Image Competition Guidelines

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF COLORADO ANNUAL IMAGE COMPETITION
November 3-6, 2022
Entry Deadline: October 31, 2022 – 9 PM

The purpose of this event is to offer image competition, scoring, feedback, critique possibilities, and awards for our PPC members. The competition is for individual digital images, and/or digital albums. These entries are judged against a standard of excellence using the 12 Elements of a Merit Image as a guide. These guidelines closely follow those
used by PPA (Professional Photographers of America, Inc.).

These rules pertain to images entered as digital files created by any photographic process. AI (Artificial Intelligence) is not an excepted process. All entries must be registered with PPC via PrintCompetition.com.

  1. PPC members may submit up to 8 digital files*. They may consist of individual digital files or a digital album, (minimum 10 pages, an album counts as one entry) or a combination of both for judging.
  2. Competition registration starts at PPColorado.com. Please follow directions from there to PrintCompetition.com for payment and upload. (Maximum of 8 entries at Annual Conference.
  3. Awards are based on 6 entries per entrant.
  4. No changes to your entry are permitted once the entry deadline has passed. No refunds will be issued after the entry fee is paid.
  5. Entrants must be active PPC members to receive awards.

Prepare up to 8 of your best images for entry. There is a $75 ($65 PPC Members) entry fee for 1 to 6 images. $10.00 for each additional image. 8 images max. Please note: The best 6 images will be used for your final scores. Some of the awards are based on your total cumulative score so it’s best to enter at least 6 images. Your top 6 scores will count if you enter more than 6!

*You need not be a PPC Member to enter the Image Competition, but as an added benefit for PPC Members – 1st Place PPC Member winners will receive personalized trophies at the Awards Ceremony/Holiday Party (TBD).

Entry Fee:
PPColorado Members pay $75 for up 6 images entered, and $10 each for 2 additional entries. $95 for 8 images total.
Non-Members pay $90 for up 6 images entered, and $10 each for 2 additional entries. $110 for 8 images total.
(Plus a $7 registration fee at printcompetition.com if you are not a member).

Critiques: $7.50 for each image critique requested. Check which images you want to be critiqued when you create your entries and be sure to include the $7.50 when you calculate your payment. Entries are not considered complete until paid.

Eligibility

  1. The Photographic Open Competition is to show the photographic knowledge and skillset of the maker. However, 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. 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 must not be part of the guide images. This includes images within an album entry.
  2. All processing, manipulation, or rendering must be done by the entrant or under their direct supervision.
  3. The entrant has obtained and has access to all necessary releases (model or property) and agrees to hold PPC harmless against all claims and liabilities arising out of PPColorado’s display, publication, and promotion or other use of each image submitted to PPColorado.
  4. The entrant’s name shall not appear anywhere in or on the face of the entry.
  5. A maximum of eight (8) entries may be submitted per entrant for the Annual Conference.
  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 PPColorado, violates copyright, trademark, or any other applicable law, that entry shall not be displayed or published.
  8. Entries of the same subject in multiple images will be allowed if the images are entirely different concepts.
  9. Any image/photograph previously entered a PPColorado Annual Conference image competition scoring 80 or higher may NOT be reentered into the annual conference or any other image competition governed by PPColorado.
  10. Images receiving the Merit or Imaging Excellence (formerly Loan Collection) status at any of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) District Competitions or the International Print Competition (IPC), may NOT be entered into any PPColorado image competition.
  11. Images so entered may be disqualified at the discretion of the Image Competition Committee Chair without notice to the entrant.
  12. Images, not of acceptable exhibition content will be judged for score and awards consideration but may not be displayed on the PPColorado website. The decision of acceptable content will be based on the standards set by the National Gallery in Washington, DC, and at the discretion of the PPColorado Board and Image Competition Committee.

FAQs
Please see the PPC Print Competition FAQs

Download 2022 PPC Image Competition Rules for reference.