2024 APNPI Image Competition Rules & Guidelines

• All entries must be submitted in digital format, jpg only, electronically through our submission platform.
• Images must be from paid or portfolio building sessions.
• Images must not be from mentoring sessions, workshops, classes or group outings. Such images serve to disqualify the entry, and will be cause to revoke an award if identified after the completion of judging and delivery of said award.
• Each image may only be entered for competition once. Images may not be entered again under a different category.
  Only one image per session and subject may be submitted to any one category. You may enter the same subject in another category provided the images are not the same as those already submitted.
• Each image must be from different sessions and settings, and must not resemble any other image submitted by the applicant.
• Images must be from paid or portfolio building sessions.
• Images must not be from mentoring sessions, workshops, classes or group outings. Such images serve to disqualify the entry, and will be cause to revoke an award if identified after the completion of judging and delivery of said award.
• APNPI has the right to disqualify or recategorize any entry if it does not meet the basic requirements.  Disqualified images will not receive reimbursement of cost.
• Images must be free of all watermarks and may not bear the name, seal, logo or indication of the maker.
• Each category will have specific, required submission criteria. You must submit images to meet these requirements in order to successfully attain an award in your chosen category. Images may be re-categorized at the discretion of the panel should it not meet the chosen category requirements.
• Any image that depicts baby in a pose and/or prop that might compromise the baby’s safety, must be executed with adequate support from an assistant, and composite images should be used where appropriate. (note: frog pose and potato pose are no longer accepted and will be disqualified and no reimbursement of cost or refunds will be issued).  When submitting these images, the maker must also submit the SOOC image to demonstrate safe practices.  Judges may decide to disqualify an image if they feel adequate safe measures have not been taken, or demonstrated with the SOOC, and there will be no refunds or reimbursement of cost to the maker.
• Each image must receive a score of 80 or higher in order to be awarded a Merit.
• Any image that has been previously accepted and awarded with APNPI may not be used again in any category, class, or anywhere in competition with the APNPI.
• Photographs may not be plagiarized.  If an entry violates copyright, trademark or any other applicable law, the entry shall be disqualified.
• All post-processing of the image must be completed by the entrant.  Third party presets and actions are discouraged but may be used.
• Purchased digital backgrounds are not permitted for the purpose of APNPI Image Competition entries.
• Images may not contain elements of stock or purchased product such as skies, trees, buildings, animals, overlays etc.  All images elements must be captured and/or created by the entrant alone.
• No changes to your entry are permitted once paid for and submitted. No refunds will be issued after the entry fee has been paid.
• Copyright remains with the creator of the image, however by entering in this competition, you allow APNPI to use any image submitted, without payment, in any manner whatsoever.  Please be sure to obtain all permissions and model releases where appropriate prior to submitting your images.
• APNPI references image competition standards and levels in keeping with industry standard print competitions.
• All judges’ decisions are final.

JUDGING

• A panel of three APNPI judges reviewing images on a digital display will evaluate the images and an averaged score will be determined.
• The judges’ decision is final.
• Judges may or may not give commentary unless it has been requested in the purchase.
• Winners will be selected by the judging panel at the end of the individual scoring round.
• Once an entry has been scored, the recorded entry is final.  An entry can not be brought back for review.
• A judge may not judge an image in which they have been directly involved in the production or postproduction of the image.
• A judge may judge an image whose creator is known to them if they are able to submit an unbiased score.
• A judge may decline judging an entry for a known creator where and when they hold bias for any reason.
• Judging of images will adhere to standards of Professional Print Competitions.  Please see the resource section for more details on judging criteria.
• Technical issues including but not limited to poor lighting, banding, digital artifacts, missed focus or tonal inconsistencies may be grounds for non-acceptance.

Judging Criteria and Considerations

APNPI Competition Images are judged in keeping with image competition industry standards.

Scoring Categories

100 – 96 Exceptional
95 – 90 Superior
89 – 85 Excellent
84 – 80 Deserving of a merit
79 – 75 Above Average
> 75 Below Exhibition Standard

Awards

79 or lower No Award
80-84 Receives a “Silver” award
85-89 Receives a “Silver Distinction” award
90-95 Receives a “Gold” award
96-99 Receives a “Gold Distinction” award
100 Receives a “Platinum” award

Awards and Categories explained:

Platinum award. Exhibits the best possible use of all skills, creativity and uniqueness.
95-99 Exceptional – Gold Distinction. Approaching the highest level of imagination, creativity and technique.
90-94 Superior – Gold Award. Exhibiting outstanding skills in all areas and originality.
85-89 Excellent – Silver Distinction. Excellent use of imagination, skill and technique.
80-84 Deserving of a Merit – Silver Award. Above average skill and technique in most areas.
75-79 Above Average Standard Practice – No award. Good salable work consistent with standard professional practice.
< 75  Below Standard – No award. Requires improvement in technique.

