2023 Dith Pran Instagram Photo Shootout Competition
Hosted by AAJA’s Photojournalists affinity group
AAJA is proud to announce that the 2023 Dith Pran Photo Shootout Competition will take place in Washington, DC in conjunction with the AAJA National Convention. This year’s theme is “America the Beautiful" and we are looking for the photograph that best depicts this theme. Photos can be taken anywhere in the DC metro and surrounding areas during the time period specified below. This contest is open to ALL attendees of AAJA23. The winner will receive complimentary registration for next year’s convention.
Instagram Photo Shootout Rules:
Submit photo entries using the Instagram hashtag #AAJAPhoto. Upload your photo submission(s) with caption information using any Instagram App.
Contestants can start shooting beginning 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, July 15 and must be uploaded onto Instagram by the contest deadline stated below.
Deadline: Photo submission(s) must be uploaded on Instagram by Friday, July 21 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
A professional grade camera is not required. Images submitted from mobile devices (cellphone or tablet) are acceptable.
Each entrant can submit up to three (3) images. Judging will be based on a single image and not a series of images.
Entries should be based on the theme. Photos will be judged on theme interpretation, artistic style, composition & technical execution. This year’s theme is a suggestion and photographs unrelated to the theme are acceptable.
Entrants also need to email aajaphoto@gmail.com with their entrant’s name, Instagram account name, cell phone number, email address and caption information of 100 words or less. Failure to email this information may disqualify an entry.
You must be a registered AAJA23 attendee.
Only minor burning, dodging and slight color adjustment and cropping are acceptable. NO INSTAGRAM FILTERS ALLOWED! No special artistic app filters allowed. Any significantly digitally modified or altered photograph will be disqualified and is at the sole discretion of the judges. The only exception is the black and white filter.
There is no cost to enter the competition.
The First Place winner will have their name engraved on the Annual Dith Pran Photo Shootout perpetual award. First, second, and third place winners will be announced on Saturday, July 22 during the Gala dinner. First place prize is the convention fee for next year’s convention, a $250 value.
For any questions, please contact AAJA photographer James Yee (317-640-1873) or Alex Wong (202-438-7050) or email questions to aajaphoto@gmail.com
About the Dith Pran Photo Shootout Competition
The AAJA Photo Shootout was started in 2000 during the annual AAJA National Convention. The competition name was changed in 2008 to honor New York Times photographer Dith Pran, who risked his life in Cambodia during the genocide by the Khmer Rouge to help journalists tell the story of atrocities in his home country. His story inspired the film, “The Killing Fields.” Pran passed away in 2008.