Last chance to enter SNPA's Photo / Video Contest

The SNPA office will be closed Friday morning, while staff attends a meeting of the SNPA Board of Directors.  We will be in the office by mid-afternoon.  If this poses a difficulty, we will accept your contest entries on Monday, as well.  Thank you!

Friday is the deadline to submit your best photos and videos in the 2014 SNPA Photo Contest.  Your best photo (spot news, feature, sports) or video could be worth $1,000. 

Enter in one or more of the following categories:

• SPOT NEWS — for outstanding photograph illustrating quality performance under deadline pressure.
• FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHY — for outstanding photography emphasizing appeal to the newspaper reader.  It should illustrate a fresh view or strong human interest in an ordinary event.  Photoshop graphics are not eligible.
• SPORTS — for outstanding photography that captures the key play, dramatic moment, mood or flavor of a sporting event.
• VIDEO — for breaking news, feature, sports or enterprise video presentations from your newspaper's website.  Judges will look for innovative use of original content, storytelling, technical and journalistic quality, and value to the reader.  Videos cannot be longer than 10 minutes.  (Any commercials may be stripped from the video to place it under the 10-minute requirement.)

This is an open competition.  All photographers (including freelance) whose work has been published in a general-circulation daily or non-daily newspaper OR on the newspaper's website are invited to submit entries.

There is no limit to the number of entries that an individual photographer or newspaper may submit.

CONTEST DETAILS

ELIGIBLITY: The competition is open to photographers whose entries were published between Aug. 1, 2013, and Aug. 22, 2014.  Entries may be color or black-and-white photos, plus videos.

ENTRY FEE: Individual photographers may submit up to three photographs for $50.  That same photographer may submit additional photographs for $20 each.  The photos can be from any mix of the contest categories: spot news, sports and feature photos.  Video entries are $50 each.

PRIZES: In each of the four categories, judges will award prizes for first place, second place and third place.  First place will receive $500 and a plaque.  Certificates will be presented for second- and third-place, as well as Honorable Mentions.  The Grand Prize winner will be chosen from among the four first-place winners.  That photographer will receive an additional $500, bringing the total cash prize to $1,000.

SUBMITTING ENTRIES: SNPA requires a digital file for each photo OR a digital file or link to the URL on your newspaper's website for video entries.  Links must remain active on your website through the end of October – through the awarding of contest prizes.  See below for further details. Entries submitted for the contest will not be returned.

JUDGING: 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. 22 that they have won "something," although they will not be told what place until prizes are announced Oct. 6-8 at SNPA's 2014 News Industry Summit in Charlottesville, Va.  Photographers do not have to attend the Summit to enter.

DEADLINE: Friday, Aug. 22, 2014, is the deadline for receipt of all entries.  No entries will be accepted after that date.  Judges reserve the right to disquality entries that do not follow rules listed here.

SUBMITTING ENTRIES

Entries may be submitted one of three ways:

By mail:
SNPA Photo Contest
3680 N. Peachtree Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30341

By email:
Complete the entry forms electronically and email them – and your photos – to: cindy@snpa.org.

By FTP, using an FTP program:
Our server: ftp.creativecirclemedia.com
Username: snpa
Password: snp2013
Place your photos and entry forms in a folder with your name ... and then drop the folder in the tab called 2014 Photo Contest
Please email cindy@snpa.org after you have uploaded your photos.  This will give us your contact information in case we have any difficulty opening your folder.

Copyrights: It is understood that any copyright of an entry remains the property of the photographer or employer of the photographer.  However, all participants agree that by entering the contest, they give permission to SNPA to reproduce entries on the SNPA website, in the SNPA eBulletin, on SNPA's Facebook page and in contest promotion materials.  Permision also is granted for the photo or video to be part of a slideshow of all entries to be shown at the SNPA News Industry Summit.  Reasonable precautions will be taken to ensure security of electronic reproduction.

• Submit your photos and videos by one of the three methods above.
• Submit a completed cutline form (for still photographs) by one of the three methods above.  Key your information into the Word document and then SAVE AS, naming it: cutlines-YourName.  
• Submit a completed summary form (for videos) by one of the three methods above.  Supporting stories from your newspaper or website also may be submitted for context.  Key your information into the Word document and then SAVE AS, naming it: video-YourName.
• Pay contest fees at the following links:

• PHOTO ENTRIES
• VIDEO ENTRIES

• Any questions about the contest should be addressed to Cindy Durham in the SNPA office: (404) 256-0444 or cindy@snpa.org.