This month, registration opens for the International Photographic Competition (IPC). As with this year’s Imaging USA, live judging for the IPC will take place in Nashville at Imaging USA, Jan. 11-13, 2026.
This year in Dallas, audience participation made the IPC extra suspenseful. After two days of live judging during Imaging USA in February, 32 images from each of the 16 categories had been narrowed down to one finalist—or Diamond award winner—from each category. These 16 images were pitted against one another in a bracket-style tournament at the Grand Imaging Awards ceremony, emceed by Booray Perry, M.Photog.M.Wed.Photog.Cr., CPP.
A packed ballroom at the Gaylord Texan witnessed each juror on the panel cast their votes for one of two images presented side-by-side on a giant screen.
Meanwhile, Perry prompted the jurors to share their thoughts about the images, which offered a glimpse into the judging process. Audience members also used an app to cast their own votes to see whether their opinions lined up with the jurors’. The audience vote was tallied on the screen as the jurors finalized their votes, adding to the anticipation of which image would advance in the tournament. In a few cases, the audience picked a different image to advance than the judges did.
In the end, John Powers, M.Photog.Cr., CPP, took home the Grand Imaging Award trophy and a check for $10,000 for his image titled, “What in the World Is Going On?!” Being a finalist was beyond Powers’ wildest expectations, he says. While onstage with the other finalists in attendance, he says he thought, “I am not supposed to be in this group. This is not supposed to be happening.” When presented with the top prize, Powers says, it was such a surprise that he found it difficult to believe.
What in the World Is Going On?!
John Powers, M.Photog.Cr., CPP
Applesauce Photography
West Hills, California
CATEGORY: Children & Teens
LOCATION: Holi festival at Nandrai Temple in Nandgaon, India
CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 70D, Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II lens
EXPOSURE: 1/30 second at f/7.1, ISO 400
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Using Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop, John Powers composited in a new background using a second photo he’d captured from the same location.
Morning Glory
Kenneth C. Childress, M.Photog., CPP
Ken Childress Photography
Colorado Springs, Colorado
CATEGORY: Landscape
CAMERA & LENS: DJI Mavic 3 drone
EXPOSURE: 1/20 second at f/2.8, ISO 100
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Kenneth C. Childress used PTGui software to stitch the 12-image panorama together. He used Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, and Nik Collection plugins to adjust the exposure, contrast, and lighting, and to do a detailed processing of the highlights and shadows through dodging and burning techniques.
Blaze
Michelle Dawkins
Island Paws Photography
Kent Island, Maryland
CATEGORY: Pets and Domestic Animals
CAMERA & LENS: Nikon Z 8, Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S lens
EXPOSURE: 1/2,500 second at f/2.8, ISO 640
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, Michelle Dawkins made basic lighting and color range adjustments. Hue and saturation layers were used to harmonize color with the dog’s fur. Noise reduction and sharpening at 30%-40% opacity were also applied.
Just Hang On, I’ve Got This
Rebecca Pickrel, M.Photog., CPP
Pickrel Photography
Sheridan, Wyoming
CATEGORY: Sports
CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS R5, Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM lens
EXPOSURE: 1/500 second at f/5.6, ISO 800
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Rebecca Pickrel used Capture One and Adobe Photoshop to open the image, crop it, convert it to black and white, and adjust the contrast and shadows.
Honorable and Faithful
Olivia Reed
Olivia Reed Photography
Huntsville, Alabama
CATEGORY: Reportage / Photojournalism
PHOTOGRAPHER’S NOTE: “When my best friend Rachel asked me to photograph her husband’s funeral, I felt both honored and terrified,” says Olivia Reed. “How do you capture the deepest grief of someone you love while maintaining the composure needed to document such a sacred moment?” Somehow Reed was able to muster the strength. “The most difficult photograph I’ve ever taken became the most important, preserving for Rachel and her children not just the memory of that painful day, but the respect, honor, and profound gratitude that surrounded them in their darkest hour.”
CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS R5, Canon RF70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM lens
EXPOSURE: 1/200 second at f/4, ISO 500
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Reed used Adobe Lightroom to convert the image to black and white.
Raven, Looking to the Future
Sam Henderson
Sam Henderson Photography
Manchester, Connecticut
CATEGORY: Maternity
CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS III USM lens
CAMERA EXPOSURE: 1/100 second at f/7.1, ISO 100
CAMERA LIGHTING: Sam Henderson used two Hensel 500W strobes. To the right of the subject was a 24x36-inch Westcott soft box, slightly feathered for a wraparound of light. The background to the left of the subject was illuminated by a reflector with a 40-degree grid. He used a black v-flat to prevent spill onto the subject.
POST-CAPTURE: He used Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to soften the skin, sharpen the image, adjust contrast, and convert the image to black and white.
