POYi Launches 67th AnnualPhotojournalism Competition
• “Call for Entries” set for release Dec. 8• Online registration and entry opens Dec. 18 • Deadline for entry uploads is Jan. 15
Pictures of the Year International is privileged to launch its 67th annual competition, setting the gold-standard for documentary photography, multimedia, and visual editing.
POYi is scheduled to release a preview of the 2009 “Call for Entries” on Tuesday, Dec. 8, offering an overview of all the contest categories and guidelines. Online registration and the entry uploading platform will be available at www.poyi.org on Friday, Dec. 18 and will conclude on Friday, Jan. 15.
POYi is the oldest and most prestigious photojournalism program in the world. The mission of the annual POYi competition is to extend the reach of photojournalists by providing educational public exhibitions and reflecting the news events, social issues, and cultural trends of our time. When you enter Pictures of the Year International, your work reaches out to citizens worldwide and becomes a part of visual history.
The premiere multimedia category, “Documentary Project of the Year,” returns for a second year to honor the best extended journalistic series or long-form project. Last year this category received overwhelming participation with topics on aging, drug wars, transportation, the economy, and urban homicide. In addition, POYi continues its six-decade tradition of spotlighting the very best portfolios in the “Photographer of the Year” categories. Cash awards are offered in eight premiere categories totaling more than $10,000, including Tiffany crystal trophies and engraved plaques. Last year 180 photographers and editors were recognized across 48 categories as the best in the world from more than 46,000 submitted photographs, printed pages, and Web-based presentations.
The judging process will be held Feb. 14 through March 5 in a public forum completely open to anyone who wishes to attend. In addition, POYi will return its free, real-time Web casting of the judging via Adobe Connect. This Web conferencing software provides an unprecedented virtual experience of entry presentations and jury panel comments from any Internet access. The three consecutive weeks of review will be held at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia.
The Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles will host an extended exhibition of POYi award-winning images beginning in June. This is the second year that POYi has partnered with the Annenberg Space for Photography for it awards and education program, plus a four-month gallery showing of both print and digital documentary photography.
Listed is a tentative schedule for the upcoming contest season:
• Dec. 8 - “Call for Entries” posted online at www.poyi.org along with email announcements.
• Dec. 18 - Electronic registration and entry uploading platform activated.
• Jan. 15 - Deadline for all entries to be electronically submitted.
• Feb. 14 through March 5 - Judging period for three consecutive weeks.
• June - POYi Exhibition, Education, and Awards Program at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles.
