The 2024 PPANI Awards
This year the awards shall be a full print competition in partnership with the 5 person expert judging panel in partnership with The Societies of Photographers (SWPP). Each print entry should have an accompanying digital file for reference during the live judging process and also for slideshow use during the awards. Please take care to submit the same digital file that the image was printed from.
There will be two heats to the competition. First heat will be a 10x8 print. Judges will not only be judging the image but also print quality and paper choice.
Gather all your prints, make sure add a sticker to the back of each print with your member number, category and subcategory along with a print title if necessary. Put all prints into envelopes, label each envelope with the relevant category, subcategory and your member number. Remember not to write on the back of the print unless a label as a pencil or pain will mark through the print. Remember also not to put your name on the print, only your member number.
Post your prints to BRADLEY HENDERSON (41 MANDEVILLE MANOR, CRAIGAVON, BT623UP). They must arrive before the deadline. You can also drop them off in person.
Count up your entries and pay via the website. You have five free entries redeemed by using code 5FREE at checkout. Free entries are for prints only and excludes wedding albums.
Remember to send digital versions of all your prints to BRADLEY HENDERSON HERE. Please label each digital image with category subcategory and member number. It is very important that you send these digital images and that they are the same image that has been printed.
Please check over the rules for each individual category. There are category specific rules that apply. For example, no composites in the wedding category. This includes adding textures, light flares, etc.
All prints will be judged during the live judging session. The top five scoring images from individual photographers will go through to the finals. These finalist images must be printed 20 x 16 and presented for final judging. More information will be posted regarding this.
At request of the judging panel, there will be no live streaming of the event and we encourage as many of you to make it along to the in person event, as this is the best education you will receive all year.
Please count up your entries and use the cart below to enter. You have 5 free image entries included in your membership. When checking out please enter 5FREE in the discount box. N.B Only use this code once per person.
Entries for the 2024 PPANI Awards Competition will open on Monday 1st January 2024 at 9am and will close on Tuesday 31st January 2024 at 5pm.
Live judging will be held in the senate room of queen’s university on 11th and 12th february which members are encouraged to attend. At the request of the judging panel, there will be no live recording or post recording of the judging days.
Each entry into the main competition costs £7.50 per image. Members are given five entries (excluding wedding album) as part of their PPANI membership.
Entry into the Wedding Album category costs £25 and you can enter as many albums as you wish.
Entering the competition
Please add up the number of images you would like to enter at the top of the page and ADD TO CART. You can then us your membership discount voucher 5FREE which will discount the fee for 5 entries.
DIGITAL FILES
Resize the longest side to 3000 pixels and save as a JPG named in the following format - Category_ Sub Category_Member Number_Sequence Number. For example - wedding_reportage_0025_001.jpg
PLEASE NOTE - it is very important that you name the files properly.
Images may have a border, or not.
Put all images into a folder and upload to my PPANI Dropbox Folder using this link https://www.dropbox.com/request/pkvk1ObMzoHUBqok03it
If you wish any image to have a title - please send the image number along with the title in the message when sending the files.
AWARD CATEGORIES
Creative
Creative Commercial Photographer Of The Year
Creative Pictorial Photographer Of The Year
Creative Fashion & Beauty Photographer Of The Year
Creative Landscape Photographer Of The Year
Portrait
Newborn & Baby Portrait Photographer Of The Year
Children Portrait Photographer Of The Year
Pet Portrait Photographer Of The Year
Family Portrait Photographer Of The Year
Open Portrait Photographer Of The Year
Wedding
Wedding Day - open
Wedding Day - Bride or Groom alone
Wedding Day - Reportage
Pre & Post Wedding Photographer Of The Year
Wedding Album Of The Year
Overall Awards
Licentiate Award
Overall Creative Photographer Of The Year
Overall Portrait Photographer Of The Year
Overall Wedding Photographer Of The Year
Francis Neill Trophy Photographer Of The Year
Competition Rules
Entry into the PPANI Awards is open to qualified members only whose membership is paid in full until the end of the current season.
All entries must have been photographed between 1st January 2023 and 31st December 2023.
Each entry into the main competition costs £7.50 per image. Members are given five free entries (excluding wedding album) as part of their PPANI membership.
Entry into the Wedding Album category costs £25.
Payment must be made prior to the competition deadline. Failure to do so will result in disqualification from the competition.
All submissions must be shot and posed or directed by the entrant.
Image enhancement techniques (including digital retouching) are permitted but specific rules on each category must be adhered to.
All post production work must be carried out by the entrant.
There is no limit to the number of entries the entrant may submit.
Only one image from each entrant may go forward to the final in each category.
Images produced on photographic workshops & seminars are not permitted. This includes images produced by delegates and instructors of workshops.
Entries into all categories must be from commissioned work except for Portrait: Open, Portrait: Pets, Creative Landscape and Creative Pictorial which can be commissioned or non-commissioned work.
Entrants may submit each image only once and may not enter the same image in more than one category except for Wedding Album.
Any entries which do not conform to the rules will be withdrawn from the awards judging and no payments returned.
The PPANI reserves the right to disqualify any entry that fails to meet the criteria or, in its opinion, may breach or contravene legal guidelines on public decency or may otherwise bring the entrant or the PPANI into disrepute. Any costs incurred by the PPANI in such a situation will be reimbursed by the entrant.
