NCPPA Online Clip Contest Rules

The Monthly Clip Contest is now online.

Members will need to go to their Member Area to upload to the contest.

Note: The rules are still being modified to accommodate the new contest format. An email will be sent out if the rules are updated and also updated here on the website.

1. The contest is open to all NCPPA members in good standing.

2. Entries must be either shot or published in the month entered. Once submitted, a photo cannot be entered again. If a photo is entered in a single category, it cannot be entered later as part of a story.

3. No names of photographers, reporters or the affiliation may appear in the main caption field of the entry, but Photographer's name and Publication's name should be included in the Author field, and date shot should appear in the headline field in PhotoShop. If you use PhotoMechanic, captions will show up but your name and publication may not. This is a server issue and the webguy is working on it. Note: When writing your captions, do not use returns or lots of spaces between the sentences.

4. Adjust image size to 72 dpi with the longest dimension not longer than 9 inches. The compression should be no more than 7. Filenames for single categories should not contain strange characters (such as &,$,%,@,",').

5. For the multiple photo category, name your picture files beginning with your unique photographer's code, (use your POY code or just make one up, this is to help keep files names form being the same as someone else's file name) followed by sequential two-digit numbers corresponding to the number of entries you are entering. Add sequential letters to the string for each photo. Name the photos in the order you want them to appear to the judges.

example: If I choose to make my code "bdrwz", my filenames would be: bdrwz01a.jpg, bdrwz01b.jpg....... bdrwz01g.jpg, etc. A second entry in the multiple photo category would look like this: bdrwz02a.jpg, bdrwz02b.jpg..... bdrwz02g.jpg, etc.

Place a JPEG "dark slide" image (same dimensions as your entry images) at the BEGINNING and the END of EACH photo story. This provides a separation from each story during the judging. Your Beginning slide may be a title slide, but is not required (but looks a lot nicer on the webiste if you win), but please keep your ending slide all black. Place your synopsis information in the beginning dark slide/title slide.

5. Each entry must be the work of a single photographer. If two or more photographers combine to produce a story, each must submit only the pictures she/he took.

6. There are six monthly categories and one quarterly category:

SPOT NEWS: A single picture of an unscheduled news event.
GENERAL NEWS: A single picture of an scheduled news event.
FEATURE: Enterprise or pictorial. A single picture of usually a found situation with strong human interest.
SPORTS: A single photo of sports, action or feature. 
PORTRAIT: A single picture that captures an aspect of the subjects character. 
MULTIPLE PHOTOS: A collection of pictures that may or may not reveal a story line from the category News, Feature, Sports, Portrait or Illustration.
ILLUSTRATION: (Quarterly, judged at the end of each quarter: March, June, September and December) Entry must be submitted at the end of the quarter. Editorial illustration, fashion, food, etc. A single picture or sequence/series of pictures on the same subject up to a total of three pictures per entry.  

7. Each multiple picture story counts as a single entry. You may not enter individual pictures from a multiple picture entry, in any of the other categories. You must choose either the multiple or single category.

8. Each member may enter a total of twelve (12) entries each month, including Illustrations.  Illustrations will be held and judged at the end of each quarter. The clip chair is authorized to disqualify ALL entries if a member enters more than the permitted number. Members are encouraged to enter only their best work.

9. Entries must be uploaded by midnight of the 9th of the month.

10. Each person entering will receive two points for each month entered. Each first place will receive 50 points, each second place will receive 40 points, and each third place will receive 30 points. An honorable mention can be awarded at the discretion of the judges and will be awarded 10 points. There can be no ties.

11. The photographer who accumulates the most points will be named NCPPA Clip Photographer of the Year, provided the photographer has won a 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a least two categories during the year. In the case of a tie, dual awards may be presented at the discretion of the clip chair. Clip Photographer of the Year will receive at least a suitable plaque and recognition at the February annual NCPPA meeting.

12.  Ownership of the photograph(s) and any copyright(s) remains with the entrant/owner. However, the NCPPA reserves the right to keep digital files and prints for its archives and lend those photos from the archives to any supporting publication with the copyright holder's permission.