CATEGORIES AND CLASSES

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WHAT ARE CATEGORIES?

Categories are the field in photography. The MPI IIC has 6 Categories that you may enter, Commercial, Digital Art, Fine Art, Nature, Portrait, and Wedding. 

COMMERCIAL CATEGORY

Commercial Category entries are easily described as entries for commercial use.  Images for commercial use are not usually processed with heavy HDR techniques, textures, or painterly effect. They are images that can be used on a company website, a magazine, a travel brochure, textbook for example a cookbook or news publications. AI or CGI are not allowed. Please also read the competition rules.

Please read each class for more details on that class.

Image by Brad Feinknopf-USA

Image by Brad Feinknopf, USA  |  Image Name - Harvard SEAS Drone  |  Class - Architecture  | GOLD AWARD 

C1 Advertising and Marketing

An advertising and marketing image submission needs to be presented as an actual advertisement (with text) that is ready to be published or it can be of an image that clearly displays what the marketing campaign is about. 

Advertising and marketing images are used in magazines, websites, brochures, tradeshow, and other marketing campaigns. 

C2 Aerial and Drone-Commercial

This class for aerial and drone photography is for images that are to be used commercially.  Example of these types of images would be, a construction project in commercial or industrial environment, a golf course or hotel from above for advertising, a city or area overview for tourism and anything that has to do with capturing a project from above for commercial use. 

C3 Architecture-Commercial

Commercial architectural images reflect an image which a client (architects, construction management firms, construction companies, suppliers, engineering firms, home builder, renovators, interior designers) can use for purposes of reporting and or advertising. Commercial architecture images must be in color. The title of the image should encompass a part or whole name of the project. Images can be of building interiors, building exteriors, shots of interior design etc.

This class is not for fine art images. Images MUST be for commercial use. 

 Fine Art Architecture images may be entered in Architecture - F3 Fine Art Class.

C4 Cinema Stills and Event Photography

A film still (sometimes called a publicity still or a production still) is a photograph taken on or off the set of a movie or television program during production. These photographs are also taken in formal studio settings and venues of opportunity such as film stars' homes, film debut events, and commercial settings.

This class can also be used for images captured at concerts, or other events. 

C5 Fashion

Images of fashion must encompass at least one person. If you are using perfume, jewelry, or make-up, alone, without a person, it should be entered into the Advertising C1 or Product C10 classes.  

C6 Food

Commercial food images are images that are used in cookbooks and other various advertising assignments. They could also be used for menus, billboards, banners in grocery stores, etc.

The Commercial Food Class is not for fine art food images. Fine art food images can be submitted into still life in the Fine Art Category.

C7 Product

Images in this class should clearly deliver the message of the product. Product branding is allowed. 

No text is allowed as in C1 Adverting for this class. Names appearing on the product, example on a perfume bottle or wine bottle is allowed. There should not be any people in the image. 

C8 Reportage

Images may consist of the following subjects, and if entered in this class, must conform to World Press criteria with no manipulations applied to the image (see World Press Rules provided). Only standard & global image production techniques limited to exposure, color balance, cropping, vignette is permitted.

World Press Complete Rules...

  • Breaking Stories
  • Environment
  • Politics
  • Science
  • War
  • Sports
  • General News
  • Investigative
  • Business
  • Art
  • Celebrity

C9 Travel

Travel images are images that can be used when advertising tourism in magazines, travel agencies and other avenues of advertising.  

Commercial landscape images should not include false elements (for example, stars and moons not normally found at the location). 

Feeling of the image, should have a more natural feel and able to be used for marketing of tourism. 

DIGITAL ART CATEGORY

As photographers, we take our talents to higher levels while creating images as digital art. Images of digital art can be composites, digitally painted photographs, they can be images of landscape where technics were used to give more DOF, a new sky, addition of more landscape elements to create a more fantasy scene. It could be an image of a portrait story that encompasses several photographs brought together, an old-style Masters portraits that are painted. What Digital Art is not, is a photograph where only the basic adjustments have been done as exposure, saturation, contrast, and other basic adjustments. The main subject must have been captured by the photographic artist other then in D3. 

IMPORTANT RULE – All images entered in Digital Art Category must include source images of images you have captured with photographic tools.

