Image Competition
Image Competition Scoring
Image competition through our State Affiliate, MOPPA, is based on The 12 Elements of a Merit Image established by the Professional Photographers of America.
While PPA merits are NOT earned from our competition, MOPPA does offer its own awards to be given to Missouri members of the Missouri Professional Photographers Association. Fellowship Points are also awarded based on the above-mentioned awards and honors. You can read more about those here MOPPA Fellowship.
The image chair(s) has/have the right to question/reassign the category of any entry. The judges also have the right to question the category of any entry. Entries that do not fit the category or abide by the category rules may be reassigned.
Cost
Member: $15 per image
Non-Member: $20 per image
Image Competition offers an unparalleled opportunity for photographers to elevate their craft. Engaging in this process challenges you to critically evaluate your work while fostering a sense of community among participants. Whether you are stepping into the competition for the first time or are a seasoned competitor, each submission brings with it valuable lessons. You will not only gain insights into your own photographic style but also draw inspiration from the diverse perspectives and techniques of fellow photographers. By participating, you embrace growth, enhance your skills, and contribute to the vibrant fabric of the photography community in Missouri. We encourage all to take part in this enriching experience and discover the potential that lies in this shared journey of artistic development.
Uh Oh... We've Been Spotted by Angela Hughes
Competition Categories
Portrait
Images can portray a subject or subjects from all walks of life and should reflect the subject's personality. The human or animal should be the main subject.
Portrait Subcategories
Children/Newborn: This sub-category must contain a child or children from birth to age 16.
Senior: This sub-category portrays a male or female aged 17 to 18.
Family/Group: Consists of portrait images of groups and/or families.
Woman: Consists of a portrait image of a woman.
Man: Consists of a portrait image of a man.
Domestic Animal: Animals under controlled/structured lighting. The animal should be the main subject.
*AI: It is acceptable to modify and edit your original image using AI tools such as denoise, object removal, and content aware, for example. Images cannot be sourced from AI/CGI.
Reportage
An image that captures a moment in time and tells a story. Only single-capture images will be accepted. ONLY basic color and brightness adjustments, cropping, and dodging/burning editing is allowed with the exception for straight-out-of-camera. Composite and multiple-exposure images will not be accepted. The originally captured image (in RAW/DNG or JPEG) must be available if the committee requests.
Reportage Subcategories
Reportage: Images that illustrate an actual public or non-public event, life, an area of human interest, telling news that have meaning in the context or record of events, high impact, and/or lasting emotional response.
Sports: Images that illustrate sporting events.
Straight-Out-of-Camera: No adjustments, RAW format only.
*AI: It is NOT acceptable to modify and edit your original image with AI/CGI.
Wedding
The entrant must have captured and created the original exposure or exposures during the time constraints of the wedding. Images should include some kind of visual wedding reference(s). (Non-wedding day photos can go in portrait or illustrative, etc.)
Wedding Subcategory
Wedding: Images can portray a subject or subjects from all aspects of a wedding, including traditional portraits, candid, or detail work.
*AI: It is acceptable to modify and edit your original image using AI tools such as denoise, object removal, and content aware, for example. Images cannot be sourced from AI/CGI.
Illustrative
Consists of commercial/industrial images, scenic, and similar subject matter. Capturing the beauty of nature, wildlife, industry, and architectural areas is considered illustrative.
Illustrative Subcategories
Scenic Landscape: This sub-category shares joy and adventures while expressing a sense of place.
Wild Animal: Wild animals in an uncontrolled lighting environment, zoo animals, and insects.
Still Life: Still Life (flowers, products, objects, etc.) should be the main subject.
Cityscape: Images in this category are architecture, an interior or exterior of a structure, or within an industrial environment.
Commercial: Images created for a commercial client to advertise a product and/or promote a brand or company.
*AI: It is acceptable to modify and edit your original image using AI tools such as denoise, object removal, and content aware, for example. Images cannot be sourced from AI/CGI.
Artist
With composite entries, the artist is allowed to use any media to create their vision. The vision and final piece should be the artists vision and should NOT represent a piece or vision created from another artist. The art piece needs to be unique. Art can include the following media: drawings, painted art, photography, stock images, AI/CGI, and must be displayed as thumbnails. Stock images must have proper licensing.
Artist Subcategories
Artist Open: Entries will be judged for their digital, artistic, and technical proficiency.
