General Rules

  • Entrants must have permission from clients (in the case of commissioned photos) or subjects (in the case of uncommissioned photos) to submit images into awards and for the IPPVA to use those images for promotional purposes on social media, blog, and in exhibition. In the case of Reportage images (e.g. street photography) or Open Creative images where explicit permission may not always be obtainable, permission is required where the subjects may not have had a reasonable expectation of privacy. In all cases, the guidance at https://www.digitalrights.ie/photographers-rights/ should be consulted.
  • Uncommissioned images must be entered in Open Creative. The exceptions to this rule are for Landscape, Nature & Wildlife, and Reportage, where uncommissioned images can be entered.
  • Images that have been submitted and did not/do not win an IPPVA Award can be resubmitted as is, or re-edited.
    Images which have previously won an IPPVA Award of any kind may not be resubmitted, even if they have been re-edited.
  • Images must have been taken any time since 1/1/2021, except for Wildlife & Nature, where images may have been taken any time since 1/1/2020.
  • Entrants must endeavour to enter images into the appropriate category. The administrator/judging coordinators reserve the right to move images to an appropriate category and/or disqualify images from judging.
  • Where a doubt exists about the commissioned nature of a photograph for the Studio Portraiture, Environmental Portraiture, Newborn, Wedding Documentary, Wedding Classic & Creative, Commercial, or Architecture categories, the entrant may be asked to provide evidence of the commission before an award can be confirmed.

Award Categories 2023

Architectural

Images in this category include commissioned photos of:

  • Building exteriors
  • Interiors
  • Building details
  • Graphic depictions of buildings and manmade structures

Composites (stitching, focus stacking, multi-exposures) are permitted as are creative photo techniques.

AI-generated elements/backgrounds or third-party backgrounds are not permitted.

Uncommissioned architecture images must be entered in Open Creative.

Commercial

Images in this category include commissioned photos of:

  • Advertising
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Still life
  • Headshots
  • Food
  • Corporate photography

Images with an intended use by a commercial client to promote or brand a product or company.

Composites (stitching, focus stacking, multi-exposures) are permitted as are creative photo techniques.

AI-generated elements/backgrounds or third-party backgrounds are not permitted.

Uncommissioned commercial-style images must be entered in Open Creative.

Landscape

Images in this category include:

  • Landscapes
  • Seascapes
  • Cityscapes
  • Aerial photography
  • Astrophotography

Composites (stitching, focus stacking, multi-exposures) are permitted as are general edits for noise reduction, sharpening, colour adjustment, cropping, lens corrections, dust removal, global and local exposure adjustments.

Images taken at workshops and on photo tours/expeditions are permitted.

AI-generated elements/backgrounds/skies or third-party backgrounds/skies are not permitted.

Images may be commissioned or uncommissioned.

Nature & Wildlife

Images in this category include:

  • Plants
  • Flowers
  • Trees
  • Close-ups of natural scenes and textures
  • Macro
  • Still life
  • Wildlife in a natural habitat

Composites (stitching, focus stacking, multi-exposures shot at the same time as a sequence) are permitted as are general edits for noise reduction, sharpening, colour adjustment, cropping, lens corrections, dust removal, global and local exposure adjustments.

Images taken at workshops and on photo tours/expeditions are permitted.

Domesticated animals/captive animals are not permitted.

AI-generated elements/backgrounds/skies or third-party backgrounds/skies are not permitted.

It is NOT allowed to add, delete, move elements by cloning, healing, patching, content-aware fill, liquify, AI generative fill, or similar tools. The original source file(s) must be available if requested.

Open Creative

Images in this category include:

  • Uncommissioned portraits
  • Uncommissioned commercial-style images
  • Uncommissioned architecture images
  • Portraits of family members
  • Personal work
  • Creative projects
  • Graphic depiction of any concept or subject using elements from images created by the entrant.

Anything that contributes artistically to the image is allowed including editing, manipulation, compositing, use of illustration, and graphic elements.

AI-generated elements/backgrounds or third-party backgrounds are not permitted.

Portrait > Studio Portraiture

Images in this category include commissioned studio portraits:

  • Family portraits
  • Individual adults and children portraits
  • Pet portraits
  • Communions
  • Couples
  • Maternity portraits

Note this is a non-exhaustive list.

Retouching is permitted, as are creative photo techniques.

Subjects must not be related to the photographer, and images must be taken in a studio-type setting (i.e. where the background and lighting is under the control of the photographer).

AI-generated elements/backgrounds or third-party backgrounds are not permitted.

Non-commissioned portraits must be entered in Open Creative.
Commissioned headshots and fashion shots must be entered in Commercial.

Portrait > Environmental Portraiture

Images in this category include commissioned on-location portraits:

  • Family portraits
  • Individual adults and children portraits
  • Pet
  • Communions
  • Couples
  • Maternity
  • Day In The Life photography

Note this is a non-exhaustive list.

Retouching is permitted, as are creative photo techniques.

Subjects must not be related to the photographer, and images must not be taken in a studio-type setting (i.e. where the background and lighting are under the control of the photographer). Light may be added/enhanced by the photographer.

The location of the portrait should be an element in the scene.

AI-generated elements/backgrounds/skies or third-party backgrounds/skies are not permitted.

Non-commissioned portraits must be entered in Open Creative.
Commissioned headshots and fashion shots must be entered in Commercial.

Portrait > Newborn

Images in this category include commissioned photos of babies <8 weeks (from their due date) where the baby is the central focus of the image.

Inclusive of all styles, and props may be used.

Retouching is permitted.

Subjects must not be related to the photographer.

Composites are permitted (e.g. for safety reasons).

AI-generated elements/backgrounds or third-party backgrounds are not permitted.

Reportage

Images in this category include:

  • Sports photography
  • Street photography
  • Photojournalism
  • News
  • Documentary images of public events.

Only single-capture images are permitted. The photographer must not have impacted the scene in any way before or during image capture. Subjects must not be related to the photographer.

AI-generated elements/backgrounds/skies or third-party backgrounds/skies are not permitted.

Post-production techniques are not to be an essential part of the final image. The original source file must be available if requested.
Images may be commissioned or uncommissioned.

Wedding > Classic & Creative

Images in this category include:

  • Bridal portraits
  • Groom portraits
  • Bridal party & groom’s party
  • Wedding family portraits
  • Creative & Classic wedding couple portraits
  • Nighttime wedding portraits
  • Photographer-staged scenes at a wedding including first looks and details

Composites (stitching, focus stacking, multi-exposures) are permitted as are creative photo techniques. Retouching is permitted.

The photographer must be commissioned to photograph the wedding as a primary or second shooter. Where the photographer is a second shooter, they must have permission from the primary photographer to submit the image to the awards.

Wedding > Documentary

Images in this category include real moments from real weddings.

Only single-capture images are permitted. The photographer must not have impacted the scene in any way before or during image capture.

No posed photos, no first looks, no details, no couple time shots, no setups that are staged by the photographer.

Post-production techniques are not to be an essential part of the final image. The original source file must be available if requested.

AI-generated elements/backgrounds/skies or third-party backgrounds/skies are not permitted.

The photographer must be commissioned to photograph the wedding as a primary or second shooter. Where the photographer is a second shooter, they must have permission from the primary photographer to submit the image to the awards.