Thank you for entering print competition. This is a great resource to expand your skills as an artist.
Cost is $12 per image and you can enter up to 10 images. This year we are also adding critiques of your case for an additional $10 per image. Good Luck!

*Awards will be given for the top three images in each category along with a Best of show trophy for the Overall Best entry. (Judges will choose awards head to head). For every entry, regardless of category or score, is eligible for random drawing of door prizes including a FREE PPA membership, Imaging USA 2023 pass, lab credits and more! 

NOTE: For 2023 we will be using PrintCompetition.Com to host the virtual online competition. There is an $13 fee to join this service in addition to your entry fees.

*Only WTP members will be eligible for awards and prizes. All images, regardless of member status, that receive a distinction of West Texas Excellence will receive the WTP Excellence Challenge Coin. There is also an award for Best Image by a non-member. Join WTP here. 

1. Entries submitted must be entrants own work.

2. Entries that have previously scored 80(merit) or more at a previous WTP or district or IPC competitions are not eligible for entry. It is permissible to enter an image from a previous competition given that the image has been altered or adjusted from its previous state. 

3. All entries will submitted digitally. Must be 4000px on the long side, sRGB color space and JPEG format. File not to exceed 5MB. 

4. Naming convention. Please name your entries as follows.  Image1.jpg You will have a field to enter the Image name when submitting your entries. 

3. For wedding, commercial, illustrative and portrait categories, all elements must be created by the entrant. Artwork and digital post-production are permissible in theses categories, including compositing, as long as all photographic elements used were created by the entrant.

4. Entries in the Electronic category may use any source image, even if the entrant did not create it and guide/reference images are mandatory and shall be visible on the entry presentation.

5. Deadline to enter Friday Feb 24th at Noon CST

6. Any one may enter. You do not have to be a WTP member to participate. However, only WTP members will be eligible for awards and prizes. An award for Best Image by a Non-Member will be awarded.

7. Entrant may enter up to 10 images and each entry can be in any of the following categories:

-Portrait: Image of a person and/or animals under the control or supervision of the photographer. Sub Categories include Individual Portrait, High School Senior, Animal(s) and Group

-Wedding: Any image of a wedding party member, wedding couple or wedding event. Wedding images are to be captured during a commissioned wedding event. Engagement images need to be entered in the portrait category. 

-Commercial: Image used for advertising purposes. Maybe food, product, architectural, aerial, editorial.

-Illustrative: Still life, pictorials, scenics, wildlife, cityscapes and abstracts. Sub Categories include Scenic, FineArt

-Artist: Composites, restorations, digital paintings. Guide/Reference  images required on the entry.  Artificial Intelligence (AI) images are allowed as elements and must be represented as a guide image. 

-In Camera Artistry: Entries of any subject matter that have little or minimal post-processing applied. Exposure, Contrast, Cropping, Monochrome conversions, dodging, burning and color correction adjustments  are allowed. No filters, extensive retouching, composites, stitches, HDR, pixel replacement or the like is permitted within this category.  Reportage images would qualify for this category. 

Scoring: 

Images will be judged for Accepted/Not Accepted (Merit/No-Merit)
All images that are accepted will be judged again for Best of West Texas (Loan) and receive a WTP Excellence Challenge Coin
Awards will be selected in a head to head competition for the Best Of West Texas Collection

The West Texas Photographers holds an annual Image Competition:   The purpose of this competition is to allow the entrant to measure their skills against a standard of excellence. WTP judges use 4 elements– Impact, Technical Excellence, Composition and Creativity to determine whether an image meets the level of a High-Quality Professional Image.
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. 

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 flaws such as dust spots, moire, chromatic aberration, banding, clone tracks and the like. 

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. 

Creativity - 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. 

MEET THE JURORS

Linda Long is a Master Photographer, Photographic Craftsman and Certified Professional Photographer. She founded Long’s Photography in 2004 and has grown her business to become Tallahassee’s premier wedding and portrait studio. She earned the title of 2017 Florida Photographer of the Year, was 2016 Top Ten Artist for the Southeastern Professional Photographers, is a seven-time Florida Top Ten Photographer and a six time Tallahassee Photographer of the Year. In the PPA competition, she has earned platinum, gold, silver and bronze medals. She has won the highest honor from the Florida Professional Photographers- the Becker Award recognizing outstanding creativity in her photography. She has been celebrated with dozens of awards for her volunteer work in the photographic community, with the highest honor of the PPA National Award.  

Carl Caylor Master Photographer and Educator. Carl is a down-to-earth, portrait photographer and photographic instructor. He is a Kodak-Alaris mentor and a Fellow of the ASP. He has been involved with professional photography for over 25 years. He started his photographic career in the darkroom as a custom printer and technician. He is PPA certified, a Master Photographer, a Craftsman with Professional Photographers of America and an international judge. He has won numerous national awards for his photography, including 29 PPA Loan Collections, Lexjet Awards and several Kodak Gallery and Fuji Masterpiece Awards.

Kristy Steeves graduated from Indiana University with two Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism and political science. She worked as a television news reporter for 25 years before switching careers to become a professional photographer. She specializes in children, pets, high school seniors and corporate head shots. Kristy is actively involved in the photography industry serving as a PPA approved international juror and a council member. She is on the Board of Governors with the American Society of Photographers. Kristy has won various awards including 4 television Emmy awards, PPA Diamond Photographer of the Year, Ohio Photographer of the Year and is a two-time finalist for the IPC Grand Imaging award with 2nd place in the Photographic Open Album category. Kristy has also been awarded the prestigious ASP Fellowship which is the highest honor a professional photographer can achieve.

Mark Sweeney - M.Photog.M.Artist.Cr. Residing in Clifton Park, New York, Mark has photographed weddings and corporate events there for the past 25 years. He holds the Master of Photography, Master Artist, and Photographic Craftsman Degrees from PPA. A recipient of PPA’s Imaging Excellence Award and Imaging Excellence Bar, he’s twice been a Top 10 Grand Imaging Award finalist and is a 13 time IPC Medalist, including 2018 Diamond Artist Of The Year plus 2020 and 2021 Platinum Medalist. Mark is actively involved in PPA. He’s a PPA Councilor and on PPA’s list of Approved Jurors. When he’s not behind the camera or in front of the computer, you can find him looking for his ball in the woods and cussing to himself at one of the nearby golf courses.

Gena Tussey - Gena has been a member of PPA since 2008, received her CPP in 2012, Mast of Photography in 2016 and Photographic Craftsman in 2018.  She received her first GIA finalist for 2 images in the Creative Open category in 2019 and received her first Grand Imaging Award in January 2020.  She was a finalist for GIA in Restorations in 2021 and earned 2 Grand Imaging Awards finalist for images in Restoration in 2022.  She has earned 2 Bronze , a Silver and a Platinum Award in IPC and eared her PPA approval for IPC Approved Juror in 2022.  
Gena is an animal lover, history buff, enjoys the design and build props and set, creating quirky, off bear design for her clients and personal work.  She is an avid rock hound and is bullied and pushed around by all her pets.