About CPOY and the contest

We are pleased to announce the 80th College Photographer of the Year competition.

We will receive entries from August 16 to September 15, 2025. Judging will take place from October 18 to 26 and will be livestreamed. Read the rules and ethics standards closely to guarantee acceptance. Please follow @collegephotog and our website for updates on how to watch judging live or how to attend in person.

We believe that open and transparent judging allows student photographers to learn from the conversation, builds public trust, and lets jurors share their own humanity through honest discussion. We hope you have a chance to follow the judging process.

The University of Missouri administers CPOY with support from its co-sponsor Nikon Inc., whose generosity allows CPOY to offer free entry to students in educational institutions worldwide. We thank them for their 19-year dedication.

Who may enter

Undergraduate or graduate students at any college, university or educational institution worldwide who enrolled for at least one semester, trimester or quarter between September 2024 and December 2025 may enter. You must have graduated high school or secondary school, as this is for higher education students. Those who have worked two years or more cumulative years as a full-time professional photographer, photo editor or videographers (including paid internships) are not eligible.

You must submit the name and contact information for a faculty member or advisor who can verify your eligibility as a recent student and not a professional photographer. They will only be contacted if we have eligibility concerns.

Awards

College Photographer of the Year - Gold Portfolio Winner

An Internship with Reuters*

Nikon Z Series Mirrorless Camera/Lens

National Press Photographers Foundation monetary award in memory of Colonel William J. Lookadoo

A plaque

* The Gold recipient in the College Photographer of the Year/Portfolio category will be offered a 12-week paid internship with Reuters. To be eligible, entrants must be able and willing to accept the internship within 12 months and possess the unrestricted right to work at a Reuters bureau, adhering to all Reuters safety guidelines. Failure to accept the offer or to meet these requirements will result in the award being reassigned at the discretion of Reuters and CPOY leadership.

Runner-up College Photographer of the Year - Finalist Portfolio Winner

Nikon Z Series Mirrorless Camera/Lens

Tuition to the Missouri Photo Workshop

National Press Photographers Foundation monetary award in memory of Milton Freier

A plaque

Sports Portfolio - Gold Winner

Nikon Z Series Mirrorless Camera/Lens

Documentary Photographic Project - Gold Winner

Tuition to Mountain Workshops

The Alexia/CPOY Project Grant - Recipient

Nikon Z Series Mirrorless Camera/Lens

$1,000 to continue work on the proposed project

Acceptance to The Alexia Fall Workshop

$500 for travel/lodging expenses

Domestic Picture Story - Gold Winner

Missouri Photo Workshop fellowship in honor of Greg Dorsett / The Muskegon Chronicle

Multimedia: Online Storytelling - Gold Winner

A plaque awarded in the name of the educational institution, workshop or individual

Multimedia: Individual Story or Essay - Gold Winner

Nikon Z Series Mirrorless Camera/Lens

Tuition to One Day MediaStorm Workshop

Multimedia: Group Story or Essay - Gold Winner

Tuition to One Day MediaStorm Workshop

Multimedia: Documentary Short - Gold Winner

Tuition to One Day MediaStorm Workshop

A Classic Pass to the True/False Film Fest

Other Awards

Digital certificates will be emailed to Gold, Finalist and Award of Excellence winners in individual categories, upon request. One certificate will be emailed, upon request, to each group.

All recognized entries will be featured at CPOY.org and on social media.

Eligible materials

All entries must have been created between August 23, 2024 and August 22, 2025 and may not have been previously entered in this competition. (There are some exceptions for Category 12 – Documentary Photographic Project, Category 13 – The Alexia/CPOY Project Grant – and Category 18 – Multimedia: Documentary Short).

All entries or components of entries must be publishable. The work is not eligible if you invaded someone's privacy, promised it would not be published or did not obtain informed consent in the case of people of diminished capacity.

CPOY Ethics Standards

Entrants must abide by both CPOY Ethics Standards, below, and the National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics.

College Photographer of the Year is a journalistic competition. Digital, analog/film or print alteration or deceptive modification of entry materials is strictly prohibited (with the exception of Category 8 – Illustration). Entries that violate CPOY Ethics Standards are subject to disqualification.

Digital alteration rules:

• AI-generated images are prohibited: AI-generated images are not allowed in any category, including category 8 - Illustration.

• CPOY accepts two photographic modes: color or black & white images

• black and white images - should display a full grayscale range and may not contain color information. Conversion to black and white that does not alter content is permitted.

• color images - routine image correction for color toning, white balance, and exposure is acceptable; desaturation, over saturation, high dynamic range or other painterly toning is not.

• film edges are not permitted unless the original photograph was captured on film (negative or transparency) or Polaroid, and the border is the true nature of the medium.

• the following are ineligible: diptychs, triptychs, double exposures, in-camera multiple exposures, stitched panoramas, added masks, borders, backgrounds, text, handwritten notes, prints that are manipulated and rephotographed or other artistic effects (except in category 8 - Illustration).

