2025 NSC Photo Contest Rules

Deadline

All entries are due by 4 p.m. Friday, February 28, 2025.

Eligibility

The 2025 still photography and multimedia competition is open to Professional and Student National Press Photographers Association members of the New England, New York/International, and Mid-Atlantic Regions ONLY (formerly NPPA Regions 1, 2, and 3).

Contest submissions open on Friday, January 3, 2025 and close on Friday, February 28, 2025 at 4 p.m.

Judging will take place online on Friday (date to be announced).

Fees

Single Entries: $40 for up to 20 singles, picture stories, and individual or team multimedia entries.
Portfolio Entry: $55, includes up to 20 singles, picture stories, or multimedia entries, plus the portfolio.
Student Portfolio Entry: $25, includes up to 20 singles, picture stories, or multimedia entries, plus the portfolio.

Questions: nsc.contestchair@nppa.org

General Guidelines

Entry timeframe and authorship

Entries must have been taken or first published between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024.
Entrants may only submit their own work, except in Team Multimedia entries.

How entries may be used

A single photograph may be entered only once in the single-picture categories.
A single photograph may appear in only one picture story.
Stories or multimedia entries may be submitted separately and also in a portfolio.
Each single photo, picture story, or multimedia entry counts as one entry.
All singles must have been shot in 2024.

Story and multimedia structure

All picture stories must begin with a title slide.
Portfolio singles must begin with a “Singles” title slide.
Each story must begin with a title slide.

Technical and submission requirements

Unviewable entries will be disqualified.
Multimedia URLs behind paywalls will not be accepted.
Mis-categorized entries are not reclassified.
Entries must be submitted via the online form.
No composites, stitched images, panoramas, or multiple exposures.
Entrants must supply original camera files when requested.
Remove tags, ratings, and color labels from all files before submitting.

Geographic limits for certain categories

Spot News, General News, and News Picture Story categories exclude photos made outside the U.S., Canada, or Mexico.

Team entries and judging

Team multimedia entries must list all contributors.
Judges’ decisions are final.

File Information

Ensure IPTC metadata is complete and correct, and do not put your name in the captions.

Caption Requirements

Singles and stories

Every single-image entry must have a title.
Story categories: the title slide must contain a story summary (up to 100 words).

Caption style

Captions must be accurate, in English, and follow AP style.
The first sentence must describe who is in the photo, what is happening, and include city/state/country and a full date.
The second sentence may add context or significance.
Attribute information that is not visible in the photo.

People and identification

Names should be listed left-to-right unless that is impossible.
Identify multiple people clearly.
Portraits must state that they are posed portraits.

Stories must include a clearly labeled story summary in the title slide caption.

Required IPTC Fields

City, State/Province, Country
Date the image was made
Photographer (Credit/Byline)
Source (Employer or client)
Copyright holder
Contact email (same as submission account)
Contact phone (same as submission account)

Image Formatting

3000 pixels on the long side.
JPG saved at High quality (9/12 or 8/10).
Maximum file size: 5 MB.

Naming of Files

Use the following structure:

CategoryAbbreviation_PhoneNumber_storyslug_sequence.jpg

Examples:

NWPS_2125551212_storyslug_01.jpg
NWPS_2125551212_storyslug_02.jpg
NWPS_2125551212_storyslug_03.jpg

Portfolios

Photographer of the Year Portfolio

Multimedia Portfolio

Up to 5 video packages.
Total runtime: maximum 15 minutes.
Must include at least two individual video categories.

Still Portfolio

Up to 20 entries, maximum 80 images total.
Picture stories count as one entry.
At least two picture story categories are required.
At least four Singles categories are required, including one news picture.
Singles may not repeat images used in picture stories.

Combo Portfolio

Up to 20 entries, maximum 80 images total.
May include stills, multimedia, or both.
At least two story or multimedia categories are required.
At least four Singles categories are required, including one news picture.
No repeating singles from picture stories.

Portfolios are judged as a whole, not category-by-category.