Photojournalism Rules

There will be a Photojournalism competition in Print and Digital Image Divisions.

Definition of Photojournalism:

Photojournalism entries shall consist of images with informative content and emotional impact, including human interest, documentary, and spot news. The journalistic value of the image shall receive priority over pictorial quality. In the interest of credibility, images that misrepresent the truth and model or staged set-ups are not permitted. Techniques that add to, relocate, replace or remove any element of the original image, except by cropping, are not permitted. Techniques that enhance the presentation of the image, without changing the photojournalism content, are permitted. All adjustments must appear natural.

Entries that do not meet the definition of Photojournalism may be rejected. In the event the judges disqualify an entry for not meeting the definition, the maker has the option to withdraw the second entry after the judging to avoid a low score for the competition. If a maker’s photojournalism image is disqualified, the maker may not submit extra entries (more than two images) in a subsequent competition.

No image sequences may be entered in prints or projected images.

Normal photographic steps such as cropping, dodging and burning, color correction, and some sharpening are permitted. Computer operations such as adding or removing objects, modifying selected areas, or otherwise affecting the truthful presentation of the subject are not permitted.