Northern Exposure Pro Photo Contest

THE CONTEST DEADLINE IS 11:59PM (CST) ON MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2025.
The contest deadline will not be extended.

PROFESSIONAL CONTEST RULES

ELIGIBILITY

The contest is open to current professionals working in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. All work must be taken or published in 2024. Multi-year projects that concluded in 2024 are eligible for the photo story category as long as it includes images from 2024.

ENTRY FEE

$15 for any professional competing in the contest.
Register here. You will receive a link to the contest entry in the confirmation email.

AWARDS

First, second, and third place awards will be made along with any honorable mentions the judges feel are merited. The judges will not be required to give awards to three places in all categories. The winners will be announced at the Northern Exposure Conference hosted by the University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Judges
- TBD
Prizes: Plaque for POY awards, certificates for individual category placements

ETHICS POLICY

Altering the content of documentary photographs through technology is prohibited. Image cropping, adjusting levels and basic toning is acceptable. It is fine to dodge and/or burn areas and to correct technical defects in a photo (such as minor dust spots) as long as the work’s content is not changed. No use of AI to alter images is allowed. No removal of objects in the images as it was recorded is allowed. When in doubt, don’t. If it is determined by the Northern Exposure contest organizers that a photo has violated these standards, the photograph will be disqualified. Documentary works that are proven to be “set up” or “staged” will also be disqualified. Judges may request the original, unedited file if concerns arise.

PROFESSIONAL CONTEST CATEGORIES

(SPN) Spot News – A picture of an unscheduled event for which no advanced planning was possible. Examples of this include but are not limited to: natural or manmade disasters, protests, accidents, etc.
(GEN) General News – A picture of a scheduled event for which advance planning was possible. Examples of this include but are not limited to: the cleanup/aftermath of a natural or manmade disaster, press conferences, ground breakings, etc.
(FEA) Feature – A picture of a found situation with a strong-human interest and provides a fresh view of the commonplace.
(SPF) Sports Feature – Any feature photo from a sporting event that is outside the field of play or is separate from the game action.
(SPA) Sports Action – A picture that captures peak action and the spirit of competition.
(POR) Portrait – A picture that reveals the essence of the subject’s character. Can be either a found moment or a setup image. (Individual images only – no diptics, collages, etc.)
(PST) Photo Story – A series of images that tells a story on a single topic or subject. A minimum of three images is required and there can be no more than 15 images per story. The caption field in first picture in the story should include a short title and a brief introductory caption to summarize the entire picture story. Individual captions for each photo are required.

‘OF THE YEAR’ AWARDS

(POY) Photographer of the Year – Entries must include a variety of single images and a minimum of one photo story (maximum of 3). A title slide must separate the story from the singles. No more than 50% of the portfolio may consist of images made outside of the contest region.
- Maximum of 40 images including picture story. (title slide doesn’t count to 30 picture limit)
- Entries must include work submitted in at least four of the individual categories.
(SPY) Sports Photographer of the Year – Entries must include a variety of at least 3 different sports represented. A picture story is encouraged, but is not a requirement. If a story is included, must include a title slide. No more than 50% of the portfolio may consist of images made outside of the contest region.
- Minimum of 12 single images required with a maximum of 30 images total including story (title slide doesn’t count to the 30 picture limit) .

HOW TO ENTER THE PRO CONTEST

1. NAME THE FILES CORRECTLY

CategoryCode_PersonalCode_Slug_PhotoNumber.jpg

CategoryCode = Three letter code for each category
PersonalCode = First four letters of your last name + first initial + middle initial
Slug (only applicable for stories) = One word description of any photo stories
PhotoNumber = Entry number (01, 02, etc.) You do not need to enter multiples in each category. For photo stories, be sure to number them in the order that best suits the story.

EXAMPLES

Single: fea_ewenmj_01.jpg or spa_ewenmj_03.jpg
Story: pst_ewenmj_election_02.jpg or pst_ewenmj_homespun_01.jpg
of the Year: poy_ewenmj_05.jpg

2. FILE INFO REQUIRED

The following information that must be included in the metadata for still images. Images without metadata will be disqualified:

Author/Photographer: Your full name.
Caption/Description*: Enter the caption here. This is mandatory for every picture, including individual pictures in a picture story. Captions may be projected onto the screen during judging. DO NOT add your name in the caption field. Any entry that includes your name or organization in this field will be disqualified.
Date: Date photograph was taken.
City: Location image was taken.
State: Location image was taken.
Credit: Organization affiliation, or Freelance, if none.
Headline: Name of entry. This will be what is used when winning images are posted.

*For picture stories, must include a title slide with a brief introductory caption summarizing the entire picture story. This overall caption should be included in the metadata of the title slide before the first individual picture. The remaining pictures in the picture story should only include the caption for that photo.

3. NUMBER OF ENTRIES

A total of 15 entries allowed. “Of the year” categories count as one entry each.
There is a limit of five photos or stories for each non “of the year” category.
There is a limit of one entry for each “of the year” category.

4. FILE SIZE

RGB or grayscale JPG files only. Final images should be resized to 3000 pixels on the longest side.

5. UPLOAD ENTRIES

Upload correctly named and sized files to the website URL you will receive in your registration email confirmation.

ENTRIES SUBJECT TO DISQUALIFICATION

Missing the deadline
File names not properly slugged / formatted
Name / organization/ appears in caption field
Violating the contest’s ethics policy

THE 2024 CONTEST DEADLINE IS 11:59 PM (CST) ON MONDAY, MARCH 17, 2025.

The contest deadline will not be extended.

QUESTIONS?

Email Matt Gade: Matt.Gade@605Sports.com