• the following content alterations are prohibited: adding, deleting, rearranging or distorting people or objects in the image is manipulation and not allowed (except in category 8 - Illustration).

Staging and re-creations are prohibited. As a journalistic competition, CPOY does not allow deceptive modification of entry materials. You may not deliberately arrange a scene or direct subjects to re-create or rearrange a scene. Exceptions are illustrations and portraits. 

Caption Standards: Each photograph must include a caption that meets journalistic standards for accuracy and be ready for publication. Captions that are inaccurate or falsely represent the picture content may be disqualified.

Copy Images and Documents, Scans. Photographs submitted into single-image categories cannot be copies, scans or a photograph of other photographs or documents (for example, scans or photographs of archive, historic or found images). However, copies, scans or a photograph of other photographs or documents can serve as a detail image as part of a multiple image entry to elucidate or advance the story, but they may not comprise a majority of the project.

CPOY reviews every still photograph and multimedia entry in advance of judging. CPOY may contact photographers whose images seem to conflict with these standards and provide them with the opportunity to resubmit the photograph before judging begins. Once judging begins, judges may disqualify entries deemed manipulated, over controlled or unethical. At any point, CPOY may contact photographers to request original RAW images or unedited JPGs for image verification.

Words of advice: Before submitting your images, compare them to the original files as captured in camera to verify that your toning is within these journalistic guidelines.

These guidelines may not be exhaustive, but CPOY expects you to live within the spirit of the competition, which awards honest and straightforward photojournalism.

Copyright

Entrants must own the copyright (or the right to copyright) all submitted material. In the case of multimedia categories, the entrant must be the authorized holder of the copyright for all components of the entry, or entrant must have copyright permission or have licensed the work from the holder.

How to enter

File naming

Your files are automatically renamed when you submit. It is not necessary to rename your files, although you should title them in the IPTC field.

Still Image File Specifications

• File type: .JPG only

• Image size: 3000 pixels minimum on the longer side 

• Resolution: 300 dpi, minimum

Captions, Dates and File Information

Captions are required and can be critical during judging --- write and enter your image captions carefully, making sure they are succinct, honest and accurate. Each photograph must include a caption embedded in the .jpg file's IPTC metadata description field that meets journalistic standards for accuracy and ready-for-publication requirements

A standard, journalistic caption is at least two sentences long. The first sentence is in present tense and explains who is in the photograph, what is happening, when, and where. The second sentence, which can be in past tense, provides background information, significance or context.

Do NOT put your name in the caption. You are also required to submit Story Descriptions for the Picture Story and Portfolio categories.

IPTC data may be embedded into images using Photoshop, Photo Mechanic, Aperture, Lightroom and other image editing solutions. You must include the correct capture date and location information. Please verify that capture dates are correct so you remain eligible. Once you have uploaded your files, any preexisting IPTC data will be automatically extracted and displayed.

Entry Tip! Captions are read in the final rounds of each category. Well-written captions with relevant details strengthen your entry and stand apart from entries with weak captions.

Images with captions that are inaccurate or falsely represent the photographic content may be disqualified.

The following IPTC fields are required:

• DOCUMENT TITLE is the image title

• AUTHOR is the photographer's name

• DESCRIPTION is the caption

• CAPTURE DATE verify that this field is correct.If any images are outside eligible entry dates your entry will be rejected. IMPORTANT: If your IPTC date is incorrect for some reason, you are able to edit the date during entry.

• LOCATION INFORMATION is the city (or nearest city), state/province, country

Picture Story Submissions

The order or sequence of images you create upon entering will be preserved. You may change and verify the sequence after you upload the images. CPOY cannot change the order of the pictures after you submit the entry, so please verify your order before submitting.

For story categories 9-12 (and 8, if you submit an Illustration project), you must also include the story summary in the metadata Description field after the caption for the first image of the story or essay. This is in addition to the Project Description field on Picter.

For College Photographer of the Year/Portfolio category 15, you will create a .jpg title slide for story summaries (see portfolio details).

The Alexia/CPOY Project Grant Submissions

For category 13, The Alexia/CPOY Project Grant, you are required to submit a written proposal of 2,500 characters or less, which you must place in the “Proposal” field under “Project Description." Begin with a tightly-written, compelling synopsis of one to three sentences, followed by a proposal rooted in facts that outlines the following:

-    what/who the project is about

-    why this story matters now

-    the visual approach(es) you've selected to tell the story

-    how you will expand/continue the project (e.g., add a new chapter, travel to document a subject, continue working over the summer, find new participants, etc.).

-    any critical contacts already made to ensure success

-    the anticipated outcomes and impact of the project (how it will be shared and to what end)

Additionally, each photograph must be captioned in the “description” field for each file. We use captions to better understand the story as well as your journalistic capabilities, attention to critical details and overall work ethic

You are required to submit 6-12 images from this project. Be mindful of the order and sequence of your images, which you maychange and verify after you upload the images, but not after you submit the entry. CPOY cannot change the order of the pictures after you submit the entry, so please verify your order before submitting.

