Print Competition Info

Your 2025-26 Print Chair:

Kenzie Hunter
402-990-5835
[email protected]

2026 Annual Print Competition

COMPETITION RULES

PLEASE REVIEW THOROUGHLY

The purpose of this competition is to allow photographers to enter photographic images as either digital files or digital albums to be judged against a standard of excellence using the 12 Elements of a MeritImage. (For more information, go to www.ppa.com/ipc) Through this competition PPofN members are also eligible to achieve print credits toward their PPofN fellowship degrees. (For more information visit www.ppofn.com/Fellowship_Degree_Program) All entries must be registered online at www.printcompetition.com.

Register your new account or login and select PPofN when you register. There is a small annual fee for printcompetition.com (see printcompitition.com for details). You will register and upload your images for both digital images and digital albums. There may not be any identifying marks, such as a signature or logo, on the front of the entry as it appears to the judges. PPN will not be responsible for any damage or loss incurred during the handling, judging or display of entries.

All entries that do not meet these criteria are subject to disqualification, all decisions are made by the print committee and are final. These rules pertain to images entered created by traditional photographic processes as well as those captured electronically with a digital camera or scanner.

Entrants can enter either or both the Photographic Open and Artist Case.

Photographic Open Case Rules

All entries must be registered through www.printcompetition.com

Entrants must submit images as digital files for judging.

Entrants are required to upload a digital file for each image entered.

No changes to your entry are permitted once the entry deadline has passed. No refunds will be issued after the entry fee is paid.

Entrants do not need to be PPofN members to compete, however, only PPofN Members in good standing will be eligible for association awards and fellowship credits. Non member entrants are eligible for the Non member Award.

Eligibility

  1. Entrant must have captured and created the original exposure or exposures.
  2. All processing, manipulation and printing or rendering, were done by the entrant or under the entrants direct supervision.
  3. The entrant has obtained and has access to all necessary releases (model or property) and agrees to hold PPofN harmless against all claims and liabilities arising out of the display, publication and promotion or other use of each image submitted to competition.
  4. The entrant’s name shall not appear anywhere in or on the face of the entry.
  5. Four(4) entries are allowed in your case, extra entries are allowed @ $15.00 each with the highest 4 scores being used for awards. Maximum number of entries is 8.
  6. No entry will be eligible if it has been made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment. All images submitted must be self-directed. Images created in an educational environment under direct supervision from an instructor are ineligible.
  7. Any entry that has been created from an existing photograph, portrait, graphic or any other artwork produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will not be judged, accepted or displayed. If an entry, in the good-faith opinion of the print committee, violates copyright, trademark or any other applicable law, that entry shall not be displayed or published.
  8. Entries of the same subject MUST be a totally different treatment.
  9. Entry media includes digital files and digital albums.
  10. If an image has been awarded a PPA merit prior to 2023 or a PPN print credit in any year it may not be entered again.

Categories

PORTRAIT: Consists of portrait or wedding images not photographed as part of the wedding day coverage.

WEDDING: Photographed as part of the Wedding Day coverage.

ILLUSTRATIVE: Consists of commercial/industrial images, scenic, pictorials, and similar subject matter. Portraits and weddings are not appropriate for this category.

REPORTAGE: Images that illustrate an actual public or non-public event, life, an area of human interest, telling news that has meaning in 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 originally captured image (in RAW or jpg) must be available if requested by the.

ALBUM: EVENT: albums consist of time-sensitive social events, such as weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc.

NON-EVENT: albums consist of portrait and storytelling images.

MULTI-MAKER ALBUM: Images in the album must be the work of the entrants (up to three(3)), with a minimum of twenty(20) images per entrant. Each entrant must individually enter the competition and pay appropriate entry fees. Multi-Maker albums will be judged as one(1) entry.

EXTRA ENTRY: Images submitted into this category are judged as any other entry, however, these images will not be included in any awards or case scores.

NON PPN MEMBER: Images from this category are eligible for the NON MEMBER Award.

Digital Entries

Files must be sized so that the longest dimension is 4000 pixels. Each file must contain an embedded color profile of sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998 and be saved at a jpeg quality setting 10. In most cases, total file size should not exceed 3.5 MB. Larger files will be accepted when necessary so long as they are jpeg/10.

Files are to be named, Title.jpg -No underscores or special characters.

Digital Album Entry

  1. All page/spread files must be sized so the longest dimension is 4000 pixels. Each file must contain an embedded color profile of sRGB or Adobe RGB1998 and be saved at a jpeg quality setting 10.
  2. Each page/spread file may contain as many images as you desire.
  3. An entry shall contain a minimum of five(5) pages/spreads up to thirty-six(36) pages/spreads.
  4. Files are to be numbered in viewing order using two(2) digits, i.e. 01.jpg, 02.jpg, 03.jpg, etc.
  5. All individual files must be compressed into a single ZIP file. ZIP file must be named: Album Title.zip(Summer Wedding.zip)
  6. Studio identification or entrant’s name cannot appear on any file within the album entry.
  7. Each entrant must use the same title when entering a multi-maker album.

Viewing Conditions for Image

Review

Digital Entries: Monitor Settings, D65, 120cd/m 2 , 2.20 gamma

Deadlines and Fees

Visit www.ppofn.com/print_competition_info/ for a list of fees and deadlines. Fees are to be paid through printcompetition.com during registration, Entrant is responsible for paying the correct amount/fee when registering.

