Best of Photojournalism 2003

Still Picture Submission Guidelines

All contest entries in picture categories must be submitted as digital files via FTP or on CDs or Zip disks (either PC or Mac). Slides or prints are not eligible this year.

NUMBER OF ENTRIES ALLOWED PER PHOTOGRAPHER

Photographers may enter in the single category competition and/or the portfolio categories. A photographer will be limited to 20 entries. A picture story or portfolio is considered one entry. A single photograph may not be entered in more than one category. However, a single photo may be entered in a Picture Story. A picture entered in the wrong category will NOT be reclassified and the judges have the right to disqualify it.

PICTURE CATEGORY CODES AND DESCRIPTIONS

CATEGORY	CODE	DESCRIPTION	MEDIA
1. Cliff Edom's 'New America Award'	NAA	In diverse communities and small towns we see the spirit and celebration of everyday life. Our goal is to recognize award winning photographic storytelling about rural and ethnically diverse people -- under-covered communities in America. Acknowledging the effectiveness of Cliff Edom's approach and passion for teaching, we move his vision forward. A portfolio of no more than 25 images. Cliff Edom (1907-1991) began his experiment in photographic education in 1943, his purpose was to provide access to the community life of a small town for photographers so that they could hone and develop photojournalistic skills.	Newspaper
2. Newspaper Photographer of the Year	NPY	A portfolio of no more than 40 images. (see instructions for portfolio)	Newspaper
3. Magazine Photographer of the Year	MPY	A portfolio of no more than 40 images. (see instructions for portfolio)	Magazine
4. Sports Photographer of the Year	SPY	A portfolio of no more than 20 images. May include a Sports Picture Story.	Newspaper & Magazine
5. International News	INN	A picture of spot news, general news or issue reporting event taken outside of the U.S.	Newspaper
6. International News Picture Story	INS	A series of pictures taken outside of the U.S. that depicts a story line or single theme. This story may be spot news, general news or issue reporting. 12 images maximum per story.	Newspaper
7. General News	GNN	Recognizing that much of the daily news coverage is planned in advance, we seek to reward outstanding achievement based on creativity and timing at organized events such as general meetings, promotional events and staged coverage opportunities. A photograph taken in the U.S.	Newspaper
8. Domestic News	DON	A photograph that is unplanned and immediate - An event where the photographer hasn't the time to plan but reacts on instinct, adrenaline and news judgment. A photograph taken in the U.S.	Newspaper
9. Domestic News Picture Story	DNS	A series of news pictures taken in the U.S. that depicts a story line or single theme. This story may be spot news, general news or issue reporting. 12 images maximum per story.	Newspaper
10. Feature	FEA	A picture of a "found" situation that features strong human interest, or a fresh view of an everyday scene.	Newspaper
11. Feature Picture Story	FPS	A series of pictures that depicts a story line or single theme. This picture story category is for non-news essays. 12 images maximum per story.	Newspaper
12. Portrait and Personality	PAP	A picture that captures an aspect of the subject's character.	Newspaper
13. Pictorial	PIC	A picture that exploits the graphic or aesthetic qualities of the subject with an emphasis on composition.	Newspaper & Magazine
14. The Arts	ART	A picture that captures the quality, production or expression -- The realm of what is beautiful or of more than ordinary significance. Examples: performing arts, fashion, architecture.	Newspaper & Magazine
15. Computer Image Illustration	CII	In this powerful age of computer imagery and technology, the time has come to reward the creative and dramatic work that graces the pages of newspapers and magazines that use photographs as the source material. This category is for digitally created images.	Newspaper & Magazine
16. Conceptual Illustration	COI	When illustrating, the idea is key,. We seek to reward outstanding execution, without digital means, for an idea that raises the bar on creativity and execution in the area of the illustrative. *This category is not* for digitally created images.**	Newspaper & Magazine
17. Nature & Environment	NAE	A picture that captures, with all its phenomena -- the air, water, minerals, and life (flora and fauna) -- an appreciation of the world.	Newspaper & Magazine
18. Nature and Environment Picture Story	NPS	A series of pictures that depicts a single theme or story line that captures, with all its phenomena -- the air, water, minerals, and life (flora and fauna) -- an appreciation of the world. 12 images maximum per story.	Newspaper & Magazine
19. Individual Sports Action	SAI	A peak action photograph that captures the competitive spirit and game of an individual athlete.	Newspaper & Magazine
20. Team Sports Action	SAT	A peak action photograph that captures the competitive spirit and game of an athletic team. Team sports action recognizes a photograph taken from an event where a number of persons form one side of the team, i.e. soccer, American football, basketball, baseball, etc.	Newspaper & Magazine
21. Sports Feature	SPF	A sports related feature picture other than game action, outside of the field of play.	Newspaper & Magazine
22. Sports Picture Story	SPS	Any sports oriented subject portrayed in a multiple picture fashion. The pictures should be related to convey a singular story line. 12 images maximum per story.	Newspaper & Magazine
23. Magazine Feature	MAF	A picture of a "found" situation with strong human interest, or a fresh view of an everyday scene.	Magazine
24. Magazine Portrait and Personality	MPP	A picture that captures an aspect of the subject's character.	Magazine
25. Magazine News	MAN	A picture of spot news, general news or issue reporting event.	Magazine
26. Magazine News Picture Story	MNS	A series of news pictures that depicts a story line or single theme. 12 images maximum per story	Magazine
27. Magazine Feature Picture Story	MFS	A series of feature pictures that depicts a story line or single theme. 12 images maximum per story	Magazine

PORTFOLIO RULES: NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Portfolios will be judged on their impact as a unit, demonstrating diverse ability and photojournalistic excellence.

