Hello from ONPA!

We’re pleased to announce that the 74th annual Still & Multimedia Contest is now open to enter for professionals – whether you are a staffer or freelancer – and students alike.

The deadline to enter both contests is 11:59 p.m., Sunday, February 16, 2025 and may be extended at our discretion.

There are new categories this year revolving around the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse: two in stills and one for multimedia. Rules can be found online via the contest rule page, as well as viewable and downloadable through the contest entry widget itself, which you need to use to enter.

Enter contest via widget

Judging date and time as well as prizes will be announced separately, so look for that soon. The same goes for future announcements about the annual convention, where awards are typically handed out – and more.

Please be aware that we have done away with PayPal integration, opting instead to use the secure online merchant payment platform, Stripe. Debit or credit cards are accepted only.

For the still contest, the special eclipse categories read as follows:

• ECL – Feature Special: The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse! This is a special opportunity for those who photographed the eclipse last year, and reflects the same criteria for standard features, but must be eclipse-related. While some planning was likely involved in your eclipse coverage, it is also possible that some photographs were also simply found situations, or photographs made while monitoring the solar event being captured on another camera. Photographs of the solar event – ie: single shots of the sun, or composites of phases – DO NOT go here; instead, those should be entered in the next category.

• EIL – Scientific and Illustration Special: The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse! This is a special opportunity to get single photographs of the solar event at any phase, pictorial, and/or illustrations of the event judged. Drone stills from the event also belong here. Compositing of solar phases is permissible, as is work incorporating exposures of foregrounds and/or backgrounds with a phases, or phases incorporated into that scene.

For the multimedia contest, it’s very simple:

• ECLM – 2024 Total Solar Eclipse – A feature video about the solar eclipse.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Still VP Chair, Sam Greene at onpastillvp@gmail.com, or me, Board President, Andrew Dolph at onpaprez@gmail.com.

Lastly, for the aspiring student photojournalists, in addition to being able to compete in the contests, the Larry Fullerton Visual Communications Scholarship is also now open.

The permalink for Fullerton is here.

Application, transcript, statement and portfolio must be received in .pdf format and emailed by March 1, 2025.

Two scholarships will be awarded: First place will receive $3500.00 and the runner-up will receive $2000,00. These funds will be sent directly to the student’s college or university to be used toward tuition and fees. This scholarship is not associated with the ONPA Student Photographer of the Year competition. Eligible students need not be members of ONPA to qualify.

All entries for the Fullerton Scholarship must be submitted in a .pdf package and emailed to ONPA Chair of the Board, Kimberly Barth at onpachair1951@gmail.com.

Applicants will need to complete all sections of the application in order to be considered. For submission questions, please contact Kim Barth at onpachair1951@gmail.com, or call Kim at 330-329-4274.

Thank you for your participation, and good luck!