Photo of the Year

• Journalistic significance and news judgment: why this image matters in the year’s context.
• Impact and storytelling: clarity, emotional or informational force, and insight.
• Craft and execution: composition, timing, light, technical quality, and use of visual language.
• Integrity and context: accuracy of captioning, transparency of disclosures, and ethical approach.
• Optional consideration: difficulty/constraints in making the image (access, risk, time pressure, complexity); where relevant and appropriately disclosed.

• Entry must be one (1) photograph (a single image).
• The photograph must have been created and first published for editorial purposes within the award year, in any platform (print and/or digital), including newspaper, magazine, or an eligible news organization’s website or app.
• Work must meet the program’s general eligibility rules (eligible entrants/outlets and editorial intent; not advertising or brand content).
• This category is for a photographic image only: video, frame grabs, and multi-image composites are not eligible.

• You must complete an online form for each submission,
• You can enter a story or series in only one category, however you can submit as many different entries as you like,
• A fee of $25 per submission. Major credit cards will be accepted for payment,
• Your submission must include a 200-word synopsis about the submission, explaining the story’s background, significance, impact and any other information you consider pertinent,
• NEW! Aside from the synopsis, you must state how your submission meets all of the judging guidelines for the category (bullet points acceptable),
• Aside from the synopsis, you must upload your major story to be reviewed, and should you be a finalist or the winner, this will be the story available for the public to access,
• You may then include up to a MAXIMUM of 2 other uploads, (max. 4 if you’re submitting a series) to support your entry,
• If uploading audio or video, a maximum of a sum total of 30 minutes is allowed for each submission. You may include one file of 30 minutes or several files of segments from your broadcast but do not edit the segments from how they appeared in the original broadcast,
• For any submissions that appeared in hard copy/print, please upload a PDF showing the actual page(s) published and make sure it can be read,
• Only one story should be in any PDF uploaded,
• For online text-based submissions, or regarding submissions in the Multimedia category, please upload a readable screen grab as your story was displayed, or a PDF’d version of this, or if need be, provide a link to the story that is not behind a paywall,
• For radio/audio/podcast entries, please provide an MP3 audio file no greater than 2GB in size,
• For TV/Video entries, please provide a video in the following formats: MP4,MPG, or MPEG no greater than 2GB in size
• A minimum number of submissions, as decided by the judges, is required for a category to be valid.

Submission requirements (mandatory)

• Submit the image file as instructed by the awards program (format/size).
• Provide a complete caption and context (see Section 3).
• Provide publication details (outlet/platform, first publication date, and link or proof of publication where applicable).
• Sign an entrant declaration confirming compliance with these rules and the program’s code of conduct/ethics.

Caption and context (mandatory)

• Caption must be accurate and include: Who, What, Where, When (and Why, when relevant).
• If a subject is unidentified or a name is withheld for safety, state that clearly.
• If the photo is part of an ongoing story, include brief factual context needed to understand the image (avoid opinion or advocacy language).
• Disclose material access constraints where relevant (optional but recommended): e.g., pool access, embed rules, ‘handout’ restrictions, or controlled access that shaped what could be photographed.

Ethics & newsgathering

• Photograph must truthfully represent the scene and not mislead the public.
• No staging, directing, or reenactment that could misrepresent reality (unless clearly disclosed as an illustration and permitted by program rules, if allowed at all).
• No payment, inducement, or arrangement that materially influenced the creation of the photograph in a way that compromises journalistic integrity.
• Entrants must comply with applicable law, court/publication bans, and reasonable expectations of safety and dignity where relevant.

Image integrity, editing and manipulation

• The entry must be a single-frame image. No composites, multi-exposure constructions, stitched panoramas, or multi-image layouts.
• Permitted adjustments: tonal/color correction, global exposure/contrast, minor cropping/straightening, and routine cleanup consistent with standard editorial practice—provided the meaning is not changed.
• Prohibited: adding/removing/rearranging elements; local edits that materially alter content or context; reversing/flipping that changes meaning; excessive retouching that changes what was there.

AI and synthetic content (disclosure required)

• Disclosure required for any AI-assisted tools used (e.g., denoise, upscaling, content-aware fill, generative fill).
• Prohibited: generative additions/removals or any AI use that changes the factual content of the scene (i.e., creates, replaces, or removes real-world elements).

Verification (finalists must comply)

• Finalists may be required to provide original files for verification (e.g., RAW and/or original camera JPEG) and relevant metadata.
• Finalists may be asked for supporting documentation (assignment details, editor confirmation, publication proof, or additional frames for context).
• Failure to provide verification materials on request may result in disqualification.

Rights, permissions and responsibility

• Entrant confirms they hold the right to submit the photograph and that it can be reproduced by the awards program for judging, promotion, and archival purposes (non-exclusive, with credit).
• Entrant is responsible for the accuracy of captions and disclosures and for ensuring submissions do not violate legal restrictions.