2008 POY Rules

Contest Rules

Reminder: In order to be eligible for the annual contest, membership dues ($30 for professionals or $10 for students) must be payed in full by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 30. You can pay using paypal here or mail payment to:

Doug Tesner
MPPA Membership Chair
The Traverse City Record Eagle
120 W. Front St.
Traverse City, MI 49684

New this Year: Campaign 2008 category and changes in the multimedia categories.

Reminder — When naming files, please put the category code in the file name. eg — GN.homecoming.jpg. For stories and portfolios, please begin with order and then category. eg — 01 FS Matilda.jpg

Reminder — Pages should be entered as JPEG files in the Picture Editor of the Year category.

ELIGIBILITY

The contest is open to all MPPA members with dues paid-in-full as of 5 p.m. on Friday, January 30, 2009.

Only photographs made during the 2008 calendar year are eligible. A picture made before January 1, 2008 and subsequently published during 2008 is not eligible with the exception of a single image from a photostory. The single image can be entered as a single even if it was taken in a previous year, as long as the photostory was partially taken in 2008 and the image was not entered as a single in a previous year. Some of the picture story must have been shot in 2008 and picture stories may not be submitted in succeeding years. Pictures must have been made while the photographer was employed and/or living in Michigan. This does not mean pictures must be made in Michigan. Pictures made on vacation or out-of-town assignments are eligible.

For your convenience, digital files only are accepted in categories A-M and O-S.

List of Contest Categories
Instructions on entering pages digitally
Download a PDF formatted Entry form*
Download a PDF formatted editing label*
Download a PDF formatted multimedia entry form*

*When using Safari hold the option key when opening link.

DEADLINE

Contest entries must arrive by 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 30, 2009 to Chairperson Erik Holladay, Jackson Citizen Patriot, 214 S. Jackson, Jackson, Mich. 49201.

ENTRY PREPARATION

Examples for labeling Digital Files

Adobe Photoshop
Photo Mechanic Lite

Contact Cory Olsen at colsen@grpress.com if you have any questions about your software.

Category Definitions

Definitions and dates for the editing division are from the POYi rules where applicable

Digital manipulation is not allowed on any photographic entry, except the Illustration category. Digital manipulation in any other category will result in that entry’s disqualification.This includes excessive Photoshop work on photographs that alters the reality of the image.

The letters in parentheses (eg. SN, GN, etc.) are to be used in supplemental categories to indicate category the photo is to be judged in.

A) SPOT NEWS: (SN) A single picture of an event taken in the course of daily coverage. Examples: fires, accidents, natural disasters and demonstrations.

B) GENERAL NEWS: (GN) A single picture from a political, social or cultural event for which planning was possible or that explores issues or news of the day distinct from breaking news.

C) FEATURE: (FEA) A single, unposed photo that celebrates life. Respect for the dignity of the subject is important.

D) SPORTS ACTION: (SA) A single picture that portrays participation in the game or sports event.

E) SPORTS FEATURE: (SF) A single feature picture that is sports related.

F) PORTRAIT/PERSONALITY: (PP) A single picture of a subject that reveals the essence of the subject’s character.

G) PICTORIAL: (PIC) A single graphic image that expresses beauty, tension, harmony, chaos and other abstract concepts through composition and tonal and color relationships more than through human interaction.

H) ILLUSTRATION: (ILL) A single image which dramatizes a concept. May be an editorial illustration or fashion. Digital manipulation is permitted in this category.

I) CAMPAIGN 2008: (CAM) A single photograph that captures the emotion, character, interaction, mood or campaign environment during a race for local, state of national election.

J) LANDSCAPE/NATURE/WILDLIFE: (LNW) A single photograph which increases understanding and appreciation for the natural world.

K) FEATURE PICTURE STORY: (FS) The pictures should be edited to reveal a story line or point of view. Please include a story summary that does not exceed 50 words. Maximum of 12 photos per story. Please include a title slide.

L) NEWS PICTURE STORY: (NS) May be spot or general news. Please include a story summary that does not exceed 50 words. Maximum of 12 photos per story. Please include a title slide.

M) SPORTS PICTURE STORY: (SS) May be sports action and/or sports feature. Please include a story summary that does not exceed 50 words. Maximum of 12 photos per story. Please include a title slide.

