SNPA invites entries in 2015 Photo / Video Contest

No LOGIN is required in order to enter the SNPA Photo / Video Contest.  A LOGIN is only needed at the voting stage; we'll send a LOGIN to everyone who enters the contest and is employed by an SNPA member newspaper (if you don't already have a LOGIN) when we enter that stage.

Entries now are being accepted in the 2015 SNPA Photo / Video Contest, which features some exciting changes this year!

For the first time, SNPA members – in addition to official contest judges – are being invited to VOTE on the winners.

Two sets of awards will be presented: awards from official contest judges plus Members' Choice Awards.  All SNPA members who have created a LOGIN to www.snpa.org by July 10 will receive a personalized code that will allow them to vote on awards in the Members' Choice Awards.

The 2015 SNPA Photo / Video Contest includes four contest categories:

• Spot news photos
• Sports photos
• Feature photos
• Videos – Maximum file size is 200 MB. (Video format should be one of the following: .avi, .dv, .mov, .qt, .mp4, .mpeg, .3gp, .asf, .wmv or .mpg)

ELIGIBLITY: This is an open competition. To be eligible for this contest, the photographers' work must have been published in a daily or non-daily general circulation newspaper (or on the newspaper's website) between Aug. 23, 2014, and July 13, 2015. Entries may be color or black-and-white photos or videos.

ENTRY FEES AND SUBMITTING YOUR ENTRIES: Photo and/or video entries are $20 each. There is no limit on the number of entries a photographer may submit in either the video or photo categories.

STEP # 1 — Click here to pay your contest fees ($20 per photo and/or video).  If you are submitting entries for several photographers, please use their e-mail addresses on their entries. Our payment system will only allow individuals to enter their email address once.  Plus, providing us with everyone's email addresses will allow us to set up LOGINs for them -- so they can vote in the Members' Choice portion of this contest!  To request that receipts for contest fees be sent to someone in addition to the individual photographer, simply email cindy@snpa.org.

STEP # 2 — After your fees have been paid, you will immediately receive an email with a link to the UPICKEM contest page where your entries should be uploaded.  SNPA thanks Second Street for providing its UPICKEM contest platform for our Photo / Video Contest.  Learn more about Second Street

PRIZES: New this year ... In addition to awards determined by contest judges, SNPA members who have created a LOGIN for snpa.org by Friday, July 10, also will be eligible to vote for their favorites in a new Members' Choice Awards presentation.

VOTING:

BY OFFICIAL CONTEST JUDGES: Still photographs will be judged on technical quality, originality and overall aesthetics. Videos will be judged on innovative use of original content, storytelling, technical and journalistic quality, and value to the reader. Photographers' names and newspaper affiliations will not be revealed to the judges until winners are chosen. Winning photographers will be notified by Sept. 9 that they have won "something," although they will not be told what place until prizes are announced Oct. 5-7 at SNPA's 2015 News Industry Summit in Savannah, Ga. Photographers do not have to attend the Summit to enter.

MEMBERS' CHOICE AWARDS: Employees of SNPA members who have created a LOGIN for www.snpa.org by Friday, July 10, will be eligible to vote for their favorite photographs and videos. Photographers' names and newspaper affiliations will not be revealed on the contest website until awards are announced. Those with an SNPA LOGIN will be sent an individual code that may be used one time during the voting period. All voting will take place electronically on the contest website. (Learn more about creating your LOGIN)

Your CODE will allow you to vote for your TOP 5 favorites in each of the contest categories:

• Spot news photo
• Sports photo
• Feature photo
• Video

You are not required to vote in each category, but – if you choose to vote in a category – you must record FIVE top choices in that category in order for your vote to be recorded. Your vote will be disqualified if you vote for fewer than or more than 5 entries.

DEADLINES:

• 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, July 10, 2015, is the deadline to create an SNPA LOGIN in order to receive a PERSONALIZED CODE to vote in the Members' Choice Awards.
• 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, July 13, 2015, is the deadline for receipt of all entries. No entries will be accepted after that date. Judges reserve the right to disqualify entries that do not follow rules listed here.
• On Monday, July 13, SNPA will email voting codes to everyone who has created an SNPA LOGIN. Please contact cindy@snpa.org if you do not receive your code on that day.
• 11:59 p.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, July 28, 2015, is the deadline to vote in the Members' Choice Awards. Voting will run from Tuesday, July 14, through Tuesday, July 28.

For more information, contact Cindy Durham in the SNPA office: (404) 256-0444 or cindy@snpa.org