NO STOCK IMAGES ARE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GUIDE AREA. This helps the judges understand the complexity of your DA art piece.  Source images can be presented on the side bar or below your final art piece.  Select what is best for your presentation, or create your own style of presenting. We have included some samples below.

Scoring in DA is based on the amount and execution of work used to create a piece of Digital Art. The final image should demonstrate  that the image is more than a photograph. The first example below easily displays how much work was put in to create this piece. Your DA Piece must include at least one of your images and then textures, however the finishes result is what counts. 

What may not score as high as you would of hoped is that you used one images of your own and then included 10 or so stock images to bring it together. As mentioned, stock images are allowed, but be careful not to overdo it. Textues do not count as stock images. 

**** AI Images can be used only in part in D8, please read the rules carefully. If your image is more AI or CGI created, consider entering it into our sister competition. The IV AWARDS was created for images with more Visionography methods. 

Please read each class for more details on that class.

SAMPLE FOR GUIDE IMAGES

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW SAMPLES

Image 1- Maryanne Keeling, USA  |  Image Name - Bird Of Paradise  |  Class - Digitally Altered Nature  |  GOLD AWARD
Image 2 - Andre Boto, Portugal |  Image Name - The Game of Life  |  Class - Digital Illustrative Storytelling   |  GOLD AWARD
Image 3 - Kimberly Smith, USA |  Image Name - I's Still With You |  Class - Digitally Altered Portriats    |  GOLD AWARD
Image 4 - Rosalind Guder, USA |  Image Name - Liquid Gold  |  Class -Digitally Altered Portraits  |  GOLD AWARD
Image 5 - Onni Wiljami Kinnunen, Finland |  Image Name - Resilience  |  Class - Digitally Created Fantasy    |  GOLD AWARD

FINE ART CATEGORY

Fine Art Photography is photography created in line with the vision of the photographer as an artist, using photography as a medium for creative expression. The goal of fine art photography is to express an idea, a message, or an emotion. There are plenty of classes to enter. This is a very open Category.

Please read each class for more details on that class.

Website - Greg Boratyn

Image by -  Elmer Laahne-Thailand | Image Name - A Dinner With Eve | Category, Fine Art | Class - Still Life | GOLD AWARD


F1 Abstract

Same as D1 Digital Art Abstract – anything goes here. The final image needs to have an abstract feeling.

F2 Aerial or Drone - Fine Art

Fine Art Aerial or Drone class images are images that display landscapes from above that may be used for art to hang on a wall. These images should not look commercial in any way and should look artistic.

F3 Architecture - Fine Art

Fine Art Architecture images are considered unique images of architecture that are sold for displaying in homes and offices. This usually comes from part of a building a whole building or architecture feature. They may include architecture that is digitally altered. Images are sold for fine art purposes and not for commercial purposes.  Images may include newer buildings, historical building, bridges, and architectural fountains, statues and so on.  

F4 Black and White including Infrared

Black and White Fine Art images also include infrared images. Infrared must not have color and be edited to B+W that are in a black and white finish.  Images may be of landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, fine art architecture, travel images, floral, panoramas. May include anything in the Fine Art Category.

Wet plate images usually finish a light sepia color - please adjust to black and white. 

F5 Cultures of our World

Illustrating the ambiance of a place, as well as the feeling one gets from the land, people, and cultures that inhabit it. Very broad in its subject matter, this class makes use of elements of portraiture, landscape photography, food, culture, farming, architecture photography, street photography, and night photography, among others.

Black and white photography is also a commonly used technique and may be used for this class. What this class does NOT allow, is painterly or textured images. 

F6 Fine Art Cityscapes

Cityscapes are landscapes that are in their environment (the city). Cityscapes may include bridges, overview of a city or town, a street or area, architecture that a certain city may be famous for or anything that speaks of a city or urban environment.  

If your image has a more artistic feel with textures or is painted, please enter in F7. 

Panoramas are allowed in this class.

F7 Fine Art Cityscapes - Painterly and or Artistic

Same as F6, however, only creating a more artistic flare by including textures or a painterly feel. 

All Image processing, including painting MUST be completed by the photographer/artist submitting. 

Panoramas are allowed in this class.

F8 Fine Art Landscapes

Fine Art Landscape images are landscapes that can also be purchased as art to hang on a wall or be displayed in an art show. Unlike N5, this class may include objects such as barns, lighthouses, wildlife, changing of skies, including stars. Objects should only encompass a smaller percentage of the overall landscape.

