57th Annual Photo Contest
(2024 NFL season)
General rules for all entries
1. Entered photographs must have been taken during the 2024 National Football League season, as defined in the “Eligibility” section below (“Photographs that are eligible”).
2. For digital photo submission, FTP and required specifications are available at: ProFootballHOF.com/PhotoContest. Digital photo entries may be submitted beginning Feb. 16, 2025, until March 31, 2025. Each digital photo submission must be at least 1 MB and less than 10 MB. Each submission (or group of photos) is limited to 30 MB total; if your images exceed this limit, you will need to submit them in multiple groups.
3. The contestant’s name and address, plus the date of the picture, the location of the game, and the category in which the photograph is entered, must be included with each digital submission.
4. The maximum number of entries any photographer may submit is limited to 12.
5. All entries are placed in the permanent archives of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Copyright privileges, however, remain with the photographer.
Announcement of winners
Sumbmissions for the 57th Annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Photo Contest are no longer being accepted. The judging for the contest will occur in April 2025. Winners will be notified after the judging panel has made its decisions. Public announcement will be made soon thereafter.
Eligibility
Photographers who are eligible
All professional photographers who make photographs for general circulation newspapers and magazines, who make still photographs for television use or who are assigned to game coverage by a professional football team are eligible to compete. Publication is not necessary for entry.
Photographs that are eligible
Photos taken of activity ON or OFF the playing field during the progress of any regularly scheduled 2024 National Football League game — including preseason, regular season and playoff games — are eligible. In the feature category, the phrase “during the progress of” shall be interpreted to include activity just before or just after the game (such as locker-room scenes, coin tosses, etc.).
Categories of competition
There will be two categories of competition:
1. Action
2. Feature
Both black-and-white and color entries are eligible for either category. The categories are considered to be self-descriptive terms, and it shall be left to the discretion of each photographer as to which class he/she wishes to enter. As a matter of clarification —PORTRAITURE AND EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY will be considered feature entries. It also should be noted that the panel of judges reserves the right to reclassify any entry if, in the opinion of the judges, such a reclassification would be logical, appropriate and in the best interest of the photographer. See PRESENTATION SUGGESTIONS for more specific guidelines.
Awards
Photograph of the Year — Dave Boss Award of Excellence
The top individual prize of the 57th Annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Photo Contest will be awarded to the individual category winner the judges deem to be the outstanding entry of the entire contest. The judging panel first will select the two individual category winners and, from those, will designate the “Photograph of the Year” award. The winning photographer also will receive the Dave Boss Award of Excellence.
Awards in each category
First-, second- and third-place photographs will be selected in both the action and feature categories. In addition, an unspecified number of honorable mention awards will be given in either or both categories when entries merit such recognition. All photographs will be on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on a video screen for an indefinite period, and the first-place images, along with some others, also will be displayed as prints (as available display space permits).
Schedule of awards
CASH PRIZES TOTALING $8,000 WILL BE AWARDED AS FOLLOWS:
Photograph of the Year — A $1,000 cash prize, along with the $2,000 first-place award.
FIRST-PLACE PHOTOS (in both action and feature categories) — $2,000 cash prize.
SECOND-PLACE PHOTOS (in both action and feature categories) — $1,000 cash prize.
THIRD-PLACE PHOTOS (in both action and feature categories) — $500 cash prize.
Presentation suggestions
Judges often are asked why certain photographs are chosen over others. Presentation has a strong influence on the selection of a photo for final judging. Here are some suggestions for making your entries potential winners:
1. Use sound judgment in determining the correct category for the image you are entering. Be certain the photograph qualifies for the category.
2. Sensitivity and judgment should be utilized in cropping pictures. Proper cropping enhances a photograph’s impact.
3. Image quality should be of the highest standards. An image can be disqualified if the printing is less than professional.
