2026 GEORGIA PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION RULES

Please review thoroughly!

Failure to comply with these rules may result in disqualification of entry.

The decision of the GPPA Photographic Competition Committee is final.

The purpose of this competition is to allow photographers to enter digital files and digital albums to be judged against a standard of excellence using the 12 Elements of a Merit Image. To learn more about the 12 Elements of a Merit Image click here. We have a Special Theme category changes each year. Through this competition, GPPA members are eligible to be awarded GPPA exhibition merits for your GPPA Master of Photography Degree. Non-members may compete, but are not eligible for Awards (with the exception of the Out-of-State Award). To be eligible for awards, you must be a GPPA member and list GPPA as your primary Community Partner or state association membership.

These rules pertain to images entered as digital files captured either by film and transferred electronically or created with a digital camera:

1. All entries must be registered at www.printcompetition.com. For first-time entrants, click on the new artist registration tab and fill out the information required. Select GPPA and Register. Please read the entry form carefully and answer all required questions. 

2. Entrants may only submit digital files for judging.

3. Entrants are required to upload a digital file for each image entered. 

4. No changes to your entry are permitted once the entry deadline has passed. No refunds will be issued after the entry is paid.

 

REGISTRATION

Registration Opens: June 1, 2026.

Registration Ends: 11:59 pm on July 29, 2026

Judging will be held on Friday, July 31, 2026  

$15/image – GPPA members

$20/image – Non-Members

$10/image – critiques are available to order when you enter an image; GPC judges will provide the critiques and they will be sent to you from GPPA when they critiques are completed

 ELIGIBILITY

Images that are eligible include:

• Images that have received a Merit or Imaging Excellence in PPAs Merit Image Review (MIR)

• Images that were entered into PPAs IPC in 2023 or later, but did not receive a Top 32 designation

• New images that have not yet been entered into a competition

• Images from other image competitions, except those excluded below

 

Images that are NOT eligible include:

• Images previously selected for the World Photographic Cup competition (PPA)

• Images that have received a Top 32 designation in any PPA IPC category

• Images that received a Merit or Imaging Excellence in PPAs IPC prior to 2023

• Images that have been made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment

• Images that scored an 80 or higher in any previous GPPA image competition

 

AI STATEMENT

No entry in any category may be created in part or whole using text-to-image prompts that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) image-generating technology software intended to create whole images and backgrounds entirely from programmed images. A human must have creative control over the work’s expression. Images and their elements must be created with traditional elements of authorship. However, non-text-to-image prompted elements (such as Photoshop’s automations like generative expand) may be used in image creation. Images determined to violate the AI statement above will be disqualified. AI Images disqualified are not eligible to receive a score and cannot be entered into another GPPA competition. If the disqualification is determined after a score has been given, the image will have the score voided and will not be eligible for awards or inclusion in any GPPA digital or printed material.

 PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION CATEGORIES

Portrait – General, Child, Teens & Seniors, Pets & Animals, Boudoir

Wedding – General, Day of Wedding

Illustrative – Commercial, Landscape/Nature, Wildlife

Reportage – General, Sports

Artist – Creative (Open), Restoration

Special Category - Flowers

 

PHOTOGRAPHIC OPEN, WEDDING and ILLUSTRATIVE CATEGORY RULES

This contest is open to all photographers. You do not need to be a member of GPPA to participate.

1. Entrant must have captured and created the original exposure.

2. All processing, manipulation, and printing or rendering, were done by the entrant or under their direct supervision.

3. The entrant has obtained and has access to all necessary releases (model or property) and agrees to hold GPPA harmless against all claims and liabilities arising out of GPPA's display, publication and promotion, or other use of each image submitted to GPPA.

4. The entrant’s name, initials, business logo, watermark, or other identifying features shall not appear anywhere in the entry.

5. There is no limit to how many entries may be submitted per entrant. However, only the top 8 images from an entrant will count towards any Special Awards, will receive a merit if the score is 80 or above and can be applied towards the Georgia Master of Photography Degree.

6. No entry will be eligible that has been made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment.

7. Entry media includes digital files and digital albums.

8. Once an image has been awarded an exhibition merit (80+) in any category of GPPA’s Georgia Photographic Competition, it may not be entered again in any other category, at any time, by any entrant. No image that receives a merit may be entered more than once under any condition, including any image from a merited album.

9. The Photographic Open Competition exists to show the photographic knowledge and skill set of the maker. However, a maker can use supporting photographic elements that they did not create, provided those elements are referenced as guide images on the face of the entry. This includes sky replacement. The original photographic capture by the entrant should be merit worthy independent of the work that was not their own. Elements created by the maker must not be part of the guide images. This rule also applies to images within an album entry.