N) BEST USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS BY A NEWSPAPER: DAILIES: Submit three COMPLETE EDITIONS that demonstrate your newspaper’s ability to communicate with pictures to maximize their storytelling ability. Only one of the editions may be a Sunday issue. Two of the entries must come from the same week. You may choose from the following weeks: Feb 4-10; May 12-18; August 11-17; Sept 29-Oct 5; or Nov. 3-9. The last issue can be any issue from the year. Each newspaper must have an entry label attached to the upper left corner of the back page. WEEKLIES or SEMI-WEEKLIES: Submit two consecutive issues beginning with one of the above dates. You may choose the third entry from any date in 2008. Each newspaper must have an entry label attached to the upper left corner of the back page. Please use the Editing Label. TEARSHEETS ONLY IN THIS CATEGORY. No JPEGs please. Winners will be asked to submit digital files of select pages for the awards show.

O) NEWSPAPER PICTURE EDITOR AWARD INDIVIDUAL: (PEY) Submit up to 10 JPEG files of pages or tearsheets displaying your ability to tell stories and communicate with pictures. Each page must be the work of one picture editor. Entrants must have been personally responsible for all aspects of editing and photo usage. One extended project of any length can take the place of one standard entry. A tear sheet or PDF file is defined as one broadsheet newspaper page. A broad sheet double-truck counts as two tear sheets. Two facing pages in a tabloid will count as one tear sheet. Please use the Editing Label. (click here for directions on submitting JPEG pages.)

P) MICHIGAN NEWSPAPER PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR PORTFOLIO: (POY) The photographer must submit exactly 10 entries. At least four categories must be represented and at least two entries must be picture stories. You must also enter the 10 portfolio entries in the regular single contest categories, including picture stories. You must enter a second file in the regular category. Portfolios are evaluated for versatility, excellence and originality. A photographer may enter only one portfolio.

Q) MICHIGAN COLLEGE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: (CPOY) Each student may submit up to 10 entries. At least three of the categories (from categories A – M) must be represented and at least one must be a picture story. You must also enter all the portfolio entries in the regular single contest categories, including picture stories. The judges will not break the portfolio apart, so you must enter a second file (or files in the picture story categories) in the regular category. To be eligible, a student must have attended school full-time for two semesters during the 2008 calender year. If a student has attended school for only one semester and has completed two internships, entries from only one of the internships are eligible for entry. A student must be a first-time college student, attending either a two-year or four-year school in Michigan and working toward an undergraduate or associate degree. The Kristoffer Marc Gillette memorial scholarship will be awarded to the winner payable to their school. The College Photographer of the Year will also be asked to be a non-voting member of the MPPA Board of Directors.

R) BARRY EDMONDS MICHIGAN UNDERSTANDING AWARD: (ED) Barry Edmonds was named Michigan Press Photographer of the Year four times in the 1960s. He was also president of the National Press Photographers Association in 1971. At the time of his death in July, 1982, he was Director of Photography at the Flint Journal. The award was established to recognize and honor a photographer(s) whose work best portrays the common purpose of man. The subject of the entry must be relevant to Michigan. Submissions may show facets of human relationships, friendship, mutual concern for the environment, a lifting of hope for peace or any aspect of life appropriate to the theme of Michigan Understanding. This should be of a current nature and some of the work must have been done during the contest year. It may be the project of more than one photographer. A statement explaining how your entry meets the Michigan Understanding Award criteria must accompany your entry. This statement should be no more than one double spaced typed page in length. Michigan Understanding portfolios are kept intact. Images from this portfolio may be entered in other categories if a separate file is submitted. You may not enter Michigan Understanding portfolios or parts thereof in succeeding years.

S) SPORTS PORTFOLIO: (SPO) The photographer must submit exactly 8 entries. One of the entries must be a picture story. All of the images must be sports related. You must also enter the 8 sports portfolio entries in the regular single contest categories. You must enter a second file in the regular category. Portfolios are evaluated for versatility, excellence and originality. A photographer may enter only one portfolio.

MULTIMEDIA CATEGORIES:

The multimedia categories are intended to appraise storytelling in still photojournalism or motion photojournalism (video). In addition, news value, writing, sound, as well as overall organization, clarity of focus and ease of use will be the guiding criteria for the judges. Multimedia stories and projects must be shot, produced and published in 2008. Judges will be reviewing the work as it appears online, so it is important to make sure URLs are current through the judging dates of Feb. 27-March 1, 2009. Each entrant is limited to two entries per multimedia category. Please use the multimedia entry form for multimedia entries.

