Official Rules and Regulations

The below rules and regulations shall serve to guide the 2023 Professional Baseball Photographers’ Association contest, known henceforth as “the contest”. This document has been made available to all contestants and terms are binding between each individual entering the contest and the PBPA, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, for the 2023 edition of the contest.

I.           Image and Contestant Eligibility

 All images submitted for the 2023 contest must have been captured between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023. By entering, contestants are representing ownership and/or the right to copyright for all images submitted. Successful upload grants the PBPA use of any submitted images for promotion of the organization and its contest which includes, but is not limited to: social media posts, sanctioned coverage by editorial media outlets digitally or in print, physical display of images in galleries/exhibitions or permanent addition to institutional archives - displays or usage shall require full attribution to the contestant. Images entered will never be licensed or sold. Contestant retains all copyrights. 

All contestants are welcome to enter any categories they feel they are qualified for, whether they are dues paying PBPA members or not. Members must be approved and processed to Active status by November 1st, 2023. Any members accepted after this date must enter the contest as a non-member. The entry fee for members is included in their dues and non-members will pay $35 USD plus processing fees. Any person found to enter the competition using the member code that is not a member, or a member that has provided this code to a non-member will be disqualified. Each contestant is allowed one entry which consists of 20 total images, excluding those categories requiring multiple images. 

Those looking to compete in the Student category must prove educational status at the time the photo was taken via dated transcript or an accompanying verification letter from the school’s administration or academic advisor. Upon completion of submission upload, proof of student status is to be submitted via email to: contact@baseballphotographers.org. Those who fail to complete this step will be disqualified. 

II.          Ethics and Image Manipulation

The Professional Baseball Photographers’ Association (PBPA) broadly adheres to the National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics, available here: https://nppa.org/resources/code-ethics

Entries may not be digitally manipulated or created using Artificial Intelligence tools. Routine post-production, commonly accepted by editorial outlets, is acceptable – exposure correction, white balance and reasonable color adjustments are allowed. Images may be submitted in either color or black and white (grayscale). Removing, adding, or cloning any part of the image is prohibited. All images should be captured as an observer of an event with the exception of images submitted to the Portrait category, which may be posed. If a submission was originally taken on film, the exact details of the game photographed must be provided in the submission description. Multiple exposure images are allowed but contestants will need to provide evidence that the final product was created in-camera.

To adhere to journalistic standards, the PBPA will require the submission of an original, unedited, image file to confirm the authenticity and accuracy of all finalist images in question. In the event an image is found to not meet the above requirements, the image will be disqualified, and the contestant will forfeit their entry fee. If a winning image is disqualified for any reason, all prizes must be returned to the PBPA. If a PBPA member is found to have submitted an image that does not meet the above requirements, the same holds true and their membership can be terminated with forfeiture of their member dues. They will not be allowed to re-apply for membership. 

III.        Judges

The contest will be presided over by a panel of five judges selected by the PBPA Competition Committee based on their industry experience, skill, and depth of knowledge. This panel of independent, non-members, serves to maintain and uphold the ethical operation of this contest. As such, they are expected to recuse themselves in the event of any conflicts to avoid conscious bias and will proactively communicate any potential conflicts to the competition committee. In the event of a conflict, the remaining four judges will work to evaluate a specific entry. 

Judges shall not accept any gifts from contestants and are bound to report any attempts to sway their consideration. If, for any reason, a judge is deemed unfit to participate or feels they are unable to perform their duties, the PBPA Competition Committee will find a suitable replacement. In addition to the judges, the competition will have a Contest Chairman who will serve the judges to assist in the recusal process, rules and regulations questions, and overall operational guidance throughout the judging window. 

IV.        Categories

The categories and corresponding definitions below serve to inform the contestant on their submission decisions. Both contestants and judges are provided the same guidelines and are expected to use their personal interpretation of each category in their evaluation of images. No clarifications or specific questions will be entertained by the PBPA Competition Committee or panel of judges. 

·  Action: A single image depicting peak athletic ability

·  Feature: A found moment around the game of baseball that is not game action 

·  Story (15 photos maximum): A sequence of images that tells a story related to the game of baseball

·  Portrait: A single image, candid or posed

·  Editorial - “The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat”: A single image that captures the elation of winning, the sadness of losing, or the emotion found in the game of baseball

·    Pictorial: A single image depicting the visual beauty of the game of baseball

·  Portfolio (20 photos maximum): A diverse collection of images demonstrating a photographer’s skill range covering the sport of baseball over the course of a year

·  Amateur: A single image featuring the game of baseball at the amateur level. This may be an Action or Documentary image (Open to all MiLB, Independent Leagues, Collegiate, and Youth)

·  Student: A single image submitted by a current student of baseball at any level 

V.         Submission Workflow

Any image that will be considered for an award in this contest must be submitted through Picter. All images must be saved as JPEGs in the sRGB color space and EXIF data must be left in the image file. A caption describing the image should be embedded into the file and also placed into the Description field. All contestants must be able to supply a high resolution image suitable for printing or use in media should the image be chosen as a winner. Submitted image files must be a minimum of 1500px on the longest side. 

VI.        Prizes

Each category will result in one winning contestant and will simultaneously recognize three other contestants through Honorable Mention. Prizes will be delivered within six months of the winning announcement and are provided at cost to the PBPA and its sponsors; winners shall incur no cost associated with winning but should consult a tax professional in regards to any declarations of value to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Prize winners may receive digital imaging equipment as part of their prize. In some countries income tax may be applicable to prizes. It is the winner’s responsibility to pay any income taxes related to the prize in compliance with their own country’s law. 

Upon winning or receiving Honorable Mention in any category the contestant is granted the ability to use the PBPA’s name on their personal website, social media, in association with a resume or for other personal promotion. The PBPA will furnish each honoree with written confirmation of their achievement in addition to any physical prize(s).