A portfolio may contain no more than 40 images. Depending upon the number of images in a picture stories, it's possible to have three stories and 10 singles (Example: If you have three stories with 10 images per story, this leaves you with 10 images for single categories.)
A portfolio MUST include at least two picture stories.
Portfolios will NOT be broken down into individual categories for single picture judging. To enter a photo or picture story from the portfolio entry into a single picture or picture story category, you must provide a separate entry.
To sequence portfolios, please review the Object section of the instructions for submitting picture entries

SCANNING SPECIFICATIONS FOR NEGATIVE OR TRANSPARENCY FILM

Remember, Best of Photojournalism 2003 is only accepting digital applications for the still portion of the contest. If the images you wish to submit currently exist only in negative, slide or print format, you will need to scan those images.

A sample image is posted on the NPPA.ORG web site at http://www.nppa.org/bestofpj/calibration+image.jpg. Adjust your monitor so that this image renders accurate color, contrast and density. We will be using this image as a guide to adjust our digital projection system.
Scan each image as a RGB or grayscale file. Do not use CMYK.
Final image size of each scan should be 11 inches longest dimension at 250 DPI, or in pixels, 2700 longest dimension. Uncompressed RGB file size should be about 8-12 Megs.
Save each file as JPEG 6 (good) or better.

IMPORTANT TIP

We strongly recommend that you do all your scanning and adjustments, first, save them on your hard drive using temporary file names. Entering in caption and entry info will be much easier to do as a group, one right after another. Though it may look intimidating at first glance, inputting info will only take a couple of minutes for each picture.

DIGITAL SPECIFICATIONS & FILE SIZE INFORMATION FOR IMAGES

Save each image as a RGB or grayscale file. Do not use CMYK.
Final image size of each individual picture should be 11 inches longest dimension at 250 DPI, or in pixels, 2700 longest dimension. Uncompressed RGB file size should be about 8-12 megs.
Save each file as JPEG 6 (good) or better

Obtaining your entry identification code

Remember, there is no fee to enter, but all photographers must obtain an identification code to enter. Obtaining the code is easy: simply complete the online, interactive entry form, and your unique identification code will be emailed to you within minutes. You must use this code in the object field of captioning information for ALL the images you enter. This code will serve as your "name" for the contest. Also included will be the FTP address and password for photographers who wish to FTP their entries.

Entering caption and entry info

All captions and other pertinent information will be entered through the 'Merlin Caption Best of Photojournalism Edition' Photoshop plug-in. This plug-in is available for Adobe Photoshop 5.0 and higher, on both Windows and Mac OS. If your system does not meet these requirements, please contact NPPA.

Downloading the MerlinOne plug-in

To download this plug-in, go to Best of Photojournalism section of the MerlinOne Web site: http://www.merlinone.com/nppa.html. Please follow Web instructions for downloading and installation. If your system does not meet the requirements of Merlin One, please contact NPPA at contests@nppa.org.

The MerlinOne Plug-in will allow you to provide all necessary name, category and caption information required for Best of Photojournalism. The plug-in works through Adobe Photoshop.To find the Best of Photojournalism caption field, choose Automate from the File menu. The last selection in the Automate popup will be the caption field, 'MerlinCaption Best of Photojournalism.' Click on the caption field and begin preparing your entry.

Above is the Best of Photojournalism caption field, and following is a step-by-step guide to entering the information:

CAPTION	As they taught all of us in basic caption writing use the five W's: who, what, where, when and why.
DATE CREATED	When was the photograph taken?
OBJECT	Uniquely identify the picture for indexing purposes. Please complete this field according to the instructions below.
CITY	Where was the photograph taken?
STATE/PROVINCE	Where was the city located?
COUNTRY	Where was the state/province located?
CAPTION WRITER	Leave blank
BYLINE	Leave blank
CREDIT	Photographer's name. Please be consistent from photo to photo: Example: Please use Joe E. Smith for each image, not Joe Smith on one, Joseph Smith on another, etc.
SOURCE	Who you work for.
TRANSMISSION ID	Enter your email address. This is the field we are using to send your confirmation, so make sure the address is correct.
COPYRIGHT	Check the box, and in the field next to the box, identify who has the copyright
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS	NPPA Members: Enter your membership number Non-Members: Enter "No"
CATEGORY	This is a pull-down list with the 26 categories in the contest; select the category you wish to enter.
KEYWORD	Leave blank.

