All New Rules for 2023
by Steve Kozak
The Texas Professional Photographers Association is pleased to announce exciting new changes to the 2023 TPPA Annual Photographic Competition. New for 2023, the TPPA Image Competition Committee added two new categories to the Photographic Open Competition.
Artistically Enhanced Portrait – This sub-category is for any Portrait entry in which the overall visual appearance is achieved primarily through digital editing techniques. This includes extensive painting or other highly manipulated techniques applied to the original image. Judges may take such things as style and technique under consideration during their evaluation of these images. Entries in this category would include images that have been highly manipulated or stylized as part of the story of the image.
Artistically Enhanced Illustrative – This sub-category is for any Illustrative entry in which the overall visual appearance is achieved primarily through digital editing techniques. This includes extensive painting or other highly manipulated techniques applied to the original image. Judges may take such things as style and technique into consideration during their evaluation of these images. Entries in this category would include images that have been highly manipulated or stylized as part of the story of the image.
A new category was also added to the Artist Competition for those who work with images created by Artificial Intelligence (AI). These are works created by the entrant using one or more of the Artificial Intelligence creation engines. This category is not for AI images that have been further enhanced by the maker.
The TPPA Annual Photographic Competition also introduces new criteria for evaluating images on four, equally weighted elements including:
1. Impact – Is the image compelling? Does it evoke a discernible emotion that is relevant to the story and category? Impact can be immediate, fleeting and/or lasting.
2. Technical Excellence – Does the image excel in objective technical areas such as exposure, color balance, lighting, dynamic range as well as being absent of other technical flows such as dust spots, moire´, chromatic aberration, banding, clone tracks and the like.
3. Composition – The visual elements of an image come together to express intent, whether that’s to please the viewer or otherwise. The viewer’s attention is captured and directed where the artist plans it to be. Jurors may also consider whether the subject matter is relevant and central to the story being told.
4. Creativity/Originality – The image is original, fresh, and an external expression of the maker’s imagination. Jurors may also consider any techniques that are used to best express the story of the image.
Jurors will use these 4 elements to determine whether an entry has met or exceeded the level of a high-quality professional image.
Individual Image results include the possibility of earning:
• TPPA Seal of Approval
• Image of Distinction
• Texcellence Challenge Coin
• Silver Star Ribbon (up to 3)
• Trophy
The competition will be conducted over three rounds with Round 1 establishing images as “Accepted” or “Not Accepted” for the new TPPA Seal of Approval. All images that receive a TPPA Seal of Approval will also earn a Fellowship Point for TPPA members.
In Round 2, accepted images will be reevaluated for one of three distinctions including; Approved, Images of Distinction, or Texcellence.
Texcellence images are considered the “best of the best” in the competition and earn the Texellence Challenge Coin.
In Round 3, images receiving the Texellence designation will enter head-to-head competition for trophy selection. In this round, judges will rank the Top 3 images in each category and point totals will determine the Trophy winner and the new, “Silver Star” image designations.
Image makers who have four images earning the TPPA Seal of approval will receive a Bronze pin.
New this year, the TPPA Board of Directors has commissioned the creation of the new “Yellow Rose Medalist” Collection featuring 4 new Challenge Coins and a commemorative pin. The new coins and pin will be rewarded as follows:
4 Accepted Images + 1 Texcellence = Silver Yellow Rose
4 Accepted Images + 2 Texcellence = Gold Yellow Rose
4 Accepted Images + 3 Texcellence = Platinum Yellow Rose
4 Accepted Images + 4 Texcellence = Diamond Yellow Rose
We are certain the new medalist collection will bring a lot of excitement to our competition, and we look forward to the competition which will take place on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Image submission for the competition opens February 20, 2023, at printcompetition.com.
The TPPA Image Competition is designed to further both the technical craft and the art of photography, in all its forms.