Awarding the APNPI Photographer of the Year

Judges will score all images once.  The average of each score will be calculated.  To win the APNPI Newborn Photographer of the Year award, the entrant must achieve a minimum of three Merit Images among both the First and Final Image Competition Rounds, and must hold a successful APNPI Accreditation.  The entrant who has the highest average score among their top three winning images from any category, will be awarded the APNPI Newborn Photographer of the Year. In the case of a tie, the judges will do a final round of judging to determine the prize winner.  

In the case of a tie, the judges will do a final round of judging to determine the prize winner.

Maternity Category

• Images must include a pregnant mother as the main subject.
• Images in the Maternity Category can include any style of photography including but not limited to posed, unposed, lifestyle, documentary style, birth photography (in labour, prior to the birth even), environmental, etc and is not location dependant, can be in studio, in home, in hospital, in community settings, outdoors, etc.
• Images may contain additional subjects to the main subject, but the pregnant subject should be the main subject of interest.
• All elements of the image must be photographed in one single shot to compose the submitted image.  Elements added through post processing methods are not permitted.  Special effects through post processing are not permitted.  Any special effects must be created directly through the use of light manipulation and photographic skill in the creation of the image.

Newborn Category

• Images must include a newborn infant as the main subject.  Newborn is considered to be from birth up to 10 weeks of age.  Older subjects qualify for the Milestones category.
• Images in the Newborn Category can include any style of photography including but not limited to posed, unposed, lifestyle, documentary style, fresh 48, birth photograhy, environmental, etc and is not location dependant, can be in studio, in home, in hospital, in community settings, etc.
• Images may contain additional subjects to the newborn, but the newborn should be the main subject of interest.
• All elements of the image must be photographed in one single shot to compose the submitted image.  Elements added through post processing methods are not permitted.  Special effects through post processing are not permitted.  Any special effects must be created directly through the use of light manipulation and photographic skill in the creation of the image.

Milestones Category

• Images must include a baby within the age range of 10 week to 12 months as the main subject.  Older subjects qualify for the Child Category, and younger subjects qualify for the Newborn Category.
• Images in the Milestones Category can include any style of photography including but not limited to posed, unposed, lifestyle, documentary style, environmental, etc and is not location dependant, can be in studio, in home, in hospital, in community settings, etc.
• Images may contain additional subjects to the newborn, but the baby should be the main subject of interest.
• All elements of the image must be photographed in one single shot to compose the submitted image.  Elements added through post processing methods are not permitted.  Special effects through post processing are not permitted.  Any special effects must be created directly through the use of light manipulation and photographic skill in the creation of the image.

Child (ages one year and up)

• Images must include a child from age 1 to 12 as the main subject.
• Images in the Child Category can include any style of photography including but not limited to posed, unposed, lifestyle, documentary style, environmental, etc and is not location dependant, can be in studio, in home, in hospital, in community settings, outdoors etc.
• Images may contain additional subjects to the child, but the child should be the main subject of interest.
• All elements of the image must be photographed in one single shot to compose the submitted image.  Elements added through post processing methods are not permitted.  Special effects through post processing are not permitted.  Any special effects must be created directly through the use of light manipulation and photographic skill in the creation of the image.

Creative Category

Photo credit: Lizzie Gilmour

• Images may include any subject and not limited to age.
• Images in the Creative Category can include any style of photography including but not limited to posed, unposed, lifestyle, documentary style, fresh 48, birth photograhy, environmental, etc and is not location dependant, can be in studio, in home, in hospital, in community settings, etc.
• Images may contain additional subjects to the main subject.
• The main subject in the image must have been photographed by the maker.
• Unlike the other categories, this is the place to showcase creative digital manipulation of images in post processing.  To qualify for this category, images must contain something beyond a regular photograph, including but not exclusive of or limited to, special effects, composite imagery, AI elements, etc.
• All elements in the image must have been created by the maker submitting the image.  Purchased background and elements are not permitted.
• SOOC must be submitted to provide proof of all elements being created by the maker submitting the image.

RENAMING & FILE TYPE:

APNPI reserves the right to disqualify any image for any reason or to defer or terminate the Image Competition at any time, based on it’s sole discretion. In the case of termination, all products will be refunded. When deferred, your purchase entry will move to the deferred competition date.

• NOTE: All entrants agree to allow APNPI to post entered images in our social media, website, and any other media and/or publications, printed and/or electronic.
• APNPI reserves the right to use any and all winning entries for promotion of the organization or competition at any point in time.  Photographers retain all copyright to their images and provide only reproduction rights for promotional purposes as well as the creation of a yearly winners album for sale to the membership.
• Rules and Guidelines are subject to change.