Critiques

Video Critiques are available for $15.00 each. They will be finished within 3 weeks after conference.

Artist Case Rules

The purpose of this review is to allow the entrant to demonstrate their skills and expertise in the Artist Category. Entries will be reviewed for digital, artistic, and technical proficiency. Entries can be created using digital or traditional art (such as painting and airbrush) or a combination of both. Through this review, PPN members are also eligible to achieve PPN Artist Print Credits toward their PPN Fellowship degree.

  1. All entries must be registered at printcompetition.com.
  2. Entrants submit digital files for review.
  3. Entrants are required to upload a digital file for each image entered.
  4. No changes to your entry are permitted once the entry deadline has passed.

ELIGIBILITY

Entries may be created in various artistic mediums. Photographs may be used in this category in creating an entry, but it is not a requirement. Entries may include freehand drawing or painting in traditional or digital applications. Entries can include stock photography, photographs, or artwork from another artist (s) with written consent to use those sources. Documentation may be requested by PPN before, during, or after the review. If an entry, in the good-faith opinion of the Photographic Competition Committee, violates copyright, trademark, or any other applicable law and cannot be proven otherwise, that entry shall be disqualified and credits revoked if issued.

  1. All processing, manipulation, artwork, or rendering must be done by the entrant.
  2. Guide images must be included on the face of the entry.
  3. No entry will be eligible if it has been made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment. All images submitted must be self-directed.
  4. Entries of the same subject in multiple images will be allowed as long as the images are entirely different concepts.
  5. If an image has been awarded a PPA merit prior to 2023 or a PPN print credit in any year it may not be entered again. The entrant’s name shall not appear anywhere in or on the face of the entry.
  6. Four (4) entries are allowed in your case, additional entries are allowed @ $15.00 each with the highest 4 scores being used for awards. Maximum number of entries is 8.

Digital Entries

Files must be sized so that the longest dimension is 4000 pixels. Each file must contain an embedded color profile of sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998 and be saved at a jpeg quality setting 10. In most cases, total file size should not exceed 3.5 MB. Larger files will be accepted when necessary so long as they are jpeg/10.

Files are to be named, Title.jpg -No underscores or special characters.

Viewing Conditions for Image

Review

Digital Entries: Monitor Settings, D65, 120cd/m 2 , 2.20 gamma

Deadlines and Fees

Visit www.ppofn.com/print_competition_info/ for a list of fees and deadlines. Fees are to be paid through printcompetition.com during registration, Entrant is responsible for paying the correct amount/fee when registering.

Critiques

Video Critiques are available for $15.00 each. They will be finished within 3 weeks after conference.

To register: Please log into www.printcompetition.com. Then search or look for PPofN (not PPN), select that option and then follow the website prompts.
If you have questions with this process please contact your Print Chair.

The 12 Elements of a Merit Image

Twelve elements have been defined as necessary for the success of an art piece or image. Any image, art piece, or photograph will reveal some measure of all twelve elements, while a visually superior example will reveal obvious consideration of each one.The judges consider a set of 12 elements that are deemed the “gold standard” to define a merit image. When choosing your images, consider these 12 elements.

1.) Impact is the sense one gets upon viewing an image for the first time. Compelling images evoke laughter, sadness, anger, pride, wonder or another intense emotion. There can be impact in any of these twelve elements.

2.) Technical excellence is the print quality of the image itself as it is presented for viewing. Retouching, manipulation, sharpness, exposure, printing, mounting, and correct color are some items that speak to the qualities of the physical print.

3.) Creativity is the original, fresh, and external expression of the imagination of the maker by using the medium to convey an idea, message or thought.

4.) Style is defined in a number of ways as it applies to a creative image. It might be defined by a specific genre or simply be recognizable as the characteristics of how a specific artist applies light to a subject. It can impact an image in a positive manner when the subject matter and the style are appropriate for each other, or it can have a negative effect when they are at odds.

5.) Composition is important to the design of an image, bringing all of the visual elements together in concert to express the purpose of the image. Proper composition holds the viewer in the image and prompts the viewer to look where the creator intends. Effective composition can be pleasing or disturbing, depending on the intent of the image maker.

6.) Presentation affects an image by giving it a finished look. The mats and borders used, either physical or digital, should support and enhance the image, not distract from it.

7.) Color Balance supplies harmony to an image. An image in which the tones work together, effectively supporting the image, can enhance its emotional appeal. Color balance is not always harmonious and can be used to evoke diverse feelings for effect.

8.) Center of Interest is the point or points on the image where the maker wants the viewer to stop as they view the image. There can be primary and secondary centers of interest. Occasionally there will be no specific center of interest, when the entire scene collectively serves as the center of interest.

9.) Lighting —the use and control of light—refers to how dimension, shape and roundness are defined in an image. Whether the light applied to an image is manmade or natural, proper use of it should enhance an image.

10.) Subject Matter should always be appropriate to the story being told in an image.

11.) Technique is the approach used to create the image. Printing, lighting, posing, capture, presentation media, and more are part of the technique applied to an image.

12.) Story Telling refers to the image’s ability to evoke imagination. One beautiful thing about art is that each viewer might collect his own message or read her own story in an image.