Categories

1 - Science & Natural History

A single photograph that increases the understanding and appreciation of science or the natural world. Studio scenes that are arranged by the photographer are not eligible.

2 - Science & Natural History Picture Story

A narrative picture story, essay, sequence, or series that increases the understanding and appreciation for science or the natural world. Studio scenes that are arranged by the photographer are not eligible. 12 photographs maximum per entry.

3 - General News

A single photograph of a news event or social issue for which planning was possible.

4 - Impact 2025 Picture Story: The Political Divide

A narrative picture story that captures the news, emotion, character, mood or expression of political ideologies or issues. 12 photographs maximum per entry.

5 - Spot News

A single photograph of a breaking news event for which no planning was possible.

6 - Daily Life

A single, unposed photograph that reflects the human experience, celebrates life, or chronicles a cultural trend. Respect for the dignity of the person is important.

7 - Portrait

A single photograph that reflects a strong sense of a person’s identity or narrative. Respect for the dignity of the person is important.

8 - Portrait Series

A series of photographs that reflects a strong sense of identity or narrative. Respect for the dignity of the person is important. 12 photographs maximum per entry.

9 - National/International News Picture Story

A narrative picture story based on daily coverage of a general or breaking news event that is of primary interest to an entire nation or the world. It is usually created with the intent to share nationally or internationally. 12 photographs maximum per story.

10 - Issue Reporting Picture Story

A narrative picture story that explores an important social, economic, or cultural issue. 12 photographs maximum per story.

11 - Daily Life Picture Story

A narrative picture story that reflects the everyday human experience, celebrates life, or chronicles a cultural trend. Respect for the dignity of the person is important. 12 photographs maximum per story.

12 - Local News Picture Story

A narrative picture story based on daily coverage of a general or breaking news event that is of primary interest to the local audience in a media organization or the photographer’s primary geographic market. In other words, a hometown story. 12 photographs maximum per story.

13 - Sports Action

A single photograph that captures peak action of an individual or team sport. Jubilation, dejection, or reaction images should be entered in the Sports Life and Recreational category. Photographs must be taken during 2025.

14 - Sports Life and Recreational Sports

A single photograph that celebrates the role that professional or amateur sports play in a community. The image may show the emotional highlights of players or the fans’ reactions. Photographs must be taken during 2025.

15 - Sports Picture Story

A narrative picture story or series of images that increases the understanding of the role that professional or amateur athletics play in the lives of athletes and their community. The story may focus on sports as a catalyst of change in gender, race, political, and cultural issues. 12 photographs maximum per story.

16 - Documentary News Reporting (video)

This is a single video covering general or breaking news. It may explore a social, economic or political issue. (flexible length – up to about 15 minutes). Enter longer stories in “Documentary of the Year.”

This category is open to teams or individuals. List up to 10 contributors in the credit field. If the entry is selected, we will publish the contributor names in the sequence in which they are listed in the entry. Please consult your team when entering.

Include a .jpg thumbnail, a URL link and required username and password.

17 - Documentary Daily Life (video)

This is a single video that reflects the human experience, celebrates life, or chronicles a cultural trend (flexible length – up to about 15 minutes). Enter longer stories in “Documentary of the Year.”

This category is open to teams or individuals. List up to 10 contributors in the credit field. If the entry is selected, we will publish the contributor names in the sequence in which they are listed in the entry. Please consult your team when entering.

Include a .jpg thumbnail, a URL link and required username and password.

18 - Documentary of the Year (video)

This premiere category recognizes excellence in longform video reporting that focuses on news, a social issue or cultural trend (about 15-45 minutes). Do not enter shorter versions in other categories.

This category is open to teams or individuals. List up to 10 contributors in the credit field. If the entry is selected, we will publish the contributor names in the sequence in which they are listed in the entry. Please consult your team when entering.

Include a .jpg thumbnail, a URL link and required username and password.

19 - Online Storytelling: Daily Life

A single daily life story presented on an online platform such as a website or social media. It may be based on coverage of an issue, everyday human experience, or a cultural trend. The story must have been recorded, produced, or published for the first time in 2025.

If a story is published across multiple platforms (website and social media), choose the platform that best represents the story. Please indicate in the description if an online story entry should be viewed in a mobile format or via a web browser. Updated versions of the originally posted story are acceptable.

Web pages that present only a single video should be submitted in the documentary categories.

