Portrait (Human Subject)
A Human Subject portrait is an artistic representation of a person in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. This category includes families, couples, children, models, fashion portraits, wedding-styled shoots, and tastefully artistic figure studies and boudoir.
In this category: Painting is permitted to replace hair or other small details but can’t comprise more than 10% of the image. AI-generated art using text is not permitted. Cloning, healing, patch, remove, content-aware fill, generative fill without text, liquify, or similar tools are permitted.
Image Provided Courtesy of: Betsy Bird
Portrait (Animal Subject)
An animal portrait is an artistic representation of an animal, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the animal. Portraits of pets and wild outdoor animals using structured lighting in a studio or outdoor environment and where the owner, handler, or photographer controls the animal are included in this category.
In this category: Painting is permitted to replace fur, hair, and small details but can’t comprise more than 10% of the image. AI-generated art using text is not permitted. Cloning, healing, patch, remove, content-aware fill, generative fill without text, liquify, or similar tools are permitted.
Wedding Day of & Events
A wedding image is an artistic representation of a wedding individual, group, couple, or wedding detail. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and mood of the wedding. The image must be captured on the day of the wedding. Wedding-style images not taken on the day of the wedding, such as bridal portraits, may be entered in the Portrait Category.
- Wedding Candid – Images can portray a subject or subjects from a wedding including candids or details.
- Wedding Formals – Images that depict the formal or posed portraits taken at a wedding including bride, groom, couple, family, and wedding party images.
- Events – Images can portray a subject or subjects from all aspects of a social event other than a wedding including traditional portraits, candids, or details.
A Garden’s Timeless Beauty Provided Courtesy of Arlissa Gentry
Commercial/Illustrative
Commercial Photography is a category that is best described as follows: a photograph that is used to help sell, advertise, or market a product, service, person, or persons.
Illustrative images can be conceptual images that tell a story. This category includes a wide range of subject matter. Capturing the beauty of nature, wildlife, abstract, and conceptual areas are considered illustrative. Architectural images seek to capture the essence of a building or group of buildings in an urban or other setting.
- Abstract – This category is for images that express ideas and emotions with photographed elements without the intention of creating a traditional or realistic image. They may be achieved in-camera or in post-production. Macro images would be in this category.
- Illustrative Open – This category is specifically for illustrative images that do not fit in another category. Included are painted images or composites that do not belong in the master artist category due to level of difficulty, still-life, conceptual images, or storytelling images.
- Illustrative Landscape/Nature – Floral arrangements and other naturally occurring objects shot in the studio are included in this category.
- Architectural – This category includes building exteriors or interiors, highlighted architectural features, and real-estate photography.
- Product/Food – This category is for stylized food photography or product photography.
- Commercial Open – This category is for any commercial image that does not fit in the other categories including editorial work, industrial work, and promotional work.
Reportage/Photojournalism
Images are drawn straight from the camera with minimal retouching. Images that evoke emotions, tell a story, or are used to bring public awareness. Includes street photography and follows editing restrictions or it should be entered to portrait categories. Please visit the Image Competition Rules for additional information about editing restrictions in Reportage.
Nature/Wildlife
This category includes wild animals in an uncontrolled lighting environment, zoo animals, botany, flowers, seascapes, cityscapes, urban landscapes, environmental images, and sunsets with or without people. These images showcase outdoor beauty both natural and man-made.
It’s MINE! Provided Courtesy of Thea Martin
Artist/Master Artist
Special Note: All entries must include guide images, or they will not be accepted to this category. A guide image is a small thumbnail that represents an element used to create the image. All guide images should be placed on the mat below or beside the finished image, outside of the main image stroke line.
This division is composed of the following subcategories: Image Restoration, Digital Creation, and Artist, Creative. These subcategories include composites, digital paintings, photo restorations, and other creations that extend well beyond the scope of traditional editing, corrections, and retouching. The entered work is significantly changed from the original capture. Unlimited additional elements may be added to your finished composition. All elements used, including the original capture, must be displayed as guide images on the finished mat.
Alienated Provided Courtesy of Elena Ganusova
Consideration of the 12 elements is foremost in scoring an image; however, the Artist Division places additional weight on technical excellence, storytelling, creativity, and the overall difficulty level of the image creation when awarding a score.
The image maker is allowed to use photography and/or a combination of visual elements such as shapes, clip art, overlays, or brushes created by other individuals provided the image maker has the legal usage rights to the assets. All must be included as guide images. Brushes that are specific shapes such as bubbles, eyes, or trees should be stamped and included as a guide image. Brushes for hair, fur, or textures do not need to be included in guide images.
The Critic Provided Courtesy of Karen Fox
Artificial Intelligence elements generated by text may not be used in any category except for Artist, Creative. All AI text-generated elements may only be made using the Adobe Firefly engine which is included with Photoshop. Your generated thumbnail should be included as a guide image. Your prompt and image generation source may be requested for proof of compliance.
- Image Restoration – This subcategory is for restoration, repair, and/or colorization of an existing image that is scanned and enhanced by the artist. A scan of the original working image is required to be displayed as a guide image along with any additional elements used or created.
- Digital Creation – This subcategory is for images that have been significantly altered from their original capture. The main subject must be photographed by the maker. Entries are typically composites or digital paintings using a variety of additional elements and advanced post-processing techniques. This category encourages the use of dramatic details and enhanced lighting to suggest a larger story. The concept must be created by the artist and should be original. Recreations of well-known works are discouraged unless there is a significant change to the storytelling and execution of the image.
- Artist, Creative: This subcategory is for conceptual or abstract art. Entries may include photographs, freehand drawings, and other similar elements. Elements not created by the maker are permitted but must be used with permission. Adobe AI art generated by text may be used to create backgrounds or elements of the entry. Guide images of all major components, including Adobe AI-generated items, are required.