Rules updated January 2025.

Photographic Open (single image or album): The entrant must have captured and created the original exposure comprising the main subject. A maker may include supporting photographic elements they did not create but each must be referenced as a guide image in the presentation of the entry. 

• Examples: digital or photographic print backgrounds, textures, detail elements, sky replacements, and textures. 
• The original photographic capture by the entrant should be merit-worthy independent of the added elements.
• Elements created by the maker should not be shown as guide images. 
• This includes all images within an album entry.

Master Artist: The entrant may use elements not personally created, but guide images are required on the presentation mat for each separate element used during image creation. 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 or license for use at any time before, during, or after the competition. All Master Artist images are required to have guide images included on the digital mat. Master Artist guide images should include both original images made by the maker and images or elements used with permission.

No entry in any category can be created in part or whole using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology intended to create whole images, backgrounds, and other elements entirely from blank or text prompts. A human must have creative control over the work's expression. All images must be created with traditional elements of authorship. The Image Competition Committee (ICC) reserves the right to request camera (RAW) images of any component used in the creation of an image. Images manipulated by software that creates fill by sampling surrounding pixels, such as content-aware fill or cloning, are permissible.

If an entry, in the good-faith opinion of the ICC, violates copyright, trademark, or any other applicable law then the entry shall be disqualified, and any merit(s) awarded will be revoked. 

The entrant’s name, studio name, or any other personally identifying information or watermarks shall not appear anywhere on the face of any entry, included in the filename, or image/album title. Entries with identifying information will be disqualified.

Entries made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment are not eligible for competition and will be disqualified.

Multiple entries of the same subject are prohibited unless they are considerably different themes, composition, wardrobe, storytelling, etc.

All images must 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 all presentation mats and guide images where required.

Files must be named as follows:

Image Title (use underscore between words, e.g., See_Spot_Run.jpg).  Avoid special characters, as they are sometimes not recognized.

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 to TNPPA Image Competition. 

Up to ten (10) entries may be submitted, however, only the top four (4) scoring entries (case) are considered when calculating cumulative score awards for Artisan or Photographic categories.

Example: Cumulative score awards include Photographer of the Year and Tennessee Top Ten. Visit the Competition FAQ page for more details.

The Image Competition Committee (ICC) has the final authority to decide on any issue not specifically covered by these rules. The ICC decisions are considered final. Disqualifications may be made at any time before the competition through its completion.

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 issued for disqualified images.

The competition is open to any individual who has paid a registration fee. Only TNPPA members in good standing (Active, Senior, Lifetime, and Out-of-State) are eligible to receive awards. One award is designated for the student or aspiring TNPPA member with the highest-scoring image.

The jurors may recategorize any image before awards are decided.

A competitor shall not interfere with the live evaluation of images by contacting the competition committee, any juror, or the jury chair via any method (text, email, social media message, phone call, etc) during the competition. If this occurs, the image competition committee may elect to disqualify some or all images created by the maker who initiated contact with a juror or committee member.

Your file name must be the title of your image.

No personally identifying information including name, studio, or watermark should be visible as part of the filename, on the presentation, or face of the image. Entries with identifying information of any kind will be rejected. 

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

Punctuation is not permitted in the filename but may be entered in the “Title” field on printcompetition.com. Image titles will be read exactly as submitted! Do not include file extensions in the title field when uploading your images. 

Examples:

Each page file may contain any number of images.

An album entry must contain at least 5 pages up to a maximum of 36 pages.

Personal, studio identification or watermarks must not appear on any page of the album entry.

No photographs entered in an album may be entered as a separate entry in another category at any time. 

All page files must be sized to 4000 pixels on the long edge and have an embedded color profile of sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998. The total size of the image includes your matting and guide images where required. 

Files should be saved as high-quality JPGs. 

You must submit two files including a cover image and a zip file containing the individual page files. There are two upload fields on printcompetition.com, one for the cover and one for the zip file.

The zip file should be named: Title_Category (OPEN or EVENT) and include all relevant pages using two-digit page numbers. Example:
Zip file: Brenda_Lou_Open.zip (main file to be uploaded)

• Brenda_Lou_01.jpg (included in zip)
• Brenda_Lou_02.jpg (“)
• Brenda_Lou_03.jpg (“)
• …Etc.

Page Filenames are numbered according to viewing order using a two-digit page number.

Cover: Brenda_Lou_Cover.jpg (to be uploaded separately with zip file entry)

All categories include a Main Category and subcategories. 

PORTRAIT - A person(s) or pet is the primary subject of the image.

