The PPANI Print Competition & Awards 2026

General Print Submission Rules - First Round

For the initial round of the competition, all images must be 10×8 inches with no mount. Within the 10×8 print, you may include a border if desired. Any entries that are not exactly 10×8 inches will be disqualified from the initial round.

Prints must be submitted in a large envelope or container, either delivered in person or posted. It is your responsibility to ensure all of your entries are included and correct.

Each print must have a sticker on the back displaying:

• Your member number

• The category and sub-category

• A print title if required

Do not write your name on the print. Use either pencil or pen to label the back sticker only.

PLEASE USE ONE ENVELOPE FOR ALL YOUR ENTRIES. Include a cover sheet with member number and all categories with amount of entries per category entered. This is to help with the sorting process.

Please ensure that each image is entered into the correct category as outlined in the category rules. The council are not responsible for correcting errors.

The deadline for entries (prints & digital files) is Monday 26th January 2026 at 12 pm.

Prints may be:

• Posted or delivered to:
  President Melissa Wright, 110 Castle Rise, Tandragee, BT62 2NF

• Hand delivered at the PPANI workshop in Brownlow House, Lurgan, on the same day before 12 pm.

• You may also deliver to any council member that may be closer to your location.

The competition is open only to qualified members whose membership fees are fully paid until the end of the current season.

All images must have been created between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.

The entry fee is £8.00 per image for the main competition.

The Wedding Album category costs £25 per entry. Each member receives five free entries (excluding Wedding Album) as part of their membership. Payment must be made before the closing deadline or the entry will be disqualified.

All posing, shooting and direction must be carried out by the entrant. Post-production work must also be carried out by the entrant. Image enhancement is allowed, but the rules of each category must be respected.

You may submit as many entries as you wish, but only one image per entrant may go forward to the final in each category.

Images created during workshops, training courses or seminars are not permitted. This applies to both delegates and instructors.

With the exception of the Portrait Open, Portrait Pets, Creative Landscape and Creative Pictorial categories, all images must be from commissioned work.

An image can only be entered once and may not be submitted into more than one category (apart from the Wedding Album). Any entry that does not meet the rules will be disqualified and the entry fee will not be refunded.

The PPANI reserves the right to disqualify any image that breaches the laws of decency, or that may bring the association or the entrant into disrepute. If requested, entrants must supply the original file as proof of authenticity.

By entering the competition, you grant PPANI permission to use your image(s) in printed material, publications and electronic media. You must hold the copyright for your images and ensure you have the necessary permissions or model releases from your clients.

All entries must be submitted as single images unless otherwise stated. The exceptions are Wedding Album, Portrait Open and Creative Pictorial, where sequences or multi-image entries are permitted.

Graphics and text are not allowed on images, except in the Wedding Album category where text may be included. If textures are used, they must have been photographed by the entrant. In Wedding Album entries, branding of any kind (studio, company or album manufacturer) must be removed. Any branding present will result in disqualification.

The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Winners, first runners-up and second runners-up will be announced at the awards presentation.

Overall awards will be presented for:

• Creative Photographer of the Year

• Portrait Photographer of the Year

• Wedding Photographer of the Year

The Francis Neill Trophy will be awarded to the single best image in the competition.

The Licentiate Award is open to photographers who have held Licentiate status for three years or less. It is awarded to the best scoring image by an eligible entrant. There is no separate entry process as all eligible entries are considered automatically.

The PPANI reserves the right to amend the rules at any time.

Entries for the 2025 PPANI Awards Competition will open on monday 22nd DEC 2025 at 9am and will close on Monday 26th January 2026 at 12pm.

Live judging will be held in the dunadry hotel on 31st january & 1st feburary which members are encouraged to attend. At the request of the judging panel, there will be no live recording or post recording of the judging days.

Each entry into the main competition costs £8 per image. Members are given five entries (excluding wedding album) as part of their PPANI membership.

Entry into the Wedding Album category costs £25 and you can enter as many albums as you wish.

Entering the competition

Please add up the number of images you would like to enter at the top of the page and ADD TO CART. You can then us your membership discount voucher 5FREE which will discount the fee for 5 entries.

DIGITAL FILES

Resize the longest side to 3000 pixels and save as a JPG named in the following format - Category_ Sub Category_Member Number_Sequence Number. For example - wedding_reportage_0025_001.jpg

PLEASE NOTE - it is very important that you name the files properly.

Images may have a border, or not.

If you wish any image to have a title - please send the image number along with the title in the message when sending the files.

AWARD CATEGORIES

Creative 

• Commercial

• Pictorial

• Fashion & Beauty

• Landscape

Portrait 

• Newborn & Baby 

• Children 

• Pet 

• Family

• Open

Wedding

• Wedding Day - Classic

• Wedding Day - Creative

• Wedding Day - Bride or Groom alone

• Wedding Day - Reportage

• Pre & Post Wedding

• Wedding Album Of The Year

Overall Awards

• Licentiate Award

• Overall Creative Photographer Of The Year

• Overall Portrait Photographer Of The Year

• Overall Wedding Photographer Of The Year

• Francis Neill Trophy Photographer Of The Year

CATEGORY SPECIFIC RULES

WEDDING CATEGORIES

Works must be created on the actual wedding day (registry signing or ceremony day), except where weddings span multiple days for cultural reasons.