Unlike in the Nature Category of landscapes, this class does allow manmade subjects. 

If your image has a more artistic feel with textures or is painted, please enter in F9. 

Panoramas are allowed in this class.

F9 Fine Art Landscapes - Painterly and or Artistic

Same as F8, however, creating a more artistic flare by including textures or a painterly feel. 

All Image processing, including painting MUST be completed by the photographer/artist submitting. 

Panoramas are allowed in this class.

F10 Fine Art Seascapes and Waterscapes

Fine Art Seascapes are images captured that can also be purchased as art to hang on a wall or be displayed in an art show. Unlike Nature Category, this class does allow manmade subjects. 

Unlike in the Nature Category of Seascapes, this class does allow manmade subjects. 

If your image has a more artistic feel with textures or is painted, please enter in F11. 


Panoramas are allowed in this class.

F11 Fine Art Seascapes and Waterscapes - Painterly and or Artistic

Same as F10, however, creating a more artistic flare by including textures or a painterly feel. 

All Image processing, including painting MUST be completed by the photographer/artist submitting. 

Panoramas are allowed in this class.

F12 Fine Art Floral

Images in the Fine Art Floral class are images that are purchased for art prints.  Images may have the painterly effect and other effects that will create a piece of art.

F13 Impressionism

Impressionism is a genre of photographic abstraction and perception. Example, the goal is not capturing the landscape as is, during a beautiful sunrise or sunset. You are trying to transform a feeling, or impression of the scene into a photograph.

Sample

F14 Nature's Wild

Nature Fine Art Images are images of wildlife, birds, reptiles, and mammals that have been processed to create a fine art image that can easily be displayed on a wall. 

No painterly images allowed in this class. Please use F15

F15 Nature's Wild - Painterly or Artistic

Same as F14 however, creating a more artistic flare by including textures or a painterly feel. 

All Image processing, including painting MUST be completed by the photographer/artist submitting. 


F16 Macro Art

Images of Macro or Microscopic Photography need to be unique and able to hang as a piece of art on a wall. Some images for this class may include insects, floral, and more.

F17 Minimalist

Minimalist, is a form of photography that is distinguished by extreme, austere simplicity.[1] It emphasizes sparseness and focuses solely on the smallest number of objects in the composition process. Minimalist photographers usually focus solely on one particular subject, rather than an abundance of color, patterns and information. 

Click for samples

F18 Smartphone

Cell Phones are always with us and easy access to capturing quick moments. Images entered must have a Fine Art feel to them. Example, would this image hang on a wall?

F19 Still Life

Fine Art Still Life Photography may be of anything that you can create into a piece of art. It can be a vase, a bike, a car, a floral, an apple, or anything that is a still item.

F20 Travel

Travel Images are usually captured while traveling. They can also be captured within your area. Travel images can be from a street view. a market, a building that is a landmark, food, and anything that can speak of tourism or of the city or country you are photographing. 

F21 Other

There are so many types of Fine Art Photography. If your image does not fit one of the above classes, don't worry, we have you covered. This class is ONLY for images that do not fit any of the the above.  

WHAT ARE CLASSES?

Classes are more in depth, breaking up the categories further into a more specialized field. Example, Architecture and Fashion are classes within the Commercial Category.

NATURE CATEGORY

Images in Nature Category need to have a natural feel. Images must not have anything man made in them, such as bridges, roads, powerlines, benches, and anything that has been created by man.  Images can be cleaned up by removing any small man-made items or branches, grass and other objects that may be distracting or not allowed. You may blur the background to bring focus to subject. Entrants are not allowed to add items or change backgrounds as skies. No textures, painterly effects. No black and white. Only basic adjustments such as exposure, contrast, saturation, clarity, and cropping are allowed. Graduated filters vignettes are allowed.  Images are more of a National Geographic feel.

NO ZOO OR AQUARIUM WILDLIFE IS ALLOWED IN NATURE CATEGORY. 

Please read each class for more details on that class.

Massimo-Barbagli, Italy  | Image name - Cueva-Del-Los-Verdes  | Class - Natural Landscapes  |  GOLD AWARD

N1 Birds and Birds of Prey

This class is for any type of bird. It can be a parrot, a bird in the wild, an eagle, a pheasant, or anything that has feathers. Birds can be captured in any environment.

