2009 POY rules using Photoshop

Step 1: Using Adobe Photoshop’File info…’

In PhotoShop, click on the “File” menu dragging down to ‘File info…’ Unclick the mouse and you will see a menu similar to the one at right.

Caption menu provides a place to enter complete, informative captions. Do not assume the judges will recognize a local event or the face of a local newsmaker. An informative caption usually enhances a picture’s chance of winning. Judges are often irritated by the lack of caption information and can downgrade a picture.

Author: Photographer’s name as it appears on the entry form.

Step 2: Using Adobe Photoshop ‘File info…’

Supplemental Category 1: area to indicate the name of the category for the entry. Use the following supplemental initials exactly. IF THE TWO OR THREE LETTER CODE IS NOT USED CORRECTLY AND NOT PUT INTO THE FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL CATEGORY FIELD, YOUR PICTURES WILL NOT SEARCH PROPERLY IN THE DATABASE AND WILL NOT BE JUDGED. BE SURE TO CORRECTLY ENTER THE CODE. Please have only one category in this area on all files.

A) Spot News: SN

B) General News: GN

C) Feature Single: FEA

D) Sports Action: SA

E) Sports Feature: SF

F) Portrait Personality: PP

G) Pictorial: PIC

H) Feature Story: FS

I) News Story: NS

J) Sports Story: SS

K) Photographer of the Year (portfolio): POY

L) College Photographer of the Year (portfolio): CPOY

M) Edmonds: ED

N) Sports Portfolio: SPO

IMPORTANT!!! You must press the ‘add’ button for the Supplemental Category to be included.

Category: In order to be judged in proper sequence, all entries in picture story, portfolio and Edmonds categories must use the “Categories” field to indicate the sequence. The “05” in the window above indicates this is the 6th image to be viewed in this story. You would use “00” for the title ‘slide’ then 01, 02, 03, etc to indicate the order in which the images should be viewed.

To make a ‘title slide’, create a new PhotoShop document 10 inches wide by six-and-a-half inches tall at 144 pixels/inch, black background, white text. Use 72 point Arial Bold (or Helvetica Bold) for the title. Please remember to flatten the title slide and save it as a JPEG file. (Click here for a more detailed example.)

Step 3: Using Adobe Photoshop ‘File info…’

Credit: Name of your publication or school.

Headline: is for the title of the image.

General note: Please remove any information not needed for the contest in the other “File Info” fields.

Saving: When saving, please include category code and picture title in the file name. egGN homecoming.jpg.

For multiple entries, use the category code and number them. eg — 01_FS_Matilda.jpg or 01_POY_HAMILTON.jpg

Step 4: Organizing your files

Please use a separate folder for:

Include a printed copy of your entry form and story summaries along with your disk.

ENTRY FORMS:

All forms are available on the Main Contest page.

SHIPPING

Deliver entries to:

Cory Olsen, Grand Rapids Press, 155 Michigan St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

WHAT TO SHIP:

1) CD-ROM or DVD with PhotoShop JPEG files. Text files of story and Edmonds summaries should be included on the disk as well, but electronic entry forms are not necessary. Please include your headshot as well.

2) A paper (printed) copy of story summaries, Edmonds summaries and your signed entry form. Include two copies of story summaries if you are entering POY or CPOY.

AWARDS:

In categories A-N, judges will award first, second, third and honorable mention as they see fit. The judges are not obligated to award every place in every category. There is only one winner of the Barry Edmonds Award. There are no ties and no other places will be awarded. All pictures will be judged in the category in which they are entered. If the judges do not feel the picture is entered in the proper category, they may disqualify it. The judges will not move the picture to another category. Any breach of the rules may result in disqualification. The MPPA will present awards February 27, 2010 at Seminar ’10.

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