10. Any entry that has been created from an existing photograph, portrait, graphic, or any other artwork produced by another person is a violation of the competition rules and will not be judged, accepted, or displayed. If an entry, in the good-faith opinion of the GPPA Image Competition Committee, violates copyright, trademark, or any other applicable law, that entry shall not be displayed or published. Furthermore, this image will also be disqualified from consideration for awards selection.

11. Entries of the same subject in multiple images will be allowed if the images are entirely different concepts. If entries of the same subject do not have entirely different concepts, only one of the same-subject images will be accepted into the competition. The other same-subject image(s) will be disqualified. If the same-subject images are not identified prior to the registration deadline, the image that appears first in the maker’s entry list on printcompetition.com will be accepted and any other same-subject images that are not entirely different concepts will be disqualified. If the disqualification is determined after a score has been given, that image will have the score voided and will not be eligible for awards or inclusion in any GPPA digital or printed material.

12. Images not of acceptable GPPA exhibition content will be judged but may not be displayed. The decision of acceptable content will be based on the standards set by the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. and will be at the discretion of the GPPA Image Competition Committee.

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION CATEGORIES

You must designate one of the following categories for each entry.

SPECIAL CATEGORY FOR 2026: “Flowers” – This category is for photography that showcases Flowers. Composite and non-composite images and highly manipulated images (Photoshop or similar) are allowed in this category. All images of flowers should be in this category. This is an anything goes category so be creative!

PORTRAIT CATEGORY: Images can portray a subject or subjects and should reflect the personality of the subject(s).

Sub-categories include:

General: Families, groups, and adults over 18

Child: Subjects aged birth-age 11

Seniors and Teens: Subjects aged 11-18

Pets and Animals: Animals photographed using structured lighting in a studio or outdoor environment where the animal is controlled by the owner or photographer/companion animal or animals, as well as domesticated livestock animals. Wildlife, wild animals, and zoo animals are not allowed in this category

Boudoir:This sub-category may include subjects in lingerie consistent with the boudoir genre and tastefully artistic figure studies.

WEDDING CATEGORY: Images created at or in connection with a wedding. Images can portray a subject or subjects from all aspects of a wedding including traditional portraits, candids or detail work.

Sub-categories include:

General:Traditional portraits, stylized sessions; images not taken on the day of the wedding, such as bridal portraits, fall in this sub-category

Day of Wedding: Images in the Day of Wedding category must be made in connection with an actual wedding event - not a stylized session. Images must reflect the personality of the subject(s) and/ or illustrate the story of the event. They must include some visual reference(s) that define the wedding event - traditional clothing, church flowers, etc. Composite images are allowed as long as post-production is not a significant part of displaying the essence or the personality of the subject(s). Image must be captured on the day of the wedding.  Wedding-style.

ILLUSTRATIVE CATEGORY: This category consists of commercial/industrial images, scenic, pictorials, digital paintings, still life and similar subject matter. Portraits and weddings are not appropriate for this category.

Sub-categories include:

Commercial:Images intended to be used by a commercial client to promote or brand a product or company. This category includes advertising, fashion, beauty, still life, food, architecture, and corporate photography. Composite and non-composite images, and highly manipulated images are allowed.

Landscape/Nature:An illustrative or graphic depiction of any landscape or nature. This category is for photography that showcases natural elements, such as landscapes, cityscapes, trees, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Aerial, macro, and astrophotography are included in this category. Composite and non-composite images and highly manipulated images are allowed in this category. No flowers are allowed in this category – all flowers should be entered in the Special Category “Flowers”.

Wildlife: This sub-category is for animal images taken in an uncontrolled lighting environment, where the owner or photographer does not have control of the animal. This subcategory is the place for zoo animals and animals photographed in the wild. Composite and non-composite images and highly manipulated images are allowed in this category.

REPORTAGE: Images that illustrate an actual public or non-public event, life, an area of human interest, telling news that has meaning in the context or record of events, high impact, and/or lasting emotional response. Images that illustrate sporting events are included in this category. ONLY basic color and brightness adjustments, cropping, dodging, and burning in are allowed. Only single-capture images will be accepted. Composite and multiple exposure images will not be accepted. The originally captured image (in RAW or jpg) must be available if requested by the committee. Day of wedding should be placed in the Wedding sub-category

Sub-categories include:

Sports: Images that illustrate sporting events.

General: Images that illustrate an actual public or non-public event, life, an area of human interest, telling news that has meaning in the context or record of events, high impact, and/or lasting emotional response – also referred to as photojournalism.

