Getting Started with PrintCompetition.com
If you're planning to enter GPPA's photographic competition, your first step is creating an account with PrintCompetition.com.
If you've never entered a photographic competition before, don't worry. The process is straightforward, and once you're set up, you'll have access to one of the most widely used competition platforms in professional photography.
What is PrintCompetition.com?
PrintCompetition.com is the platform used by many state photography associations and PPA affiliates to manage photographic competitions.
More than just an image submission site, it has become a valuable educational resource for photographers who want to grow their skills, study award-winning images, and follow the judging process.
By using a common platform, photographers can enter competitions across multiple organizations while keeping their competition history and images organized in one place.
Why Does GPPA Use It?
GPPA is committed to providing a professional, educational competition experience.
PrintCompetition.com allows competitors to easily upload images, register for competition, order critiques, and follow the judging process from virtually anywhere.
It also makes competition more accessible for photographers who may not be able to attend every event in person while still allowing them to learn from the experience.
Standard or Premium?
When creating your account, you'll have the option to choose between Standard and Premium memberships.
Both options allow you to enter competitions through the platform, while Premium includes additional educational features such as score notifications, access to an extensive image archive, audio recordings of judge discussions, and tools that allow you to follow the competition as it unfolds.
For photographers who plan to compete regularly, these added resources can become valuable learning tools long after competition day.
Watch the Competition Live
One of the best ways to improve—even if you're not entering images—is to watch competition.
Through PrintCompetition.com, you can follow the judging live and hear how experienced jurors evaluate images based on the Twelve Elements of a Merit Image.
Listening to those discussions often provides insights that can help you become a stronger photographer before you ever submit your first image.
If you're attending Illuminate: Create to Inspire, be sure to join us for Club 79, where photographers gather to watch the competition together, celebrate one another's successes, and learn from the judging process as a community. It's one more way GPPA brings photographers together to grow and encourage one another.
Ready to Enter?
GPPA's 2026 Photographic Competition is now open for entries.
Registration closes: July 29, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Judging: Friday, July 31, 2026.
If you haven't already, create your PrintCompetition.com account, prepare your images, and take the next step in your photographic journey.
Remember, competition isn't about proving yourself.
It's about improving yourself.
We hope you'll join us!!
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