No human elements, textures, painterly effects, monotchrome or black and white images.  

N2 Botanical

Botanical images are more of a natural feel and usually captured in their environment. These images are usually used as taxonomical reference purposes. Some may also be used as artwork. The images can consist of a simple floral or a botanical scene. 

No human elements, textures, painterly effects, monotchrome or black and white images.  

N3 Natures Macro

This class encompasses subjects as insects, butterflies, in-depth look at leaves, trees... Anything in nature that can showcase its miniature or detailed beauty with a macro lens or telescope.

No human elements, textures, painterly effects, monotchrome or black and white images.  


N4 Natures Intimate Landscapes/Seascapes

There is so much beauty in our world when it comes to nature and our environment. Intimate scenes are tighter scenes and can be created to hang on walls as art pieces. We have some examples of intimate landscapes to give a better understanding of this class.

No human elements, textures, painterly effects, monochrome or black and white images.  

Peter Lik - Autumns Flame
Peter Lik - Scarlet Moods
Peter Lik - Autumn Moods
Charlette Gibb - Sentinels
Inge Bovens - The End of an Era


N5 Natural Landscapes

Natural Landscapes are landscapes that are in their environment without the touch of anything manmade.

No human elements, textures, painterly effects, monochrome or black and white images.  

N6 Natural Seascapes/Waterscapes

Natural seascapes or waterscapes can consist of oceans, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, ponds etc... 

No human elements, textures, painterly effects, monochrome or black and white images.  

 

N7 Nature Underwater Life

Underwater nature images can be anything that lives underwater. This can encompass coral reefs, natural underwater landscapes, or many types of fish. Sea life images can be captured in any environment.

No human elements, textures, painterly effects, monochrome or black and white images.  



N8 Wildlife

Wildlife images are images of any wildlife that roam wild on land and is not a pet, however images may be captured on a wildlife farm or zoo from your travels.  

No human elements, textures, painterly effects, monochrome or black and white images.  


PORTRAIT CATEGORY

Portrait Photography is about capturing the spirit, character, identity and attitude of a person, group of people, or a pet. There are many types of portraits we can create and many styles of processing. We have included several classes for this category to help capture the various styles in which portrait photography master’s use.

Painterly Portraits are only allowed in class P7, P8, P10 and P12.
Composites are only allowed in P9, P10, and P12.


Please read each class for more details on that class.

Image by Elena Mikhailova-Moscow  |  Image Name - Girl with a Snail  |  Class - Fine Art  Portrait  |  GOLD AWARD

P1 Character Portrait

Capturing character through portraits is a way of photographing a subject with their real and true essence – by showcasing personal passions, hands on life work and a unique sense of self – character photography creates a real and true representation of the people being photographed.  

Sample 1
Mark Bryant 1
Mark Bryant 2
Wayne Simpson

P2 Child Portrait (13 and under)

Child portraits up to 13 years of age. They can be captured in studio, in their environment. Images can be a portrait story, more then one child, it could be a fine art portrait, a traditional portrait, a high key or any style photographer want to enter. 

Composites are not allowed in this class. Please enter composites in Digital Art. 

P3 Children of our World

Children of the World is a new class honoring all children of our world in their environment. Images could have been captured from a trip or from your country. We have included some samples to give an understanding of style of images. 

World Vision

P4 Couples Including Engagement

Couples and engagement class can be taken in any environment. Can be a post wedding image. Must only encompass one couple.

P5 Family Portrait (2 Or More)

Family class is for a family of at least 2. Could be with a parent or could be all siblings, or could include grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, partners. Anything that has to do with a family portrait and that is at least 2 family members. 

P6 Fine Art Dance

Dance Photography is a display of elegant, energetic and dramatic dance moves creating a visual treat and a study of movement aiming to convey the spirit and skills of the dancers, showcasing their graceful gestures. 

P7 Fine Art Nude or Figure Study

Fine art nude photography is a genre of fine-art photography which depicts the nude human body with an emphasis on form, composition, emotional content, and other aesthetic qualities. The nude has been a prominent subject of photography since its invention and played an important role in establishing photography as a fine art medium.