• Child – Portrait of a child or children from birth to age 16.
• Male – Portrait of an adult male. (18 +)
• Female – Portrait of an adult female. (18+)
• Group – Portrait of a mixture of portrait categories such as a family, couple, or other groups.
• High School Seniors – Portrait featuring a subject between the approximate ages of 16 to 18.  This category may include standard portraits, stylized portraits, and sports/dance collages.
• Pets – Portrait of an animal where the photographer has control of lighting (studio or natural), environment, and composition. The photographer, assistant, or owner has control of the animal.

ILLUSTRATIVE - Includes a wide range of subject matter.  Capturing the beauty of nature, wildlife, abstract, and conceptual or painted art are considered illustrative.

• Abstract – Images that express ideas or emotions with photographed image elements without the intention of creating a traditional or realistic image.  Effects may be achieved in camera or post-production.
• Nature – Includes wild animals in an uncontrolled lighting environment, zoo animals, botany, flowers, seascapes, cityscapes, urban landscapes, and sunsets with or without people.
• Photojournalism – Includes sports, news, and other journalistic-style images. Images that illustrate an event, life, or area of human interest. Images typically have high impact and/or create an emotional response. Only basic color and brightness adjustments, cropping, dodging, and burning are allowed. Only single-capture images will be accepted. The committee reserves the right to request an original RAW image with EXIF data intact. 
• Illustrative Open – Includes painted or composited images that do not fit the master artist category. Additional image types may include still-life, conceptual, light painting, and 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.

• Architectural – Includes building interiors or exteriors, highlighted architectural features, and real-estate photography.
• Product/Food – Stylized food or product photography.
• Commercial Open – Includes any commercial image that does not fit other categories including editorial, industrial, or promotional works.

SOCIAL EVENTS - This category is for event photography where editing is permitted.

• Wedding Candid – Images can portray single or multiple subjects from a wedding to include candid or details.
• Wedding Formals – Images that depict formal or posed portraits including bridal, groomal, couple, family, and wedding party images.
• Events – Images can portray single or multiple subjects attending a non-wedding social event. Includes traditional portrait, candid, or details.

ALBUMS - A collection of digital images spanning multiple pages that tell a story.

• Open Album – May include portrait, storybook, illustrative, or commercial images.
• Event Album – May include images from a wedding or other social event.

MASTER ARTIST

• Image Restoration – Includes restoration of old or damaged images. The original working image must be included as a guide image.
• 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. All entries must be self-directed and created by the artist. Outside editing is not permitted. If you have no bright ideas or want to copy someone else…then you shouldn’t enter this category.

▶️ Guide images are required for all Master Artist entries.

To be eligible to receive an award the image-maker must be a TNPPA member in good standing at the time of competition. Only Active, Life, Out-of-State, and Senior members are eligible to receive awards. One award is available for the highest-scoring image created by an Aspiring or Student member. Awards are distributed at TNPPA's Annual Fall Convention Awards Banquet.

Case Awards

The cumulative case score is determined by totaling the top four (4) highest-scoring entries of each maker. Case awards include: 

• TNPPA Photographer of the Year – W. W. (Bill) Carrier, Jr. Award – awarded for the highest cumulative case score.
• 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 – The highest overall case score of the maker who has, before the time of the current TNPPA image competition, never submitted to TNPPA.
• Tennessee Top Ten – The ten entrants with the highest cumulative case scores based on the highest 4 entries by an entrant.
• Tank Award – awarded to the PPA Tennessee Local Community Network (PPMT/PPETN) with the highest cumulative case score for all members.

Individual Awards

• Presidential Award – Highest-scoring overall image or album with a minimum score of 85.
• Joe Bass Memorial Award – Highest-scoring image in the Illustrative category.
• People’s Choice Award – Chosen by popular vote at the Fall Convention.
• Judge’s Choice Award – Chosen by each panel judge. 
• 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.

Other Organization Awards

• ASP State Elite – The highest-scoring image by an ASP (American Society of Photographers) member.
• CPP Award – The highest scoring image by a TNPPA member designated as a CPP, Certified Professional Photographer by PPA.

Designation Awards

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. These awards are determined by score. The jury panel will break ties in closed judging after the competition ends. 

• Best of Show - The highest-scoring entry for a Main Category (Master Artist, Portrait, Commercial, Illustrative, Social Events, Album). Minimum score: 80.
• 1st Place - The highest-scoring image in a Subcategory (e.g. Portrait - Pets, Illustrative - Open, etc.). Minimum score: 80. (Best of Show entries are not eligible)
• Distinguished - The next two highest-scoring entries in a Subcategory. Minimum score: 80. (Best of Show and 1st Place winning entries are not eligible)

All merits earned from scores and awards in Photographic Open categories are applied toward a  Tennessee Certified Degree (TCD). All merits earned from scores and awards in Master Artist categories are applied toward a Tennessee Artisan Degree (TAD).