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Welcome to the New International Photographic Competition!
Photographers compete for $26,000 in cash prizes in the new International Photographic Competition.
One of the most exciting developments in the photographic industry is here, the International Photographic Competition! Photographers are competing for the Grand Imaging Award, which is the industry’s most prestigious prize that comes with a trophy and a check for $10,000. In total, $26,000 in cash prizes will be awarded! Results from the competition will be announced during the edge-of-your-seat live-judging event in Louisville, Kentucky at Imaging USA 2024. “This program will give our members an event to test their photographic skills against the best image makers in PPA," says Director of Credentialing Rich Newell, M.Photog.Cr. "It will give them new marketing opportunities and bragging rights."
PPA members can begin registering their images into any of the 16 image categories as early as July 11 and latest by September 5. The preliminary round of judging will take place online and first-round results for the International Photographic Competition will be announced on November 7. From here, the top 32 images in each of the 16 categories will move forward to live, head-to-head judging rounds at Imaging USA 2024. Only 16 photographers will be category winners and receive a trophy, the Diamond Photographer of the Year award, and a check for $1,000. Judges will deliberate over the final four images and select the overall winner for the Grand Imaging Award.
In the past, PPA members submitted their images to the International Photographic Competition to be reviewed for exhibition merits that counted toward their degree. With PPA’s unveiling of the Merit Image Review in December 2022, the process through which PPA members earn their merits was streamlined and opened to ten months out of the year. This development freed up the International Photographic Competition to evolve into what the Director of Credentialing, Rich Newell, M.Photog.Cr., calls a “true competition.” “By taking the merit out of the International Photographic Competition, we created a true competition for photographers to contend against thousands of image makers for the Grand Imaging Award.”
To read more about the image entry process, live judging rounds, prizes, important dates, and what to expect from the new International Photographic Competition, click here. It all starts with one image. Start submitting your images on July 11 and bring on the friendly rivalry!