U) News Story: A multimedia news story based on coverage of news. This category will recognize outstanding multimedia reporting using fresh material. Each entry should be a single news story or essay of about four minutes in length. Sports news and issue reporting multimedia should also be entered in this category.

V) Feature Story: A multimedia feature story that celebrates life. This category will recognize outstanding multimedia reporting using fresh material. Each entry should be a single feature story or essay of about four minutes in length. Sports feature multimedia should also be entered in this category.

QUESTIONS concerning the contest?
Contact Cory Olsen at the Grand Rapids Press, please email colsen@grpress.com or call (616) 262-0179.

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Steps for entering Picture Editor of Year

Files must be converted to JPEG format to be entered.

To Convert PDF files to JPEG

QUESTIONS concerning the contest?
Contact Cory Olsen at the Grand Rapids Press, please email colsen@grpress.com or call (616) 262-0179.

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Entry Preparation using Adobe Photoshop

Step 1: Using Adobe Photoshop’File info…’

In PhotoShop, click on the “File” menu dragging down to ‘File info…’ Unclick the mouse and you will see a menu similar to the one at right.

Caption menu provides a place to enter complete, informative captions. Do not assume the judges will recognize a local event or the face of a local newsmaker. An informative caption usually enhances a picture’s chance of winning. Judges are often irritated by the lack of caption information and can downgrade a picture.

Author: Photographer’s name as it appears on the entry form.

Step 2: Using Adobe Photoshop ‘File info…’

Supplemental Category 1: area to indicate the name of the category for the entry. Use the following supplemental initials exactly. IF THE TWO OR THREE LETTER CODE IS NOT USED CORRECTLY AND NOT PUT INTO THE FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL CATEGORY FIELD, YOUR PICTURES WILL NOT SEARCH PROPERLY IN THE DATABASE AND WILL NOT BE JUDGED. BE SURE TO CORRECTLY ENTER THE CODE. Please have only one category in this area on all files.

A) Spot News: SN

B) General News: GN

C) Feature Single: FEA

D) Sports Action: SA

E) Sports Feature: SF

F) Portrait Personality: PP

G) Pictorial: PIC

H) Illustration: ILL

I) Campaign 2008: CAM

J) Land Nature Wild: LNW

K) Feature Story: FS

L) News Story: NS

M) Sports Story: SS

N) Editor of Year: PEY

O) Photographer of the Year (portfolio): POY

P) College Photographer of the Year (portfolio): CPOY

Q) Edmonds: ED

R) Sports Portfolio: SPO

IMPORTANT!!! You must press the ‘add’ button for the Supplemental Category to be included.

Category: In order to be judged in proper sequence, all entries in picture story, portfolio and Edmonds categories must use the “Categories” field to indicate the sequence. The “05” in the window above indicates this is the 6th image to be viewed in this story. You would use “00” for the title ‘slide’ then 01, 02, 03, etc to indicate the order in which the images should be viewed.

To make a ‘title slide’, create a new PhotoShop document 10 inches wide by six-and-a-half inches tall at 144 pixels/inch, black background, white text. Use 72 point Arial Bold (or Helvetica Bold) for the title. Please remember to flatten the title slide and save it as a JPEG file. (Click here for a more detailed example.)

Step 3: Using Adobe Photoshop ‘File info…’

Credit: Name of your publication or school.

Headline: is for the title of the image.

General note: Please remove any information not needed for the contest in the other “File Info” fields.

Saving: When saving, please include category code and picture title in the file name. egGN homecoming.jpg.

For multiple entries, use the category code and number them. eg — 01_FS_Matilda.jpg or 01_POY_HAMILTON.jpg

Step 4: Organizing your files

Please use a separate folder for:

Include a printed copy of your entry form and story summaries along with your disk.

ENTRY FORMS:

All forms are available on the Main Contest page.

SHIPPING

Deliver entries to:

Erik Holladay
Jackson Citizen Patriot
214 South Jackson St.
Jackson, MI 49201

WHAT TO SHIP:

1) CD-ROM or DVD with PhotoShop JPEG files. Text files of story and Edmonds summaries should be included on the disk as well, but electronic entry forms are not necessary. Please include your headshot as well.