All entries must be of commissioned work.

Wedding Day – classic

• Includes beautifully directed and naturally captured moments that couples expect to see in their wedding album.

• Focuses on the traditional and timeless images that tell the story of a wedding day.

• May feature portraits, bridal party photographs, family group shots and key moments such as the ceremony, speeches and first dance.

• Lighting can be natural or assisted, with an emphasis on flattering, well-balanced imagery that reflects the true atmosphere of the day.

• Allowed: exposure adjustments, colour correction, dodging, burning and cropping.

• Not allowed: cloning, adding effects or compositing elements from other images.

• All photographic elements must come from the same wedding.

• Work must be created on the actual wedding day

Wedding Day – classic

• Celebrates the epic, standout images from the wedding day

• A category for photographers to get artistic and creative, showcasing technical skill and imagination.

• Entries should demonstrate exceptional use of light, composition and storytelling.

• Can include the use of natural light, off-camera flash, on-camera flash or continuous lighting to create powerful and dramatic imagery.

• There are no strict limits on creativity, but the final image should still feel authentic to the couple and the wedding day itself.

• All photographic elements must be captured at the same wedding.

• Work must be created on the actual wedding day

Wedding Day - Bride or Groom alone

• Natural light or Artificial Light Allowed

• Same rules as above (commissioned work, real weddings, no model shoots).

• Allowed: exposure, colour correction, dodging, burning, cropping.

• Not allowed: cloning or adding effects.

• If combining photographic elements, all must be from the same wedding.

• Must only have one person in the photograph, either a bride or a groom

• Work must be created on the actual wedding day
  
  

Wedding Reportage

• No posing or direction allowed; must be spontaneous and unposed.

• Allowed: exposure, colour correction, dodging, burning, cropping.

• Not allowed: cloning or adding effects.

• Judges may ask for original files within 7 days as proof.

• Work must be created on the actual wedding day

Pre & Post Wedding

• Real couples only, from commissioned pre-wedding, engagement or post-wedding shoots.

• Composites not permitted: no adding skies, textures, flares etc from other images.

• No flipping of images.

Wedding Album

• All images must be shot by the entrant; second shooters are not allowed.

• Must not include images from pre- or post-wedding shoots.

WEDDING ALBUM EXAMPLE

PORTRAIT CATEGORIES

Newborn

• Parents or siblings allowed if newborn is clearly the main subject and faces of others are not visible.

• For babies from birth up to 4 months old.

• All image manipulation allowed.

• No images taken during weddings.

• Commissioned work only.

Children (4 months to 12 years)

• Can be individual or multiple children.

• Minimal retouching: dodging, burning, colour tweaks, small cloning allowed.

• No flipping or composites.

• No images of bridal parties.

• Must be commissioned.

Family

• Must include at least two generations.

• Minimal retouching as per Children; no composites or flipping.

• No wedding images.

• Commissioned work only.

Pets

• Pets only; wild animals not allowed.

• No people or owners in the image.

• Retouching minimal: dodging, burning, colour tweaks, small cloning & sharpening allowed.

• Composites and flipping not allowed.

• Can be commissioned or non-commissioned work.
  
  
  

Open

• For entries that do not fit any of the other portrait or creative categories.

• Entries in this category that should have been elsewhere will be disqualified.

• Can be commissioned or non-commissioned.
  
  

CREATIVE CATEGORIES

Fashion & Beauty

• Clothes, hair, make-up, accessories, or beauty of subject must be the main feature.

• All entries must be commissioned.

• Bridal fashion is allowed.

Commercial

• Any discipline (products, events, architecture etc).

• Bridal fashion not permitted in this category.

• Commissioned work only.

Pictorial

• Includes composites, fine-art, personal projects, documentary, street photography etc.

• Entries may be commissioned or non-commissioned.

Landscape

• Landscape must be the central focus.

• People may be included but must not be the main focus.

• Can be commissioned or non-commissioned.

FINAL ROUND

All print entries for the final judging round must measure 20×16 inches, including the mount. The mount or board must not exceed 6 mm in thickness, but may be thinner if desired.

For single aperture entries, one side of the image inside the mount must measure at least 10 inches (254 mm). If the aperture is circular or irregular, the diameter across the centre must be 10 inches.

The front of the image must not display any distinguishing marks such as your name. Materials that could damage other entries or increase the thickness beyond 6 mm, for example glue, glitter or embellishments, must not be used. PPANI cannot accept responsibility for any damage caused to prints that do not meet the format requirements.

The deadline for final entries is Wednesday 18th March 2026 at 5 pm. Prints may be:

• Posted or delivered to:
  President Melissa Wright, 110 Castle Rise, Tandragee, BT62 2NF

• You may also deliver to any council member that may be closer to your location.

PLEASE NOTE THE COUNCIL WILL NOT BE CHECKING PRINTS AT ANY STAGE OF THE COMPETITION, THIS RESPONSIBILITY LIES WITH THE AUTHOR OF THE IMAGE.