A story that has multiple chapters should be entered in Online Storytelling Project of the Year.

If entering a single story that is part of a series, select only one story and clearly indicate which single story should be reviewed in the description field.

Include a .jpg thumbnail and an active URL link for each story. Include required username and password.

20 - Online Storytelling: News Reporting

A single news story presented on an online platform. It may be based on coverage of an issue or daily news. The story must have been recorded, produced, or published for the first time in 2025.

If a story is published across multiple platforms (website and social media), choose the platform that best represents that specific story. Please indicate in the description if an online story entry should be viewed in a mobile format or via a web browser. Updated versions of the story are acceptable.

Web pages that present a single video should be entered in the documentary categories.

A story that has multiple chapters should be entered in Online Storytelling Project of the Year.

If entering a single story that is part of a series, select only one story and clearly indicate which single story should be reviewed in the description field.

Submit a .jpg thumbnail and an active URL link for each story. Include required username and password.

21 - Online Storytelling Project of the Year

This premiere category is open to teams or individuals. It appraises in-depth visual online journalism that explores a social, economic, or political issue through a special report, series, or multiple chapters.

Please indicate in the description if an online story entry should be viewed in a mobile format or via a web browser.

Entries are comprised of multiple stories or chapters. Single story entries should be entered in categories #19 or #20.

Submit a .jpg thumbnail and an active URL link. Include required usernames and passwords.

22 - Newspaper Picture Editing

A single published story from the coverage of an issue, daily life, or news in a general circulation newspaper. An editing entry may be a single published page or a story entry made from multiple published pages. The story entry may include one or more pages from up to 5 published issues or editions. The 5 published editions do not need to be consecutive. All stories must be published in 2025.

Please include a story summary in the description field.

We cannot accept .pdf files. Please convert all .pdf files to .jpg files. This is a 1-click process in Adobe Bridge: File-Export to-Save as jpgs.

Submit each page as a separate .jpg file. A double truck (two facing pages) should be submitted as a single .jpg file.

23 - Magazine Picture Editing

A single published story from the coverage of daily life, news or a social issue in a magazine or specialty publication. All stories must be published in 2025.

Please include a story summary in the description field.

Submit each page as a separate .jpg file. A double truck (two facing pages) should be submitted as a single .jpg file.

We cannot accept .pdf files. Please convert all .pdf files to .jpg files. This is a 1-click process in Adobe Bridge: File-Export to-Save as jpgs.

Stories may be entered only once and attributed to a single editor. The same story cannot be entered by two people.

24 - Visual Editor of the Year

This premiere category awards editing excellence to one person. Newspaper, magazine, and online visual editors may enter this category. The portfolio should represent the work of an individual who served as the lead editor. All stories must be published in 2025.

Editors are encouraged to use the description field to describe their role in reporting and presentation of the entry.

Please include descriptions for the stories included in the portfolio.

An editing portfolio may include up to 12 stories. A story may be content published in print or online. Each instance of publication counts as one story entry. For example, a published print story counts as a single-story entry. An online version of the same story will count as a second story entry, leaving 10 more story entries.

Please indicate in the description if an online story entry should be viewed in a mobile format or via a web browser.

If needed, include an active URL link and required usernames and passwords.

Stories may only be attributed to a single editor. Individual stories from the portfolio may also be entered in categories #22 or #23.

We cannot accept .pdf files. Please convert all .pdf files to .jpg files. This is a 1-click process in Adobe Bridge: File-Export to-Save as jpgs.

Submit each page as a separate .jpg file. A double truck (two facing pages) should be submitted as a single .jpg file.

Team entries should be entered in the "Angus McDougall Excellence in Editing Award.”

25 - International Photographer of the Year

This premiere category is open to all photographers — independent, agency, wire service, or newspaper photographers. The work should be of primary interest to a nation or the world, usually created with the intent to share nationally or internationally.

A portfolio must include at least two narrative picture stories (5 or more images). To separate the stories, create a title slide with white text on a black background. Place the slide at the beginning of the story.

Submit a maximum of 50 images, not including title slides. Picture stories are not limited to 12 images.

Single images may be included, but are not required. Place single images at the beginning of the portfolio.

Photographers may only submit one portfolio into one portfolio category.

Copy the title and description into the IPTC title and caption fields.