ARTIST CATEGORY RULES

1. Entries may be created in various artistic mediums. Photographs may be used in this category in creating an entry, but it is not a requirement. Entries may include freehand drawing or painting in traditional or digital applications. Entries can include stock photography, photographs, or artwork from other artist(s) with written consent to use from those sources. Documentation may be requested by GPPA before, during, or after the competition. If an entry, in the good-faith opinion of the GPPA Competition Committee, violates copyright, trademark, or any other applicable law and cannot be proven otherwise, that entry shall not be displayed or published.

2. All processing, manipulation, artwork, or rendering must be done by the entrant.

3. Guide images must be included on the face of the entry. For restorations, it is recommended that, in addition to the guide image for the image being restored, two guide images that show the progress of the restoration be included.

4. The entrant’s name, initials, business logo, watermark, or other identifying features shall not appear anywhere in the entry.

5. There is no limit to how many entries may be submitted per entrant. However, only the top 8 images from an entrant will count towards any Special Awards, will receive a merit if the score is 80 or above and can be applied towards the Georgia Master of Photography Degree.

6. No entry will be eligible that has been made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment.

7. Entry media includes digital files and digital albums.

8. Once an image has been awarded an exhibition merit (80+) in any category of GPPA’s Georgia Photographic Competition, it may not be entered again in any other category, at any time, by any entrant. No image that receives a merit may be entered more than once under any condition, including any image from a merited album.

9. Entries of the same subject in multiple images will be allowed if the images are entirely different concepts. If entries of the same subject do not have entirely different concepts, only one of the same-subject images will be accepted into the competition. The other same-subject image(s) will be disqualified. If the same-subject images are not identified prior to the registration deadline, the image that appears first in the maker’s entry list on printcompetition.com will be accepted and any other same-subject images that are not entirely different concepts will be disqualified. If the disqualification is determined after a score has been given, that image will have the score voided and will not be eligible for awards or inclusion in any GPPA digital or printed material.

10. Images not of acceptable GPPA exhibition content will be judged but may not be displayed. The decision of acceptable content will be based on the standards set by the National Gallery in Washington, D.C. and will be at the discretion of the GPPA Image Competition Committee.

 

ARTIST CATEGORY: A conceptual image altered or manipulated from its original condition. Creations can be a subtle application using post processing techniques, painting or a dramatic combination of details to suggest a larger story. The artist is responsible for the idea behind the image and the work done to create the finished art piece. Images can be either Creative or Artist Restoration. Entries in the Artist category shall include any subject. Guide images must be included on the submitted digital canvas or mounted/included on the face of the print.

Sub-categories include:

Creative (Open): Entries will be judged for their digital, artistic, and technical proficiency of an original vision of the artist.

Restoration: Entries will be judged for the digital, artistic, and technical proficiency of a restored image. It is recommended that, in addition to the guide image for the image being restored, at least two guide images that show the progress of the restoration be included. Additional guide images should also include zoomed in close-ups of particularly difficult areas of the restoration.

 

AWARDS: First, second, and third place will be awarded in each sub-category. All first-place images from each sub-category are eligible for the overall Best In Show. Additionally, there are several special awards including: Katie Jiminez Heart Award, Special Category Award, Elliott’s First Timer Award, ASP Award, CPP Award, Georgia Photographer of the Year, Out-of-State Award and Judges Choice Awards (each judge will select one image for this award).

DIGITAL ENTRY SIZING FOR UPLOAD

1. Files must be sized so the longest dimension is 4000 pixels. This includes the entire presentation including the guide images. For example, in Photoshop, go to Image/Image Size and change the inches to pixels and type in 4000 on the longest dimension. Make sure your resolution is minimum of 200.

2. Each file must contain an embedded color profile of either sRGB or Adobe RGB1998 and must be saved at a JPEG quality setting of 10. In most cases, total file size should not exceed 3.5 MB. Larger files may be accepted when necessary so long as they are saved with the setting of JPEG/10.

3. Files are to be named, Image Title. For title example: My Best Side.jpg (do not use any symbols between words in title). Do not include the maker name in the title of the file.

 

SCORING

All images will be judged and given a numerical score. Images can receive scores up to 100, dependent on how they meet the 12 Elements of a Merit Image. Images that receive a score of 80 or above will be awarded a GPPA merit. All 80 and above scored images from each category will be reviewed and a First, Second, and Third Place designation.

100 – 95: Exceptional

94 – 90: Superior

89 – 85: Excellent

84 – 80: Deserving of a Merit

79 – 75: Above Average

74 – 70: Average

69 – 65: Below Exhibition Standards