Photography Contest

We are pleased to announce the 80th annual Pictures of the Year International competition. The mission of POY is to honor photojournalistic excellence, to come together as a community through the competition and preserve an inspiring record of visual history that shares the value of photojournalism with students and the public. We believe that by hosting a transparent, juried competition in which photographers and editors share their own humanity through honest discussion of journalistic work, POY builds public trust in journalism and the people who practice it. This year we have added three categories focused on the War in Ukraine. It will certainly include the hard news, but it also accommodates a category devoted to daily life the perseveres despite the war. We are excited to bring back the Photography Book of the Year and our premiere category, Team Picture Story, which recognizes collaborative coverage of any single news event or issue in the world. Only one team entry is allowed per news organization. The judging will be virtual again this year. The POY curators will vote in the first rounds on their own. We will then meet virtually for the final rounds of voting and discussion, which will be livestreamed Feb. 6 through Feb. 28, 2022. We are excited to gather virtually as a community through the POY competition and recognize the incredible dedication of photojournalists throughout the world. Be sure to watch for our posts as we celebrate 80 years of POY by sharing gems from the POY Archive throughout the year. Awards
Individual category winners: • 1st — Engraved plaque • Finalist and Award of Excellence — Certificate

$1,000 cash prizes & Tiffany crystal trophy: • International Photographer of the Year • Local Photographer of the Year • World Understanding Award • Community Awareness Award • Environmental Vision Award

Tiffany crystal trophy:: • Sports Photographer of the Year • Documentary Storyteller of the Year • Photography Book of the Year • Visual Editor of the Year