26 - Photographer of the Year

This premiere category is open to all photographers — independent, agency, wire service, or newspaper photographers who work in their own community.

The spirit of this category is to honor a photographer who documents their own community. At least 60% of their portfolio must consist of local or regional coverage from their home or organization’s primary geographic market.

Only one national or international story is allowed. A portfolio must include at least two narrative picture stories. To separate the stories, create a title slide with white text on a black background. Place the slide at the beginning of the story.

Submit a maximum of 50 images, not including title slides. Picture stories are not limited to 12 images.

Single images may be included, but are not required. Place single images at the beginning of the portfolio.

Fill out the IPTC title and caption fields with the title and description.

If the portfolio consists mostly of national or international stories from outside the photographer’s primary geographic market, enter category #25: International Photographer of the Year.

A portfolio may be submitted once, into either category, #25 or #26, but not both.

27 - Sports Photographer of the Year

This premiere category is open to all photographers — independent, agency, wire service, or newspaper photographers. A portfolio must include single pictures and at least one narrative picture story. Picture stories are not limited to 12 images.

All single photographs must be taken during 2025. Submit a maximum of 30 photographs. At least three different sports should be represented.

Create a title slide with white text on a black background for each story. Fill out the IPTC title and caption fields with the title and description. Place the slide it at the start of each story.

Photographers may include sports photographs as part of a news portfolio in the Photographer of the Year categories #25 or #26.

8 - Environmental Vision Award

This premiere category recognizes a photographer’s long-term story, project, or essay that explores issues related to the environment, natural history, or science. This could include a facet of human impact on the natural world, scientific discovery, coverage of plant or animal habitat, or climate concerns.

Submit a maximum of 40 images. Winning entries from previous years are not allowed.

Unpublished stories are allowed. If the story has not been published, then at least 60% of the images should have been created in 2025.

This is not a category for coverage of human medical issues or natural disasters unless they are a proven result of environmental impact. The project may include a few studio scenes; however, they should not make up a majority of the project.

Single images and picture stories from this category may be entered in Science & Natural History categories #1 and #2. Images may also be part of a Photographer of the Year portfolio entry if the photos were taken or published for the first time in 2025.

29 - Community Awareness Award

This premiere category recognizes a photographer’s extended story about the everyday life of people who make up a community. The purpose is to encourage attention to the small events in life that are often overshadowed by news and celebrate those stories that reflect the experiences and dreams of humankind.

A “community” may be defined as a neighborhood, a town, a commune, a rural agricultural area, a city subdivision, or socioeconomic region.

Submit a maximum of 40 images. Winning entries from previous years are not allowed.

If the story has not been published, then at least 60% of the images must have been created in 2025. Unpublished stories are allowed.

Portions of the essay may be entered as a picture story and as part of a Photographer of the Year portfolio entry if the photos were taken or first published in 2025.

30 - World Understanding Award

This premiere category recognizes a photographer’s long-term project that focuses on the human condition, portrays a sense of justice or insight into difficult problems. This may include a facet of human relations, a mutual concern for world conflict, social injustice, or any number of other topics.

Submit a maximum of 40 images. Unpublished stories are allowed.

There are no time restrictions. Photos need not to have been created or first published during 2025.

Winning World Understanding entries from previous years are not allowed. Previous entries from this category may not be resubmitted for 5 years.

Winning pictures or stories from other POY categories may be included in an entry for World Understanding after 3 years of being recognized. At least 60% of the entry must include new images.

Images from this category may not be entered in other categories.

31 - Angus McDougall Excellence in Editing Award *All files must be .jpg format

The spirit of this category is to recognize the best in visual editing by a media organization across all platforms. Judges will recognize excellence in visual storytelling through photojournalism, video, design and immersive experiences.

This category is open to all news organizations, media groups, newspapers, magazines, or specialty advocacy organizations. One portfolio is allowed per organization.

Include up to 10 stories, which may include print and online versions. The print and online versions of the same story will count as a single-story entry.

All stories must have been published in 2025.

The print story may consist of one or more pages from up to five issues covering a single topic.

The online story may include web pages, apps, or other platforms. Submit a single, active URL link for each story. Include required usernames and passwords.

Personal portfolios, publications or websites are not allowed. Business promotions, catalogs, branded content or stories in which the funding organization is also the primary subject are not allowed.

32 - Photography Book of the Year

This category recognizes the best documentary visual storytelling in a book.