The National Press Photographers Association’s 2025 Best of Photojournalism Competition recognizes work produced by professional visual journalists that was created or initially published in the 2024 calendar year. With nearly 100 categories, works that range from single photographs to video documentaries are eligible with awards for editors and photojournalists.

All first place winners will receive an engraved plaque with certain premier categories eligible for cash or equipment prizes from presenting sponsor, Sony.

The National Press Photographers Association is dedicated to the advancement of visual journalism – its creation, practice, training, editing and distribution – in all news media and works to promote its role as a vital public service. Since 1949, the NPPA has been the leading voice advocating for the work of visual journalists. Our organization fights for working news photographers, videographers and multimedia journalists.

If you have any questions, send them to bop@nppa.org.

VISUAL INTEGRITY

The Best of Photojournalism places a high priority on visual integrity and representing the ethical standards of the National Press Photographers Association and the industry at-large. All entrants are expected to adhere to the National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics.

NPPA Code of Ethics

Visual journalists and those who manage visual news productions are accountable for upholding the following standards in their daily work:

1. Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.

2. Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.

3. Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one's own biases in the work.

4. Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.

5. While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.

6. Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images' content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.

7. Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them materially for information or participation.

8. Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage.

9. Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists.

10. Do not engage in harassing behavior of colleagues, subordinates or subjects and maintain the highest standards of behavior in all professional interactions.

Ideally, visual journalists should:

• Strive to ensure that the public's business is conducted in public. Defend the rights of access for all journalists.

• Think proactively, as a student of psychology, sociology, politics and art to develop a unique vision and presentation. Work with a voracious appetite for current events and contemporary visual media.

• Strive for total and unrestricted access to subjects, recommend alternatives to shallow or rushed opportunities, seek a diversity of viewpoints, and work to show unpopular or unnoticed points of view.

• Avoid political, civic and business involvements or other employment that compromise or give the appearance of compromising one's own journalistic independence.

• Strive to be unobtrusive and humble in dealing with subjects.

• Respect the integrity of the photographic moment.

• Strive by example and influence to maintain the spirit and high standards expressed in this code. When confronted with situations in which the proper action is not clear, seek the counsel of those who exhibit the highest standards of the profession. Visual journalists should continuously study their craft and the ethics that guide it.

Visual Integrity

The Best of Photojournalism places a high priority on visual integrity and representing the ethical standards of the National Press Photographers Association and the industry at-large. All entrants are expected to adhere to the National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics.

NPPA Code of Ethics

Visual journalists and those who manage visual news productions are accountable for upholding the following standards in their daily work:

• Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.
• Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities.
• Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. Avoid stereotyping individuals and groups. Recognize and work to avoid presenting one's own biases in the work.
• Treat all subjects with respect and dignity. Give special consideration to vulnerable subjects and compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude on private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and justifiable need to see.
• While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.
• Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images' content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects.
• Do not pay sources or subjects or reward them materially for information or participation.
• Do not accept gifts, favors, or compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage.
• Do not intentionally sabotage the efforts of other journalists.
• Do not engage in harassing behavior of colleagues, subordinates or subjects and maintain the highest standards of behavior in all professional interactions.

Ideally, visual journalists should:

• Strive to ensure that the public's business is conducted in public. Defend the rights of access for all journalists.
• Think proactively, as a student of psychology, sociology, politics and art to develop a unique vision and presentation. Work with a voracious appetite for current events and contemporary visual media.
• Strive for total and unrestricted access to subjects, recommend alternatives to shallow or rushed opportunities, seek a diversity of viewpoints, and work to show unpopular or unnoticed points of view.
• Avoid political, civic and business involvements or other employment that compromise or give the appearance of compromising one's own journalistic independence.
• Strive to be unobtrusive and humble in dealing with subjects.
• Respect the integrity of the photographic moment.
• Strive by example and influence to maintain the spirit and high standards expressed in this code. When confronted with situations in which the proper action is not clear, seek the counsel of those who exhibit the highest standards of the profession. Visual journalists should continuously study their craft and the ethics that guide it.

Visual Integrity

To photograph means to write with light. Visual journalists must attain and maintain the highest ethical standards in order to be considered the best of photojournalism. The last year has seen tremendous technological growth in the areas of artificial intelligence in the most common software applications we use.

The use of AI generative tools to create, add, remove, expand or alter images or videos in any way is expressly prohibited. The content of a photograph or video clip -- what is seen and what is not seen, what is heard and what is not heard -- is locked at the moment it is recorded.

Making/capturing the image

Photographers must not intentionally alter the scene they capture in any of the following ways:

• You must not add objects.

• You must not move/take away objects.

• You must not "stage" situations -- meaning you must not deliberately arrange objects, subjects or situations that are not already occurring.

• You must not "set-up" situations -- meaning you must not deliberately create a situation that does not exist. For example, bringing disparate characters together in a place they would not be, giving or directing subjects to wear particular clothing, or creating or altering a scene by painting, adding objects, or people that aren't normally in that location or occur in that location.

• You must not ask your subject to re-enact actions or scenes that occurred in the past in order to make a photograph.

• Portraits and formal interviews have different rules. Portraits and formal interviews can be constructed as long as they are identified as such. They must not be made to look like they are naturally occurring events.

Post-production

Post-processing, in and of itself, is not manipulation as long as it is within normal limits of toning and color correction.

Types of post-processing that count as manipulation:

• Dramatic changes in color that alter the original color of the scene. For example, changing a gray sky to blue. Color correcting sensor/white balance issues from incorrect camera settings is allowed.

• Changes made by dodging or burning, adjustments to brightness, contrast, color, saturation, sharpening or clarity that significantly alter content by obscuring, enhancing or diminishing elements in the photograph.

• Just like during the making/capturing of an image you may not add, move, remove any objects or persons. You may only use the cloning tool – or any other tool – to remove dust spots on the image created by the lens, the camera sensor or dust from scanning physical negatives. You may NOT use digitals tools or software to alter the content that was visible to the camera at the moment the photograph was made. Altering the sequencing of an audio or video recording so as to change the meaning of someone's statement or apparent actions is prohibited.

Entry disqualification due to manipulation

If the judges have any questions regarding any possible image manipulation, entrants will be required to submit images as recorded by the camera. The judges will have a private conversation regarding the entry and the entry may be disqualified.

Additionally, filmmakers and photographers cannot be paid by anyone with a commercial stake in the story, and no branded content will be accepted. Work created as a team photographer or videographer is therefore prohibited.

Stories should honor the viewer's trust, and under no circumstances should scenes depicted as candid be set up, directed or controlled in any way.

Any re-creations of scenes to illustrate events in the past must be clearly marked as such. Special effects and music should be used sparingly and not alter the truthfulness of the narrative.

If the judges or Best of Photojournalism committee finds cause to disqualify an entry after judging has been completed and awards have been announced, that award position will be vacated. Decisions about the eligibility and integrity of all entries reside wholly with the committee and their decisions are final.

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