Love in My Soul
Andrew Hiorth
Fable Studios
Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada
CATEGORY: Boudoir
CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS R5, Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 lens
EXPOSURE: 1/160 second at f/2.8, ISO 160
LIGHTING: A Profoto B1 light and a large Profoto deep umbrella in white above the subject
POST-CAPTURE: Using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, Andrew Hiorth applied fine art skin retouching using the frequency separation method, and then used an oil paint filter to paint the hair. He also did a black-and-white conversion and tweaked the contrast and shadows.
Family Circle
Kathy Wierda, M.Photog.Cr.
Kathy Wierda, Studio of Photography
Manhattan, Montana
CATEGORY: Portrait Groups / Families
CAMERA & LENS: Nikon Z 5, Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S lens
EXPOSURE: 1/400 second at f/4, ISO 320
LIGHTING: The main light was a large bank of windows to the left; just behind the subjects to the right was a 3.5x6-foot LumoPro Light Panel set up as a silver reflector.
POST-CAPTURE: In Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, Katha Wierda swapped heads on two of the subjects for better facial expressions. She also lightened up the mid tones and softened with gaussian blur.
Rain Drops
Scott Johnson
The Edge Photography
Writtle, Essex, UK
CATEGORY: Day of Wedding
CAMERA & LENS: Fujifilm X-Pro2, Fujinon XF56mmF1.2 R WR lens
EXPOSURE: 1/2,000 second at f/4, ISO 400
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: No processing was done to the image.
Legend of the Ghost
Kimberly Pezeshki, M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr., CPP
Pez Photography
Laramie, Wyoming
CATEGORY: Illustrative / Digital Art
CAMERA & LENS: Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-200mm F3.5-6.3 OM lens with polarizer
EXPOSURE: 1/5,000 second at f/3.5-6.3, ISO 1000
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Kimberly Pezeshki digitally painted the image in Adobe Photoshop, using the mixer brush and the smudge tool.
Light Speed
Stephen Stookey, M.Photog.Cr.
Stephen Stookey Photography
Fort Worth, Texas
CATEGORY: Commercial
CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens
EXPOSURE: 25 seconds at f/10, ISO 100
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Stephen Stookey converted the raw image and made basic adjustments in Adobe Lightroom. He used Nik Color Efex Pro for custom adjustments on tonal contrast and brilliance/warmth. He used Photoshop to crop and dodge and burn the image.
The Beauty at Sunset is Within and All About
Kevin Dooley, M.Photog.Cr.
Idube Photo Safaris
Albuquerque, New Mexico
CATEGORY: Natural Portrait
CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS R3, Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens
EXPOSURE: 1/640 second at f/7.1, ISO 640
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Kevin Dooley used Adobe Photoshop and Luminar Neo for a basic edit of the shadows, highlights, saturation, and exposure.
Determination
Megan Drane, M.Photog.M.Artist.
Firefly Nights Photography
Naperville, Illinois
CATEGORY: High School Seniors
CAMERA & LENS: Sony Alpha 7R IV, Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens
EXPOSURE: 1/2,000 second at f/5, ISO 200
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, Megan Drane removed the background and replaced it with a sky she’d previously photographed. She changed the color of the sky to include purple and red colors that would sync with the red on the jersey and decreased the brightness of the sky to bring the focus to the subject.
All You Need is Love
Michelle Behr
Michelle Behr Photography
Greenlawn, New York
CATEGORY: Newborn
CAMERA & LENS: Canon EOS R5, Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM lens with mount adapter
EXPOSURE: 1/200 second at f/2.8, ISO 200
LIGHTING: One Einstein light with an 86-inch Paul C. Buff PLM Umbrella, double diffused and with a PLM Black Outer Cover to eliminate back spill light.
POST-CAPTURE: In Adobe Photoshop, Michelle Behr did basic skin smoothing and color correcting. “Newborns tend to have a lot of red in their skin,” she notes.
I’ll Be Back
Kathy Wierda, M.Photog.Cr.
Kathy Wierda, Studio of Photography
Manhattan, Montana
CATEGORY: Illustrative Portrait
CAMERA & LENS: Nikon Z 5, Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens
EXPOSURE: 1/1,000 second at f/4.5, ISO 400
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop, Kathy Wierda swapped the head of the dog for a different capture in which the eyes were wider and the ears attentive. Even though she made the photo in a snowy setting, she composited the subjects into a snowy scene she’d previously photographed on a foggy morning to create a softer mood.
Heron With Dinner
Phil Courie
Anchor Photography
Florence, Kentucky
CATEGORY: Wildlife
CAMERA & LENS: Nikon Z 8, Nikkor Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR lens
EXPOSURE: 1/800 second at f/9, ISO 3200
LIGHTING: Available light
POST-CAPTURE: Phil Courie used Adobe Lightroom to crop and dodge and burn the image.
Amanda Arnold is a senior editor.