Check back for 2023 image competition information soon!

Image Judging Competition for the Animal Image Makers™ Conference

Print Judging Date: 10:00 a.m. central time Saturday, April 2, 2022

Registration Deadline: 5:00pm central time Saturday, March 26, 2022 at printcompetition.com

Entry Fee: $15 per entry

All images must be pre-registered and pre-paid at printcompetition.com by the deadline.

IMPORTANT - Please read the following print rules carefully.

This  is a digital competition only. All images must be pre-registered and  pre-paid at printcompetition.com by 5 p.m. central time Saturday, March 26, 2022. Uploaded files must be sized so the longest dimension is 4,000  pixels (20 inches at 200 ppi). Each file must contain an embedded color  profile of either sRGB or Adobe RGB1998 and be saved at a JPEG quality setting of 10.

Additional rules and information follow below. Questions can be addressed by contacting SIM Director Lisa Asp at news@lisaasp.com or 952-303-3619.

The purpose of this competition is to allow photographers to enter digital prints to be judged relative to Professional Photographers of America’s 12 Elements of a Merit Print for the purpose of critique and/or competing for awards. 

Judging  will be to PPA standards but it should be noted that this is NOT a PPA Affiliated Competition and PPA merits can NOT be earned. These rules pertain to images created by traditional photographic processes as well as those captured electronically with a digital camera or scanner. This competition is open to anyone.

Printcompetition.com:  As mentioned earlier, ALL entries must be pre-registered and the entry  fee pre-paid at printcompetition.com by 5:00pm central time Saturday, March 26, 2022. You may view live judging through the Print Competition Game Day app on your computer, smart phone or tablet that will allow you to watch the judging as it happens. You will see the current image that is being seen by the judges and watch the results come in. The app automatically refreshes so you just sit back and watch. In addition to the current image being judged, you will also see thumbnails of the top  16, a list of the last 20 scores and a list of the next 15 up. For an additional fee, you can upgrade to the premium membership which gives you even more features including access to thousands of archived images.

If the print chair and jury feel it is in the best interest of the competition, they have the right to begin judging early or conclude the following day.  An announcement will be made through AIM social media if this will occur.

Questions: Contact AIM Director Lisa Asp at news@lisaasp.com or 952-303-3619.

ELIGIBILITY

1. The entrant must have captured and created the original exposure.

2.  Any entry which has been reproduced 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, with the exception of the Master Artist category. If an entry, in the good-faith opinion of the Photographic Competition Committee, violates copyright, trademark or any other applicable law that entry shall be disqualified.

3. The entrant’s name shall not appear anywhere on the face of the entry.

4. There is a submission limit of NINE (9) images per entrant. Each image submitted counts as one entry.  The nine submissions can be in any category.

5. Entrant must have a model release on file for each entry submitted.

6. No entry will be eligible that has been made under the supervision of an instructor/speaker or during a workshop.

7. The same subject may be in more than one of the entrant’s submitted images.

8.  Entries previously merited at any PPA International Competition are not eligible, including any image from a merited album. Images previously entered in the Animal Image Makers Conference and have received a score of 80 and above are not eligible for judging.

9. No Late Entries will be accepted - please note the deadlines above.

10. Entry fees will be paid on PrintCompetition.com at the time you register.

ENTRY CATEGORIES

1. Dogs: Everything Canine. Indoor, outdoor, posed, candid, running, sleeping, etc. It’s all about the dogs!

2. Cats: Feline lovers unite! Show us your cute and cuddly kitties.

3.  Equine: A horse is a horse, of course of course. But is yours a horse  of another color? Show off that majestic trot, larger than life jump,  braided manes or exotic breeds.

4. Other Domestic Animals: Lizards, fish, birds, guinea pigs, snakes, etc. Anything else that could be a pet.

5. Wild & Zoo Animals: African safari, trip to the zoo, and insects in your yard. If it’s not a pet, it goes here.

6.  Babies: Baby animals are just too cute to compete with the adults -  they’d win any day of the week! So they get their own category.  Everything six months and younger should be in this group.

7.  Animals and their Humans: Every once in awhile someone wants to be photographed WITH their pet.  Show off how you captured their relationship.

8.  Master Artist: Creative concepts, composites, and other highly altered images should be submitted into the Master Artist category. Thumbnails showing the original captures and/or all elements used must be presented as a part of the image. You must have either created all elements or have rights for usage of the elements. The main subject matter must include an animal.

9.  Bloopers: Brand new for 2021!  Do you have a funny out take?  Did something crazy happen during your session?  Maybe a wild animal made an unexpected face.  If it’s an “oops” shot that the world still needs to see, this category is for you!

The  print chairperson, jury, and/or board of directors have the right to question the category of any entry and have the option to change the classification. Their decision is final.

NUMBER OF ENTRIES ALLOWED: You may submit any combination of images in any of the categories with a limit of nine (9) total entries per person.

AWARDS

The top 10 scoring images in each category will be eligible for awards.  The judges will discuss the merits of each and decide as a jury the first, second and third place winners, regardless of score.  First place in each category will take home a trophy and certificate, then compete for “best in show”.  Second and third place will each be awarded a ribbon and certificate.

All nine first place winners will compete for “best in show” with the top winner being selected by the jury.  Scores will not be considered for best in show.  The jury will discuss the merits of each of the first place entries to determine the best entry in the competition.  The “best in show” winner will be awarded a second trophy. 

Awards will announced and given out at the Animal Image Makers Awards ceremony Sunday, April 17, 2022.

 A couple resources for watching the AIM Image Competition... 

1.   The image to the right has the scoring categories as well as the 12  Elements of a Merit Image.  Download it below and keep it by your  monitor for easy access.

2.  Join us to watch the live judging together and chat with one  another!  Ask questions, talk about the images, and have fun with your  peers.  (Link to come...)

3.  If you're virtually social distancing, you can watch directly through PrintCompetition.com.  Judging will begin at 10:00am central time.

Have fun!  And good luck to all participants!!