Fall Photo 2024 Key Dates and Details
Teachers,
The 2024 Fall Photo Contest is now open.
The contest site will open for submissions on September 1. The deadline for this year’s Fall Contest is October 30. Judging will take place in November and results will be published by mid December. We have increased the faculty entry to $3, meaning all entries have the same fee, but faculty still have no limit to their number of entries. We have also changed the categories this year. Students may enter up to three images in any category.
Contest Deadline Moved Up: I think that it is important for the judges to be able to discuss the finalists for each division and category in person, and for that to happen I needed to find a time in between the many championship events we have though November and December. I hope that this is not too much of a burden on you and your students.
Summary of Category Changes: The “animals” category has been expanded to “Nature.” We have eliminated the “Waterscapes/Seascapes” category as those images can be easily included in the “Scenic/Landscapes” category. We have split “sports” into “Sports: Action” and “Sports: Reaction.” We are adding a category for Environmental Portraiture as well. All other categories remain the same. You can see the complete list on the Fall Photo page of the TAPPS website.
Entries, Categories, and Fees: Students can enter up to three images in a given category, but may enter in as many categories as they like. Student entries must come from their body of work produced in the last year (since the conclusion of the previous Fall Contest). You can review the category list here. The Student contest fee is $3 per entry.
Faculty Contest: Any faculty member on your campus may enter the contest and there is no limit to the number of faculty entries. Faculty entries are judged together in one pool; there are no individual categories. The faculty contest fee is $3 per entry.
Use of Generative AI and Similar Technologies: The use of artificial intelligence or other generative content tools is only permitted in the Experimental/Enhanced category. All submissions must begin with original work created by the student. The use of generative technology is not permitted in submissions made to any other category. A description of the techniques used must be included in the description field in the image metadata upon submission. Students and teachers will check an acknowledgment of rules box when uploading entries. Images that lack the proper documentation or that are found to violate these rules will be disqualified.
Contest Billing: Once you have submitted all of your entries through the ATPI contest website, you will see an option to download an invoice. Submit your invoice with payment to the TAPPS office.
Contest Entry and Metadata: Submissions to the TAPPS Fall Photo Contest must be made through the ATPI Contest website.
Just like previous years, your images will need to be formatted correctly and include metadata in order to be entered into the contest. Including metadata in the photos is both a best practice in photography and invaluable in our judging processes and in constructing the awards program. Proper image formatting helps us save space and bandwidth when processing and storing contest entries.
For a complete breakdown of the submission process along with links to instructional videos on formatting and adding metadata to your submissions, visit the Digital Photo Events page on the TAPPS website or click here.
Submitting Your Entries: The contest website will open for submissions on September 1. All entries must be made before 6 pm on October 30. I encourage you to make submissions as soon as they are ready and to avoid waiting until the last minute. If you ever have trouble getting your images formatted correctly or submitted, please contact us at [email protected].
Awards: We encourage you to review the previous contest winners with your students. You can find PDF versions of the awards programs here. You can see brief notes on judging criteria here. We were unable to print an awards catalog last year because the number of submissions had increased beyond the capacity of our in-house printers. We are working on securing sponsors for a print catalog and will keep you updated. Digital copies will continue to be made available on the TAPPS website.
Other Resources / Contests: We encourage you and your students to submit work to the The Association of Texas Photography Instructors (ATPI) Fall Contest as well. You can find more information about the contest here. The ATPI website has winners galleries going back to 2012 and can be a great source of inspiration for you and your students. Membership in ATPI is $20 per school per year, and membership includes access to curriculum and contest resources. ATPI also offers a Winter Conference for students and a Summer Workshop for teachers. More details on the ATPI website.
Further News and Updates: Keep an eye on the Digital Photo Events page of the TAPPS website for links to everything mentioned above and for awards once they are announced. Follow @TAPPSart on twitter. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected].