ANIMALPortraits and storytelling images of domesticated animals and livestock, whether photographed in controlled or natural settings. Animals include pets and domesticated livestock photographed in studio, home, farm, or outdoor environments. The animal must be the primary subject. Normal retouching, painting, and enhancement are allowed. Images whose primary achievement is extensive compositing, digital construction, or transformation may instead be entered in Creative or Artist. Zoo animals and undomesticated species belong in Wildlife. ARTISTImages evaluated primarily for digital artistry, restoration, painting, compositing, or transformation rather than for the original capture alone. Artist entries rely substantially on digital painting, restoration, compositing, rendering, or other transformative processes. The editing and construction are essential to the final result and are a primary component of judging. Third-party stock imagery and AI-generated elements are permitted in this category only. Guide images are required and disclose photographic, stock, generated, and reference elements used in the final work. In the Artist category, restoration source images, third-party stock elements, and AI-generated elements are exempt from the original-capture requirement. For Artist entries, the entrant must personally perform the painting, compositing, restoration, and rendering being evaluated. See Artificial Intelligence Policy for further details. COMMERCIALImages created to promote, market, sell, document, or editorially support a product, service, person, organization, or property. Commercial includes commissioned or self-assigned photography created with a credible commercial, advertising, promotional, branding, architectural, real estate, product, food, fashion, or editorial purpose. The intended client or publication use should be reasonably apparent from the image or entry context. All editing levels are permitted, subject to the general authorship rules. CREATIVEConceptual or experimental photographic works in which all photographic elements were created by the maker. Creative entries use compositing, manipulation, multiple exposures, intentional camera movement, experimental capture, or conceptual construction to produce a result that extends beyond straightforward representation. All photographic elements must have been created by the maker. Stock photography and AI-generated visual elements are not permitted. See AI Policy and Artist Category for more info. FINE ART / STILL LIFECapture-led images of arranged objects, natural details, or observed subjects that emphasize form, symbolism, mood, or visual design. Fine Art & Still Life includes intentionally arranged still lifes and capture-led photographic studies in which composition, light, form, texture, symbolism, or mood are the primary concerns. Common subjects include food, flowers, collections, tabletop scenes, found objects, body details, shadows, and visual studies that do not fit a more specific subject category. Retouching and enhancement are allowed. Images built primarily through compositing, digital painting, or extensive construction belong in Creative or Artist. LANDSCAPE & NATURAL ENVIRONMENTImages in which a natural environment, weather condition, or scenic place is the primary subject. Landscape & Natural Environment includes mountains, forests, deserts, fields, shorelines, waterways, waterfalls, night skies, weather, gardens, and other predominantly natural scenes. People, animals, and structures may appear when they are secondary to the environment. The final image must remain a credible representation of the photographed scene. Urban skylines, buildings, interiors, transportation, and images centered on human-made structures belong in Architecture, Urban & Travel. URBAN & ARCHITECTUREImages centered on human-made places, structures, transportation, interiors, or the visual character of a destination. Architecture, Urban & Travel includes buildings, interiors, bridges, roads, cityscapes, industrial subjects, transportation, landmarks, architectural details, and images that communicate a distinctive sense of place. The category may include people when they provide scale, context, or cultural meaning but are not the dominant subject. The final image should remain representative of the scene. Constructed or heavily manipulated environments belong in Creative or Artist. PHOTOJOURNALISMUnposed, documentary images of real events, activities, and human experience, presented without substantive alteration. Photojournalism includes news, sports, street photography, ceremonies, performances, public events, and documentary moments. The image must be candid and must depict a real occurrence without direction, reenactment, or staging by the maker. Entries must be single-capture images. Permitted processing is limited to cropping, basic exposure and color correction, sharpening, noise reduction, black-and-white conversion, and sensor-dust removal. Adding, removing, moving, generating, or substantially obscuring content is prohibited. PORTRAIT: TRADITIONALPortraits of people presented in a believable, recognizable manner, with the person or relationship as the primary subject. This category includes headshots, families, children, seniors, maternity, newborns, couples, groups, lifestyle portraits, environmental portraits, and wedding-day portraits. Lighting, posing, styling, and professional retouching are permitted. The finished result should retain a believable representation of the subject and should not depend primarily on fantasy construction, extensive compositing, or an overtly theatrical concept. PORTRAIT: ILLUSTRATIVEPortraits in which styling, character, theatrical direction, or constructed visual storytelling is central to the image. This category includes character portraits, fantasy portraiture, theatrical styling, elaborate costumes, conceptual sports portraits, dramatic narrative portraits, and people photographed with intentional props, makeup, lighting, or compositing that substantially shapes the story. The person or people must remain the primary subject. When digital painting or construction becomes more important than the portrait itself, the image belongs in Creative or Artist. WILDLIFEImages of undomesticated species photographed in the wild, in managed environments, or in captivity. Wildlife includes undomesticated mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates photographed in natural, managed, rehabilitation, sanctuary, or zoological environments. The animal must be the primary subject. Normal enhancement and creative treatment are allowed. Images whose primary achievement is extensive compositing or digital transformation may be entered in Creative or Artist. ANNUAL WILDCARD: MOTIONThe current Wildcard operates across photographic styles and techniques, provided the annual theme - Motion - is prominent. That is useful for experimentation and member engagement. Motion must be a primary visual and storytelling element, not merely implied by the subject. Eligible approaches include motion blur, panning, long exposure, intentional camera movement, multiple exposure, sequential action, or a sharply arrested moment in which movement is visually essential. An image entered in the Wildcard is judged first on how clearly and inventively it fulfills the annual theme, and then on overall photographic execution. WHAT CATEGORY DO I PUT MY IMAGE IN?Entries should be placed according to the image’s primary photographic purpose and the criteria most appropriate for judging it. Subject matter normally determines the category unless a category imposes a specific capture, authorship, commercial-use, or transformative-process requirement. 6 Steps to Determine Category:
AI DEFINITIONAI may assist the photographer in processing, correcting, or retouching what was photographed. It may not create the substantive content being judged. When determining eligibility, PPW will consider the nature and extent of the final alteration rather than the name of the software, feature, or technology used. See AI Policy for further information. |