Images that use the medium of photography to tell an authentic visual representation of a story, whether it be political, sports, birth, travel, event, street, personality or documentary photography that gives insight into contemporary issues and news. Images should be thought-provoking and represent real life, interesting people, places and other non-fiction stories.

All photographs entered must have been observed, not directed or created, and captured without the intervention of the photographer.

Only basic post-production adjustments are accepted in this category, such as tonal control, black and white conversion, sharpening and cropping. The final image must remain an authentic representation of what was captured on the sensor: post-production adjustments must not hide or introduce key elements of the image.

The cost per entry is $20USD into this category. Enter 9 images into any of our categories and get your 10th entry for free!

The following rules apply to all entries.

In all categories, judges will be looking for good camera and post-production technique; visual impact, originality, connection and/or storytelling.

Your entry may be a series such as a diptych or triptych, but bear in mind that magnification options are limited in the judging software, so if you include a lot of images in your series, judges may not be able to appreciate all the detail.

All elements of the image must be photographic, and photographed by the entrant.

The use of purchased textures, stock images or digital backdrops is not allowed. Physical backdrops purchased for the purpose of photography are acceptable.

One entry cannot be entered into multiple categories. There is no limit to how many overall entries you can submit.

Images must have been captured within five years of the closing date for entries.

Photographs entered in this Awards competition in previous years are ineligible.

If your image was created while working as a second-shooter at an event, you must have the permission of the main photographer to enter the image.

If you do not own copyright in an image, you must have the consent of the copyright holder(s) to enter the image and for the image to be used and published as described in the Rules.

Online Entries Open: Tuesday 1st November 2022 at 12pm NZST

Online Entries Close: Thursday 1st December 2022 at 12pm NZST

People's Choice Voting Opens: Monday 5th December 2022 at 12pm NZST

People's Choice Voting Closes: Sunday 11th December 2022 at 12pm NZST

Top 20 Category Finalists Announced: Monday 12th December 2022 at 12pm, NZST

All winners announced Friday 16th December 2022 at 12pm, NZST.