P8 Fine Art Portrait

Fine Art Portraits are for portraits out of the ordinary. They usually have a painterly look and feel but not necessarily.  They may be finished with textures, be painted, or any other affects that will give the portrait an artistic finish. 

P9 Maternity

Maternity images may be captured in studio, outdoors and or underwater. Show us your best. Composites are not allowed in this class. 

P10 Monochrome

Monochrome denotes one colour and in art and film photography traditionally refers to black and white. In the use of ink for drawings, monochrome can also refer to combinations containing only tones of a single colour, such as blue or shades of brown. 

This class can include 1 or more people in the portrait. 

P11 Newborn

Newborn photos are photos of newborns up to 8 weeks. 

Newborn images can have can have painterly effect or can include a composite example placing a newborn in a flower or other element. 

P12 Pet Photography

Pet photography images can include images of pets in studio or outdoors. Can include more then one pet. 

Pet Photography can include more than a cat or a dog, however it must an obvious pet. Example, an elephant, tiger, lion, snake etc. is not considered for pet photography and should be entered into wildlife. 

P13 Portrait (1 Person)

Portrait class can include any type of portrait of a single person. Brides or wedding images are not included in this class and will be moved to wedding category. 

P14 Portrait Story

Portrait Story images should easily show the viewer the story you are trying to tell. Composites may be used to create the feel you are going for. 

P15 Underwater Portraits

Underwater portrait photography must consist of at least one person. 

WEDDING CATEGORY

Capturing one of the most special days in a couple's life is something that should be taken seriously. This year, we have allowed for wedding images that have been created from an actual wedding and for images created for website stock. What is not allowed in this category are images taken at a workshop and composite images. 

COMPOSITE WEDDING IMAGES ARE ONLY ALLOWED IN DIGITAL ART  D9 WEDDING CREATIVE. 

Wedding Creative without composites can be entered into Pre or Post Wedding. 


Please read each class for more details on that class.


(c) Aly Kuler

Image by Aly Kuler - USA  | Image name - A Castle Full Of Stars | Category, Wedding | Class - Wedding Couple | GOLD AWARD


W1 Bride's Tale

Brides Tale class is all about the bride. Examples of images are the bride getting ready, her interaction with others, with her parents. 


The focus of the image must be on the bride.

W2 Groom's Tale

Grooms Tale class is all about the groom. Examples: the groom getting ready, his interaction with others, with his parents, his best friend. The focus of the image must be on the groom.

W3 Photojournalistic Story

Photojournalistic wedding photography is an un-posed and undirected visual narrative of your wedding day. True wedding photojournalists have an unobtrusive presence that allows them to capture un-staged moments without interfering in their creation or altering the scene.

W4 Pre or Post Wedding

Pre and post wedding images are images of the bride and groom captured before or after the wedding. These images give the bride and groom some time to create something more artistic. 

This class would also include Trash the Dress images 

 

W5 Wedding Couple

The Wedding Couple class is anything to do with the bride and groom. Images can be before, during and after the wedding.   

W6 Wedding Day

Wedding Day class images are about anything during the special day of the couple. 


It could be about the 
* Wedding couples’ vows
* The wedding party
* The reception
* The family group photos

Anything that goes on during the wedding day. 

Bride and Groom story images should be entered in W1 or W2

W7 Wedding Details

Wedding details images are about the fine little things that create the perfect wedding. The flowers, the rings, the wedding dress, the table settings, the champagne glasses. A successful wedding detail image will have the full focus on that detail.    

W8 Wedding Party

Bridal Party class is anything to do with the bridal party. Images can be with the bride and bridesmaids, the groom with the groomsmen, or the whole group together. This class can also include family photos. 

ALBUMS / ART BOOKS

A1 Digital Art Album / Book

A Fine Art Book / Album can be submitted from any of the Digital Art classes. 

A2 Event Album

A Fine Art Book / Album can be submitted from any of the Digital Art classes. 

A3 Fine Art Album / Book

A Fine Art Book / Album can be submitted from any of the Fine Art and Nature classes, including Fine Art Nude or Figure Study from the portrait category.

A4 Portrait Album

A portrait album can be from any of the classes in portrait category. It can also include baptisms and high school seniors. 

A5 Wedding Album

Wedding Albums tells the story of the weeding couples special day. 
Image by -  Rachel Owen - USA  | Album Name – Response | Category, Album - Digital Art | GOLD AWARD