A new national awards competition has been created to recognize excellence in Canadian photojournalism. The News Photographers Association of Canada’s (NPAC) Pictures of the Year competition will reward the work of photojournalists from across Canada.
The first annual NPAC Pictures of the Year competition is the result of a merger between two regional competitions. The Eastern Canadian News Photographers Association (ECNPA) Pictures of the Year (POY) and Western Canadian News Photographers Association (WCNPA) POY competitions have been combined to create the new national awards, which will become the most prestigious awards ceremony in Canada for photojournalists.
The NPAC Pictures of the Year competition is open to ECNPA/WCNPA members only. Members are invited to enter the best of their year’s work. Submissions will be accepted starting January 1, 2007 and will close January 31, 2007. A nominal $5.00 fee per submission will be charged to assist in operating expenses.
Membership information for the WCNPA and ECNPA is at www.wcnpa.ca and www.ecnpa.com respectively. New members will be eligible to enter the 2006 NPOY awards.
The first annual NPAC awards will recognize the best photos of 2006. It will feature 12 categories, including “Canadian Photojournalist of the Year” sponsored by The Canadian Press, and “Canadian Photograph of the Year” sponsored by Reuters.
The full list of categories is as follows:
1. PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR (based on a portfolio)
2. PHOTOGRAPH OF THE YEAR
3. SPOT NEWS
4. GENERAL NEWS
5. FEATURE/ENTERPRISE
6. SPORTS ACTION
7. SPORTS FEATURE
8. PORTRAIT/PERSONALITY
9. PICTORIAL
10. ILLUSTRATION/FASHION
11. PICTURE STORY
12. STUDENT PORTFOLIO OF THE YEAR
Entries will be judged by a five-member panel in mid-February. The top three photographers in each category will be nominated for the awards in early March. The awards will be presented in Vancouver at the WCNPA convention on April 28, 2007. A cross-Canada exhibition tour of the winning NPOY entries is planned for later in the year.
A panel of more than ten photographers from across the country created the framework for the first annual NPAC awards. The complete set of rules and further information will be at www.wcnpa.ca/npac.
The WCNPA and ECNPA are the member associations for professional and student photojournalists in Western and Eastern Canada, respectively, and they champion quality and ethical photography in journalism. The volunteer-run, non-profit organizations promote education through two annual seminars, publish a quarterly magazine called NewsViews and judge monthly clip contests. In 2007, the two associations will form the non-profit News Photographers Association of Canada.
For further information: John Woods, NPACPOY Co-Chair, jwoods AT escape.ca, (204) 291-3074; Joe Bryksa, NPACPOY Co-Chair, joe.bryksa AT freepress.mb.ca, (204) 792-3089.