The PPANI reserves the right to ask for the original file on request.
Entrants agree that any entered image may be used by the PPANI in any of their printed material, publications or electronic media.
By entering this competition, the entrant acknowledges that the employer, client and/or subject have copyright release or model release giving permission for the image to be published or exhibited in connection with these awards and that he/she is the author of the work as defined in the Design, Copyright and Patents Act 1988.
Entries may only be single captured images except in: Wedding Album, Portrait: Open and Creative: Pictorial.
Entries must be 100% photographic, no graphics or text is allowed (text is allowed in the wedding album only). Entrants must have captured every part of an image i.e if a texture is used it must be a texture photographed by the entrant.
Entries to the Wedding Album competition may include front cover designs but entrants must ensure that all company, studio and album manufacturer branding is removed as this will result in disqualification.
The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Winners, first and second runners up will be announced and presented with awards (TO BE ANNOUNCED).
An overall wedding photographer of the year will be selected from the four winning wedding sections as will a portrait photographer of the year and a creative photographer of the year.
The Francis Neill Trophy will be awarded to the best image in the competition.
The Licentiate Award is for photographers who have been a Licentiate for three years or less. This is an open section. E.g. Any image entered by a photographer who is applicable can win the award. You do not need to separately enter this category. The Licentiate award will be awarded to the photographer with the highest scoring image in the competition.
It is the entrants responsibility to ensure all of the rules in this document are met.
Information correct at time of publication – the PPANI reserve the right to amend any of the above without notice.
CATEGORY SPECIFIC RULES
WEDDING CATEGORIES
All wedding category submissions must be created on the actual wedding day. Specifically the day the registry is signed and ceremony takes place. The only exception to this rule is for cultural differences where the wedding runs over consecutive days such as a three day Indian wedding.
All entries in each of the wedding categories must be of commissioned work.
Photographers who work as second shooters may enter images provided that they have obtained permission from the main photographer and that rule 6 from the above general rules has been met.
Wedding Day – Open
Whilst there are no restrictions on the type or subject of images entered into this category, they must have been created at commissioned weddings where the entrant was the principle professional photographer and must have been taken on the day the register was signed. No models permitted. The judges are looking for images that are either styled or in a photojournalistic style. (Authors will be required to provide details of the wedding). Special consideration is given to multicultural weddings spanning multiple days. Commissioned work only. For wedding entries; If several photographic elements are used in the final image, all the elements must have been taken at the same wedding.
Wedding Day - Bride or Groom alone
Same rules apply from wedding day though the image must contain only one person (either a bride or a groom).
Wedding Reportage
Images entered into the Wedding reportage category must be completely unposed with no direction given from the photographer. Exposure, colour correction, dodging, burning and cropping are allowed. Cloning or adding effects are not permitted. Original files may be asked for as proof and must be provided within seven days.
Pre & Post Wedding
Entries in this category must be of a real couple on a commissioned pre-wedding or engagement or post wedding shoot. Composites are not permitted in this category including adding new skies, rain, lens flares, textures etc from other images, flipping an image is not permitted.
Wedding Album
Images must be shot by the entrant. Images taken by a second shooter are not permitted for inclusion in the album. Must not include images taken from pre or post wedding shoots.
WEDDING ALBUM EXAMPLE
PORTRAIT CATEGORIES
Newborn & Baby
This category is specifically for babies from birth until their first birthday. (Images where parents or siblings are present may be entered although the newborn must noticeably be the main subject of the image. E.g. The baby held in the arms of the father.) All image manipulation is permitted. Images taken during weddings are not permitted. All entries must be of commissioned work.
Children
This category is specifically for children aged one year old up until their sixteenth birthday. Entries can be of an individual child or of numerous children. Retouching must be kept to a minimum. (Dodging, burning, colour manipulation, small cloning is allowed, flipping an image is not allowed. Composites are not permitted.) Images of bridal parties are not permitted. All entries must be of specific commissioned portrait work.
Family
Entry in this category must have two generations or more. Retouching must be kept to a minimum. (Dodging, burning, colour manipulation, small cloning allowed. Composites & flipping are not permitted.) Images taken during weddings are not permitted. All entries must be of commissioned work.
Pets
Entries must be of pets and not wild animals. Entries can be of a single pet or of multiple pets. Images with owners or people are not permitted. Retouching must be kept to a minimum. (Dodging, burning, colour manipulation, small cloning and sharpening are allowed. Composites and flipping are not permitted.) Entries may be of commissioned or non-commissioned work.
Open
This category is for submissions of entries which do not fall into one of the other named categories listed. Any entry into this category which should have been included in another specific category will be disqualified. (E.g. An image of a pet must be entered into the pet category and not open.) Entries may be of commissioned or non-commissioned work.
CREATIVE CATEGORIES
Fashion & Beauty
Clothes, hair, make up, accessories and the beauty of your subject must be the main feature of your entry. All entries must be of commissioned work. Bridal fashion is permitted.
Commercial
Entries may be of any discipline. E.g. Products, events, architecture. All entries must be of commissioned work. Bridal fashion should not be entered into this category.
Pictorial
Entries may include: composites, fine-art, personal project, documentary, street photography etc. Entries may be of commissioned or non-commissioned work.
Landscape
The landscape must be the central focus of the image. People are allowed in images but may not be the focus of attention. Entries may be of commissioned or non-commissioned work.
