 hours, contact the Competition Chair, Dana Barrett at danakbarrett@gmail.com.

3. All submissions must meet the criteria as stated below in the Official Rules 2024 or they may be disqualified.

• 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. 

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 of $14 per year to create your account. Registering allows you to submit your images to any competition on the site for an entire year.

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 quarterly charge and grants access to all image competition archives, audio recordings of judge’s discussion, and access to the Pregame & Postgame apps. The app will also send email and/or text notifications when your image is about to be judged and a notification when scored, 

The early-registration entry fee is $15 per entry. An entry is defined as a single image or single album in the album category.  Your images and albums uploaded to printcompetition.com must be fully uploaded 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 CDT on March 26, 2024).

Individual critiques are available for an additional charge of $10 per image or album. Please indicate on www.printcompetition.com what images you would like critiqued that you have paid for, if an image is not selected the Print Competition Chair will make a selection for you.

*NOTE* Critiques are not available immediately and can take four weeks to be processed. If you have ordered a critique, you will be notified via email when your critique(s) are available.

1. Entrant must have captured and created the original exposure unless where allowed with guide images in the Artist categories. 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, 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. No entry in any category can be created in part or whole using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology software that is intended to create whole images, backgrounds, and other elements entirely from programmed images. A human must have creative control over the work's expression. Images and their elements must be created with traditional elements of authorship. The committee reserves the right to request the straight out of camera capture or captures to make the competition image. 

3. If an entry, in the good-faith opinion of the Image Competition Committee, 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 submitted by a maker shall be of the same subject unless drastically different themes.
 
7. All entries must be submitted as digital files only.

8. All images shall be submitted according to the following specifications: 

Uploaded files must be sized to 4,000 pixels on the long edge and saved as a high-quality JPG. Image files must contain an embedded color profile of sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998. The total size of the image includes your matting and guide images where required. 

Single Entries

Your filename should be the Title of the Image.

Your name/studio/initials should not be included in the file name or the entry will be rejected. 

Use an underscore as a placeholder for a space in the title.

Examples

• The_Break_Of_Day.jpg
• My_Best_Entry.jpg
• See_Spot_Run.jpg

Album Entries

All page/spread files must be sized to 4000 pixels on the long edge and have an embedded color profile of sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998. Files should be saved as high-quality JPGs. The total size of the image includes your matting and guide images where required. 

Each page/spread file may contain as many images as you desire.

An album entry shall contain a minimum of 5 pages/spreads up to a maximum of 36 pages/spreads.

All page files must be compressed into a single ZIP file.

File Name:

The ZIP file must be named as follows:

Album_Title_Category Abbreviation

(use underscore for spaces: Album_Kaylee_Senior_Album_A-1.zip).

The name/initials/studio of the maker should not be included in the file name or the entry will be rejected. 

Page Filenames should be named as follows:

• Title_ two-digit page number.

For example:

• Cover: Kaylee_Senior_Album_01
• First Page/Spread: Kaylee_Senior_Album_02
• Second Page/Spread: Kaylee_Senior_Album_03

When uploading your zip file to www.printcompetition.com, you will need to upload a JPG of your album cover in addition to uploading your album in a zip file. Your album cover should be included in your zip file as page 01.  

9. If an image has been awarded an exhibition merit in any category at TNPPA or IPC it may not be submitted in any category, including albums, by any entrant at TNPPA. 

10. Any number of entries can be submitted, however, only four (4) entries are required to be eligible for cumulative score awards per Artisan or Photographic case.
 
11. The Image Competition Committee will have the authority to decide on any question not specifically covered by these rules and the Committee's decision will be final. Any entries not following these rules may be disqualified before, during, or after the competition.
 
12. An entry in the Master Artist/Artisan Case may be reproduced from an existing photograph, portrait, graphic, or any other artwork produced by another person as long as the maker can 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. Master Artist guide images should include makers' starting images and any images used with permission.
 
13. Entries should be presented with a digital mat or finished as a framed image. As defined by PPA, presentation is the way an image is showcased that gives it a finished look. Everything in the presentation—mats, borders, color choices—should work to enhance the image. 
 
14. An image that has previously been submitted as part of our collage competition is permitted to be entered the following year. However, the collage itself may not be submitted. 
 
15. 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.
 
16. All entries are non-refundable. 

17. Competition is open to any individual who has paid a registration fee but only current Active, Senior, Lifetime, and Out-of-State TNPPA members are eligible to receive awards. One award is available for the student or aspiring TNPPA member with the highest-scoring image. Non-members are encouraged to enter but are not eligible to receive awards.

18. The jurors may recategorize any image deemed miscategorized before awards are decided.

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 include standard portraits, stylized portraits, and sports/dance collages.

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.

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.

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 details.

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.

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.

MASTER ARTIST

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.

**Guide images must be included in all Master Artist subcategories**

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 the following membership levels (Active, Life, Out-of-State, Senior) are eligible to receive awards unless noted for a particular award. All awards are distributed at TNPPA's Annual Fall Convention Awards Banquet.

A case is considered the top 4 scores by an entrant for case awards. All merits earned from scores and awards in Photographic categories go towards a Tennessee Certified Degree. All merits earned from scores and awards in Master Artist categories go towards a Tennessee Artisan Degree.

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 image competition, never submitted to TNPPA.

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 score for all members to include a maximum of four images.

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 than 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 78. (Best of Show and 1st Place winning entries are not eligible)
The cumulative score refers to the highest 4 entries by an entrant per case.

New this year:

Best of Show Aspiring or Student Member – Awarded to the highest scoring image submitted by an aspiring or student member. No minimum score is required.