Artist Restoration: Entries will be judged for the digital, artistic, and technical proficiency of a restored image.
*AI: Images may be generated/sourced using AI/CGI, but they must be displayed as part of the composite entry and shown as thumbnail image(s).
Awards
Only MOPPA members are eligible for awards except for the Non-Member award. Due to shipping costs, MOPPA will not mail trophies unless the winner decides to help offset the cost. Ribbons and/or certificates will be mailed. Trophies, ribbons, and certificates will be awarded during MOPPA's Annual Develop Conference Award Banquet. All winning images will be released in PrintCompetition after the Award Banquet.
Master Criteria
Entrants who are members of MOPPA and holding a PPA Master's Degree are eligible for Master Awards. Check and update your profile in PrintCompetition.com.
Non-Master Criteria
Entrants who are members of MOPPA and who do not hold or designate a PPA Master degree, per the entrant’s profile in PrintCompetition.com
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Winner receives a trophy.
Master and Non-Master.
Qualification:
MOPPA Member
For Master trophy, entrant must hold a PPA Master certification and designated in PrintCompetition.com
Trophy awarded to the entrant with the highest cumulative top 4 case score. In the case of a tie, the winner will be the highest individual scoring image.
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Winner receives a trophy.
Master and Non-Master.
Qualification:
MOPPA Member
For Master trophy, entrant must hold a PPA Master certification and designated in PrintCompetition.com
Trophy awarded to the entrant with the highest scoring image. In the case of a tie, the winner will be the highest individual score from a judge.
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Winner receives a CPP Trophy from PPA.
Qualifications:
MOPPA member
PPA CPP certification
CPP designated in PrintCompetition.com
Awarded to the top scoring image.
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Winner receives a trophy form ASP.
Qualifications:
MOPPA Member
ASP Master Degree
ASP designated in PrintCompetition.com
Winner is top scoring image.
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Ten winners, each receiving a trophy.
Awarded to ten MOPPA members with the highest cumulative top four image scores. In the case of a tie, the winner will be the highest individual scoring image.
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Winners receive a MOPPA "4 for 4" pin.
Awarded to MOPPA members with 4 images that merited i.e. scored 80 or above.
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Winner receives a ribbon.
Each judge selects their favorite image from a MOPPA member, regardless of the image score.
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Master and Non-Master winners
The top scoring image for the main category.
1st place is a trophy, 2nd place receives a red ribbon, and 3rd place receives a white ribbon.
Portrait
Illustrative
Reportage
Wedding
Artist
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MOPPA member with an image score or 80+.
Winners receive a plaque.
The judges participate in a head-to-head discussion in each sub-category. The winner is determined by a majority vote.
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Certificate & Blue Ribbon
Awarded to the MOPPA member who is entering the competition for the first time and with the highest-scoring image.
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Winner receives a certificate and blue ribbon.
Awarded to the entrant with the highest scoring image and who is not a member of MOPPA.
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If available...
The image receiving the most votes during the conference. Winner may receive a print lab credit.
Rules
All processing, manipulation, printing, or rendering must have been done by the entrant or under their direct supervision.
All entrants must have obtained and have access to all necessary releases (model or property) and agree to hold MOPPA harmless against all claims and liabilities arising out of MOPPA's display, publication and promotion or other use of each image submitted to MOPPA.
No entry will be eligible if it has been made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment. All images submitted must be self-directed. Images created in an educational environment under direct supervision from an instructor are ineligible.
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 MOPPA, violates copyright, trademark or any other applicable law, that entry shall be disqualified.
Entries of the same subject in multiple images will be allowed, as long as the images are entirely different concepts.
Entries previously merited at any MOPPA Competition are not eligible.
Entries previously merited in PPA’s Merit Image Review are eligible for MOPPA Competition.
Images awarded in IPC ranked 32 or higher are not eligible for MOPPA Image Competition.
No refunds will be issued after the entry fee is paid.
No changes to your entry are permitted once the entry deadline has passed.
The entrant retains all rights to any image submitted, including ownership, if applicable. By submitting any image(s) for entry, you grant MOPPA a nonexclusive right, in perpetuity, to archive and use your image(s) and name in all MOPPA promotions, publications, slide shows, audiovisual presentations, and any other format that may arise for MOPPA marketing.
Only MOPPA members are eligible for awards, except for the “Non-Member Award”.
Artificial Intelligence: Read each category description to learn where and how AI/CGI may be used.