2) A paper (printed) copy of story summaries, Edmonds summaries and your signed entry form. Include two copies of story summaries if you are entering POY or CPOY.

3) Editing entries as clips with proper labels attached or as JPEG files on disk.

AWARDS:

In categories A-P, judges will award first, second, third and honorable mention as they see fit. The judges are not obligated to award every place in every category. There is only one winner of the Barry Edmonds Award. There are no ties and no other places will be awarded. All pictures will be judged in the category in which they are entered. If the judges do not feel the picture is entered in the proper category, they may disqualify it. The judges will not move the picture to another category. Any breach of the rules may result in disqualification. The MPPA will present awards February 28, 2009 at Seminar ’09.

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Entry Preparation using Photo Mechanic

Step 1: Using Photo Mechanic

Fill out the following fields:

Caption: This menu provides a place to enter complete, informative captions. Do not assume the judges will recognize a local event or the face of a local newsmaker. An informative caption usually enhances a picture’s chance of winning. Judges are often irritated by the lack of caption information and can downgrade a picture.

Photographer: Photographer’s name as it appears on the entry form.

Credit: Name of your publication or school.

Category: In order to be judged in proper sequence, all entries in picture story, portfolio and Edmonds categories must use the “Categories” field to indicate the sequence. The “05” in the window above indicates this is the 6th image to be viewed in this story. You would use “00” for the title ‘slide’ then 01, 02, 03, etc to indicate the order in which the images should be viewed.

To make a ‘title slide’, create a new PhotoShop document 10 inches wide by six-and-a-half inches tall at 144 pixels/inch, black background, white text. Use 72 point Arial Bold (or Helvetica Bold) for the title. Please remember to flatten the title slide and save it as a JPEG file. (Click here for a more detailed example.)

Headline: is for the title of the image.

Supplemental Category 1: area to indicate the name of the category for the entry. Use the following supplemental initials exactly. IF THE TWO OR THREE LETTER CODE IS NOT USED CORRECTLY AND NOT PUT INTO THE FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL CATEGORY FIELD, YOUR PICTURES WILL NOT SEARCH PROPERLY IN THE DATABASE AND WILL NOT BE JUDGED. BE SURE TO CORRECTLY ENTER THE CODE. Please have only one category in this area on all files.

A) Spot News: SN

B) General News: GN

C) Feature Single: FEA

D) Sports Action: SA

E) Sports Feature: SF

F) Portrait Personality: PP

G) Pictorial: PIC

H) Illustration: ILL

I) Campaign 2008: CAM

J) Land Nature Wild: LNW

K) Feature Story: FS

L) News Story: NS

M) Sports Story: SS

N) Editor of Year: PEY

O) Photographer of the Year (portfolio): POY

P) College Photographer of the Year (portfolio): CPOY

Q) Edmonds: ED

R) Sports Portfolio: SPO

Step 2: Organizing your files

Please use a separate folder for:

Include a printed copy of your entry form and story summaries along with your disk.

Saving: When saving, please include category code and picture title in the file name. eg — GN homecoming.jpg.

For multiple entries, use the category code and number them. eg — 01_FS_Matilda.jpg or 01_POY_HAMILTON.jpg

ENTRY FORMS:

All forms are available on the Main Contest page.

SHIPPING

Deliver entries to:

Erik Holladay
Jackson Citizen Patriot
214 South Jackson St.
Jackson, MI 49201

WHAT TO SHIP:

1) CD-ROM or DVD with PhotoShop JPEG files. Text files of story and Edmonds summaries should be included on the disk as well, but electronic entry forms are not necessary. Please include your headshot as well.

2) A paper (printed) copy of story summaries, Edmonds summaries and your signed entry form. Include two copies of story summaries if you are entering POY or CPOY.

3) Editing entries as clips with proper labels attached or as JPEG files on disk.

AWARDS:

In categories A-P, judges will award first, second, third and honorable mention as they see fit. The judges are not obligated to award every place in every category. There is only one winner of the Barry Edmonds Award. There are no ties and no other places will be awarded. All pictures will be judged in the category in which they are entered. If the judges do not feel the picture is entered in the proper category, they may disqualify it. The judges will not move the picture to another category. Any breach of the rules may result in disqualification. The MPPA will present awards February 28, 2009 at Seminar ’09.

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