Frequently Asked Questions
Theses are examples of some of the questions that we received over the years. We hope that their answers will be helpful to you. If you have any others, please send them to us at: info@theppy.com
Q: The pictures I want to enter were never published, can they be entered?
A: Yes.
Q: Is it only for BPPA members?
A: No, any professional photographer can enter, though entry will be free for BPPA members. Non-members will have to pay an admin fee of £25.
Q: What is the maximum number of pictures I can enter?
A: 136! which is up to 8 in ten categories, and up to two sets of 8 in PHOTO ESSAY and a set of 10 in each of the FOLIO categories.
Q: Can I just enter a single, solitary picture?
A: Yes, why not?
Q: Why can’t I enter the ’Photograph of the Year’ category?
A: All entries will go forward to be considered for the "Photograph of The Year".
Q: Is it possible that the "Photograph of the Year" isn’t the winner of one the other categories?
A: Yes, as the â??Photograph of the Yearâ? is a special award, it is meant to embody all the elements the jury is looking for, and therefore stands to represent all the entries. To make the results more engaging it will only go to a category winning picture in exceptional circumstances.
Q: What can I do if I have changed my mind about the pictures I have entered?
A: All the personal entry login pages will close at midnight on the 2nd February. Until that deadline you can change, amend, add to or subtract from your entry.
Q: When will I receive my username and password?
A: A: If you had registered for last year's awards then you will receive them before them on 13th January, otherwise within an hour of registering.
Q: Can I enter more than one set of 8 images into the PHOTOESSAY category?
A: Yes, you can enter up to two sets of 8.
Q: If I have completed a Photo Essay that I started in 2011 and finished in 2012, can I enter this picture story?
A: Yes, this year you can. Normally the Press Photographer's Year is based on a year-to-year format, but as there was no competition in 2012 we have widened the eligible time frame. This is 1st January 2011 to 31st January 2013.
Q: Can I enter photographs I put into the PHOTO ESSAY category into other categories?
A: Yes, but apart from the PHOTO ESSAY and FOLIO categories all photographs will be judged on their individual merit.
Q: What is the difference between Photographer and Photograph of the Year?
A: Our competition will be inclusive, and will not sit on judgement of photographers and declare one person the best photographer. This award is all
about the photography, not the individuals, and will be searching for the very best photographs. The results will reflect the breadth of the work press photographers shoot, in a variety of different categories.Q: Why don't we have a Regional or Young Photographer category?
A: This competition is all about great photographs, wherever and whoever they are taken by. It doesn’t matter where you work, live, how old you are, or who you work for.
Q: Can I enter the same picture in different categories?
A: Yes, you can as some pictures naturally overlap but the more variety the Jury is offered the better your chances are of having pictures selected - and the more interesting the final edit will be. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the same picture appearing in 5 categories will give it a better chance. It has been said by past juries that this has exactly the opposite effect.
Q: Can I enter a portrait of a football manager taken at a press conference into PORTRAITS?
A: Yes, the PORTRAIT category is there to cover any and every subject, but the subject should be aware that they were being photographed.
Q: Are the photographs in the singles categories judged as a body of work, or treated in isolation?
A: Each picture will be judged on its own merits though they are very likely to be seen in sequence. You can enter UP TO 8 but the judges will not be looking for the best set of pictures, but for individual ones. 8 pictures could be entered that are ALL strong enough to make it into the final edit (and they could even be from a set). The whole point of this competition is to the find the best photographs, wherever, and however they appear to the Jury.
Q: Should celebration pictures be entered in SPORTS ACTION or SPORTS FEATURES?
A: Enter a celebration picture in the SPORTS ACTION category if the celebration is "on the pitch". If it was a major event you may consider that it could also be entered into the NEWS category AS WELL as SPORTS ACTION.
Q: What is the SPORTS FEATURES category?
A: The SPORTS FEATURES category was conceived for "feature" type pictures perhaps of athletes and players warming up or in training. They may be GVs or feature the crowd or feature those involved in setting up a sporting event.
Q: If I have put my entry into the wrong category will that go against me?
A: No, not necessarily. The Jury will endeavour to reposition pictures that would be better suited in another category. But please remember that with around 8000-10000 pictures expected, badly entered pictures would test the patience of anyone. You would be advised to enter them as carefully as possible.
Q: I am a foreign national, am based abroad, and I've been working for a foreign publication covering a UK story? Am I eligible to submit pictures?
A: No, we are afraid not.
General Rules 3 & 4 state: â??Entries are welcomed from professional photographers based in the United Kingdom (irrespective of nationality)â?
â??Those who are not UK based MUST either be working predominately for the UK media, be UK or ROI citizens.
Q: For one of the sections I’m planning to enter I have a set of pictures which should ideally be reproduced as pairs. Would they count a single entry?
A: To enter those two pictures as one image would not be allowed as they would be "composite" as in Technical Rule 8. It is perfectly conceivable that the jury pick them and put them through to the final edit together. But you should enter them as individual images.