This category will be judged by an independent panel of jurors.

The Alexia Rules: All applicants understand that The Alexia will comply with all applicable U.S. export control and economic sanctions laws and regulations, including the screening of applicants and/or grant recipients against lists of export control-restricted parties to ensure compliance with sanctions regulations. Submissions from sanctioned countries are accepted and may receive recognition, but they are not eligible to receive the awards.

Multimedia Submissions

• Categories 16-19 require a single URL via an active link. Include needed passwords to access the URL content

• You must submit a thumbnail .jpg image to represent your multimedia project

• If possible, please upload a file of the project. This is not required.

• If your Multimedia Project is awarded, you will be asked to provide the video file after judging so that we can display it on the CPOY website.

Portfolio Submissions

The order of images you create upon entry will be preserved. You should verify the order after you upload the images and change the sequence as necessary. CPOY will not change the order of the pictures after you submit the entry.

• Single image category photos go first (categories 1-8, if you entered a single image in 8), followed by multiple image categories (categories 8-13).

• Place a black .jpg title slide at the beginning of each multiple image story or essay (categories 8-13) within the portfolio. This indicates to judges that they are about to view a project.

• For this black slide, fill out the IPTC "document title" field with the story title, and fill out the "caption field" with story summary. This will be read aloud during judging.

• You may download the PROVIDED BLACK SLIDE or create your own (white text for the title is nice but not required).

• Single images within the portfolio should not be repeated in a multiple image entry in the portfolio.

• Multimedia entries are not allowed in a Portfolio.

• Multiple image entries within the portfolio are limited to 20 images (a larger limit than the project categories)

• Illustrations are allowed. Please label them as such.

• 55 images maximum, including black slides.

Rules about images and multimedia in more than one category

• A single photograph can only be entered in one single image category (categories 1-7 and 8 if entered as a single).

• However, a single photograph may be entered in one single image category (1-7 and 8 if entered as a single), one multiple image category (8-13) and a portfolio category. (For example, a single image may be entered in General News, Domestic Picture Story and College Photographer of the Year/Portfolio, but not in both the General News and Portrait categories.)

• Multiple picture categories 9-12 may only be entered in one multiple picture category. However, this story can also be entered in the College Photographer of the Year/Portfolio category entry. (For example, a story can be entered in International Picture Story, and as part of College Photographer of the Year/Portfolio, but not in both International Picture Story and Documentary Photographic Project.)

• *** Important Change: Multiple picture category 13 (The Alexia/CPOY Project Grant) may be entered into one other multiple-image category (categories 9-12 or 8 if entered as multiples). For example, an entry into The Alexia/CPOY Project Grant can also be entered in Domestic Picture Story, and as part of College Photographer of the Year/Portfolio, but not in both Domestic Picture Story and Documentary Photographic Project.

• All photographs entered in still photography categories must be taken and credited to a single photographer.

• Video category entries can only be entered in one of the following categories: 17-19. However, a video entered in 17-19 may be part of an entry into category 16, Multimedia: Online Storytelling.

Advisor Verification

Once the competition opens, CPOY will start to review entries. If we have questions about your student or professional status, we may reach out to the faculty or advisor you listed to verify your eligibility.

Use of Submitted Material

By entering this competition, you declare that you meet the eligibility requirements stated in the rules of the competition and that you are authorized by the holder of the copyright (or the right to copyright) to submit photos and multimedia entries to the College Photographer of the Year (CPOY) competition. You grant permission to College Photographer of the Year and the Missouri School of Journalism and POY programs (including CPOY's parent program, Pictures of the Year International) to use your submitted entries in exhibitions, in publications, and in promotion of the competition itself, and for educational, research, and historical purposes concerning College Photographer of the Year and Pictures of the Year International. This usage includes print and electronic and online platforms such as but not limited to the CPOY, POY, Picter or MU websites, social media, books, newsletters, slides/tapes, television broadcast/film/tapes, DVDs and CDs. Winning entries become a part of the permanent CPOY and POY archive.

CPOY History

For 80 years, our mission has been to recognize the best in collegiate photojournalism and set the standards. Each year, most of the roughly 600 students from over 160 colleges, universities and educational institutions worldwide who enter CPOY hope to win a prestigious award and have their work recognized. However, our greatest value is educational, as it encourages still and multimedia photographers to evaluate their best work and share it with their peers and the esteemed working professionals who judge the contest each year.

The College Photographer of the Year competition was founded by Cliff and Vi Edom in 1945. The University of Missouri administers the contest with support from its co-sponsor Nikon Inc., whose generosity allows CPOY to offer free entry to students in educational institutions worldwide. We thank them for their 19-year dedication.

Juror information

CPOY hosts separate judging panels for Still Division, Multimedia Division and The Alexia/CPOY Project Grant entries. Juror information, including names and affiliations, will be announced shortly before judging. Please see www.cpoy.org/announcements and @collegephotog social media for details.