About CPOY and the contest

We are pleased to announce the 81st College Photographer of the Year competition.

We will receive entries from August 24 to September 21, 2026. Judging will take place from October 17 to 24 and will be livestreamed. Read the rules and ethics standards closely to be accepted. Please follow @collegephotog on Instagram 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 and the Reynolds Journalism Institute 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 20-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 2025 and December 2026 may enter. You must have graduated high school or secondary school, as this is for higher education students.

Applicants are ineligible if they have accumulated two or more years of paid professional experience as a photographer, photo editor or videographer, including paid internships.

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
Nikon Z Series Mirrorless Camera/Lens

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

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

A plaque

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

Online Storytelling - Gold Winner
A plaque awarded in the name of the educational institution, workshop or individual

Individual Micro Doc - Gold Winner
Nikon Z Series Mirrorless Camera/Lens

Tuition to One Day MediaStorm Workshop

Team Micro Doc - Gold Winner
Tuition to One Day MediaStorm Workshop

Documentary - 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, 2025, and August 22, 2026, 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 - Individual Micro Doc.

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 PROHIBITED. They 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, sepia toning, over saturation, high dynamic range or other painterly toning is not acceptable.
• 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 of accuracy and is 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 photograph and multimedia entry in advance of judging. CPOY may contact participants whose entries seem to conflict with these standards and may provide them with the opportunity to resubmit the entry before judging begins or disqualify the entry. Once judging begins**, judges may disqualify entries deemed overtone, manipulated, over controlled or unethical.** At any point, CPOY may contact participants 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, ethical and straightforward photojournalism.

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, relevant information, or context.

Do NOT put your name in the caption. You are also required to submit Story Descriptions for the Picture Story and College Photographer of the Year 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 embedded 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, the entry will be rejected. IMPORTANT: If the 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 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 250 words or less, which you must place in the "Proposal" field under "Project Description." The "Proposal" must include five items: a project title, a 1-sentence project summary; a project description and why it matters now; how you will complete the project, and what are the plans for the completed project. The image captions are not included in the 250-word limit.

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. Be mindful of the sequence of your images. You can change the order after you upload the images, but not after you submit the entry. CPOY cannot change the order of the pictures, so please verify your order before submitting.

This category will be judged by the still photography jury panel.

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

• Category 16 requires a thumbnail (JPEG file) that is representative of the work and a URL that leads to the website or collection of stories.
• Categories 17-19 require a thumbnail (JPEG file) that is representative of the work. Entrants must also provide either a URL or an MP4 file that allows us to watch the video. Include any needed passwords.
• If your multimedia project receives an award, you will be required to provide the video file after judging so we can display it on the CPOY website.

College Photographer of the Year Submissions (This category was previously known as the "Portfolio" category)

The order of images you create upon entry will be preserved. After uploading the images, you can change the sequence. Once you submit your entry, no further changes are allowed. CPOY will not change the order of the pictures after you submit the entry.

Single image category photos are placed first in your portfolio (categories 1-8, if you entered a single image in 8), followed by story/essay entries (categories 8-13). You must have photos that would fit at least two of the single image categories and at least one story/essay entry.

• Place a black .jpg title slide at the beginning of each story/essay entry within the portfolio. This indicates to judges that they are about to view a new story.
• 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.
• Download this PROVIDED BLACK SLIDE or create your own (white text on black background).
• Single images within the portfolio should not be repeated in a story/essay entry in the portfolio.
• Multimedia entries are not allowed in a Portfolio.
• Story/essay entries within the portfolio are limited to 20 images
• 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 may only be entered in one single image category (categories 1-7 and 8 if entered as a single).
• A single photograph may be entered in one single image category (1-7 and 8 if entered as a single), one story/essay 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, but not in both the General News and Portrait categories.)
• Multiple picture categories 9-12 may be entered in only one multiple picture category and included in the College Photographer of the Year/Portfolio 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, 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 entries may only be entered once in categories 17, 18 or 19. A video entered in categories 17, 18 or 19, may also be entered in category 16, Online Storytelling.

Advisor Verification
Once the competition opens, CPOY will begin reviewing 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 and Copyright

By entering the College Photographer of the Year (CPOY) competition, you certify that you meet the competition's eligibility requirements.

Entrants must own the copyright (or the right to copyright) all submitted photographs, multimedia works, and other materials. 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.

Entrants retain full copyright to their submitted work.

By submitting an entry, you grant College Photographer of the Year (CPOY), Pictures of the Year International (POY), the Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI), the Missouri School of Journalism, and the University of Missouri a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to preserve, archive, reproduce, publish, exhibit, distribute, and publicly display submitted materials for educational, historical, research, and promotional purposes related to CPOY, POY, and their missions. This includes use in physical and digital exhibitions, publications, websites, social media, newsletters, educational materials, livestreams, broadcasts, presentations, and other current or future media platforms.

Submitted entries may be preserved as part of the permanent archive of CPOY and POY programs to document the history of student and professional visual journalism and to support future educational, scholarly, and historical research.

Category 13: The Alexia/CPOY Project Grant. By submitting an entry to Category 13, The Alexia/CPOY Project Grant, you also grant The Alexia a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to preserve, archive, reproduce, publish, exhibit, distribute, and publicly display the materials submitted to this category for educational, historical, research, and promotional purposes related to The Alexia and its educational mission. This includes use in physical and digital exhibitions, publications, websites, social media, newsletters, educational materials, presentations, and other current or future media platforms.

This license does not transfer copyright ownership of submitted materials to The Alexia, nor does it authorize The Alexia to commercially sell or license submitted work outside the purposes described above.

The licenses described in this section do not transfer copyright ownership to CPOY, POY, RJI, the Missouri School of Journalism, the University of Missouri, or The Alexia, nor do they authorize the commercial sale or licensing of submitted work outside the purposes described above.

CPOY History

For 81 years, our mission has been to recognize the best in collegiate photojournalism and set the standard for visual excellence. Each year, roughly 600 students from more than 160 colleges, universities and educational institutions worldwide enter CPOY. Many students are awarded for their excellent work. However, our greatest value is educational, as it encourages student photographers to evaluate and share their best work 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 20-year dedication.

Juror information

CPOY hosts separate judging panels for Still Division and Multimedia Division 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.