OBJECT FIELD

Entering the correct information into the object field is critical to your entry. This information is used in your email confirmation as well as in sequencing your images in picture story and portfolio entries. In order to complete the object field, you must have completed an online, interactive registration form which will be available in early December at http://www.nppa.org/BOP/, and have received an email containing your unique Contest Identification Code.

Entries in Single Image Categories:

Fill in your unique Contest Identification Code in the object field. If you have more than one entry in the same single-image category, enter a hyphen and number after your last name.
Example, one entry per single image category: ########
Example, more than one image per single image category: ######## -1, ######## -2, etc.

Entries in Picture Story Categories:

Fill in your contest Identification Code, the subject of the story, and the order of the picture in the story (001-012).
Example: ######## -Wedding-001

IMPORTANT!

You must use hyphens between each portion: CONTEST ID CODE-SUBJECT-NUMBER
Do not use the same subject for different picture stories within the same category
You must use three digits in the sequence numbering, beginning with zero (0): 001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, 009, 010, 011, 012
Any typos in the object field may cause the images to be incorrectly sequenced or dropped from the picture story.

Entries in Portfolio Categories:

Use the portfolio category abbreviation for the subject, your Contest ID Code, and the position of the picture in the portfolio sequence.
Example: ########-NPY-001, ########-MPY-001, or ########-SPY-001.
(the possible sequence position range is 001-040 for newspaper and magazine photographer of the year, and 001-020 for sports photographer of the year).

IMPORTANT!

You must use hyphens between each portion: CATEGORY ABBREVIATION-CONTEST ID CODE-NUMBER
You must use three digits in the sequence number, beginning with zero (0): 001, 002, 003, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, 009, 010, etc.
Any typos in the object field may cause images to be incorrectly sequenced or dropped from the portfolio.

NAMING YOUR FILE

File names are not important for cataloguing your images when using the MerlinOne system. However, the file name must be unique within your collection of entries. We recommend that your final saved file be named using the Object Name from File Info. (Tip: Copy and paste from Object Name.)

FOLDERS/SINGLE ENTRIES

Use a separate folder for each category. Put all single entries from the same category in the same folder. Name the folder using the category codes listed earlier.
(Example: If you have five entries in the Domestic News category, all five should go in a
folder named "don".)

Picture Story and Portfolio Entries

Use a separate folder for each picture story. Put all individual pictures from a picture story in one folder. Name the folder using the category codes listed earlier, followed by an underscore, followed by the slug. (Example: For twelve pictures in News Picture Story slugged "rally", all 12 pictures should go in a folder named "nps_rally".)

Submitting VIA FTP

FTP has become an important part of the Best of Photojournalism contest, and has greatly improved the ease of entering a photo contest. To submit your images via FTP, you must submit a completed entry form for FTP at www.merlinone.com/bestofpj.htm. Once you complete the form, the FTP address, user name and password will be emailed to you automatically. Please allow 15 minutes for the information to be sent. Please save the information in case you choose to submit additional images or your connection fails.

Submit your entries only once. Please check you entries on the website between March 3^rd and 7^th. If you're unfamiliar with using FTP, you can visit www.merlinone.com for instructions.

SUBMITTING VIA ZIP OR CD

Both Mac and PC disks are acceptable. All entries submitted via ZIP or CD must either be postmarked February 14, 2003. This postmark requirement includes the label ship date for all entries shipped using private shipping services such as FedEx.

All disks must be labeled correctly:

Label each zip disk or CD with your name and organization. It must be legible.
If submitting more than one zip disk for your entries, please number zips. (i.e., "1 of 2", "2 of 2".)
Indicate on the label whether the disk is in Mac or PC format.

Mailing Address:

Please mail disks and entry forms to:

National Press Photographers Association
3200 Croasdaile Drive, Suite 306
Durham, NC 27705
Phone: 919-383-7246

CONFIRMATION OF IMAGES RECEIVED

NPPA recommends that photographers review the website of contest entries to ensure your images have been received and processed. The entry site will launch March 3, 2003 and will be accessible through the NPPA Website, www.nppa.org. You will be sent a confirmation email listing the images received. (Images will be listed by the information provided in the object field). Confirmation emails will be sent out March 1-3, 2003.

IMPORTANT! YOU WILL ONLY RECEIVE CONFIRMATION EMAILS FOR THOSE IMAGES THAT INCLUDE A CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS IN THE TRANSMISSION FIELD!

If you do not get confirmation emails for your images by March 4th, please check the contest site for your images. If you do not find your images there, then contact NPPA via email (contests@nppa.org) or phone (919-383-7246, ext. 16)

FINAL CHECKLIST

Image Specifications

Are all of your files properly formatted, and do they fit within the size requirements?
Did you include your email address in the Transmission field?
Picture Stories and Portfolios will not be taken apart for individual image categories. Have you submitted singles from your portfolio or picture stories for the single categories?
Did you create a folder for each story and portfolio?
Is all of your caption information correct?
Did you re-save your files to update the information?

Shipping your entries

Are you shipping it to the correct address?

3200 Croasdaile Dr, Suite 306,
Durham, NC 27705.

REMEMBER: All entries must be postmarked February 2003.