What We Do Entry Instructions

Competition Entry and Judging

What We Do is an annual student competition hosted by RIT NPPA. The contest is an opportunity to showcase the nonfiction work being done in the RIT photography programs. Each spring, RIT students enter this contest, which is judged by three RIT photojournalism alumni. What We Do includes alumni lectures, live judging, and an exhibition featuring the winners.

Important Dates:

     March 17, 2025 – Entries Open

April 5, 2025 (11:59 pm) -Entries Close

April 11, 2025 (6:30 pm) – Lectures (GAN-2155)

April 12, 2025 (9 am – 6 pm) – Judging (GAN-4202)

Please review the general rules and submission guidelines before beginning your submission.

2025 Judges:

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The annual What We Do photojournalism competition entries are to be submitted via the link at the bottom of this page by April 5, 2025, at 11:59 pm. Entries should be prepared exactly according to the Submission Rules and guidelines below. If an entry fails to meet any specifications of the Rules or Guidelines, RIT NPPA reserves the right to disqualify or modify without notice the entry in order to make it comply with the Rules and Guidelines.  Please read all instructions carefully before entering and feel free to ask for help at the email listed below or to any NPPA board member.

General Rules

• What We Do is open to ALL students at Rochester Institute of Technology, regardless of your major.
• What We Do is grounded in the NPPA code of ethics.
• Entrants must enter their own work. Group projects will not be accepted.
• Entries must be created and prepared according to journalistic ethics. Digital manipulation, manufactured photo illustrations, double exposures, added masks, backgrounds, text, or other artistic effects are only allowed in the Interpretive Eye (IE) and Portraiture (POR) categories and must be clearly stated in the caption information.
• Entries must have been taken between the dates of March 18, 2024, and the entry deadline, April 5, 2025. 
• Students who graduate from RIT at the end of the fall semester of the academic year of the competition are eligible to enter work completed before their graduation. For example, a student who graduates in December is eligible to enter work from their capstone and other projects, but not eligible to enter work completed at jobs/internships after their time at RIT.
• Images must be submitted in JPG format sized at 6000 pixels @ 300 dpi on the longest edge and output as sRGB files.
• You may submit up to 30 entries. Picture stories and portfolios count as one entry each.
• The deadline to submit is 11:59 pm on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

Rules about images and multimedia in more than one category

• A single photograph can only be entered in one single image category.
• However, a single photograph may be entered in one single image category, one multiple image category, and a portfolio category. (For example, a single image may be entered in Feature, Photo Story, and Overall Portfolio, but not in both the Feature and Portrait categories.)

Category Definitions (and category codes)

Single Image Categories

• Feature (FEA): A candid or found moment that reflects the human experience.
• News (NEW): A photograph from a news event. This could be from a breaking news situation or a scheduled event where advanced planning was possible.
• Sports Action (SPA): Images from a sporting event that captures peak action of individual or team sports. Jubilation, dejection, and reaction photographs should be entered into the sports feature category.
• Sports Feature (SPF): Images from a sporting event that highlights subjects outside of primary game action/competition. Should increase understanding and appreciation for individual and team sports or celebrate the role athletics play in the lives of amateur and/or professional athletes and fans. 
• Portrait (POR): An image of a person that reveals the essence of their character.
• Interpretive Image (INI): An image that showcases the photographer’s vision or unique perspective. These images can be planned, posed, or otherwise set up. Any post-production and/or digital manipulation must be disclosed in the image caption. Must be grounded in the documentary tradition and offer visual commentary on an issue or idea.

Multiple Image Categories

• Portrait Series (PORS): A maximum of 12 images that reflect a strong sense of identity or narrative. Be sure to submit images sequenced as you would publish them. Each image in the entry must have a caption. Please include a brief intro paragraph for the project (3-5 sentences max). Place the project description before the individual image caption in the caption information area for each file.
• Photo Story (PHOS): A maximum of 12 images compiled in a picture story or essay that reflects the human experience. Be sure to submit images sequenced as you would publish them. Each image in the entry must have a caption. Please include a brief intro paragraph for the project (3-5 sentences max). Place the project description before the individual image caption in the caption information area for each file.
• Interpretive Project (INP): A maximum of 12 images that showcase the photographer’s vision or unique perspective. These images can be planned, posed, or otherwise set up. Any post-production and/or digital manipulation must be disclosed in the image’s captions. Must be grounded in the documentary tradition, this project showcases a body of work that offers visual commentary on an issue or idea. Each image in the entry must have a caption. Please include a brief intro paragraph for the project (3-5 sentences max). Place the project description before the individual image caption in the caption information area for each file.
• Overall Portfolio (OVP): A body of work that showcases the photographer’s vision and demonstrates versatility, expertise, and depth. Include at least five (5) entries from single-image categories and at least one (1) entry from a multiple-image or multimedia category. 45 images maximum, including black slides. Organize the portfolio with the individual photos first, followed by projects. Place a black slide at the beginning of each story (.jpg). Fill out the IPTC title and caption fields with the story title and story summary. Do not title the slide.

Multimedia Categories

• Picture Editing Research (PE): Use images from the AP and Getty photo wires to illustrate the following article, linked here. Submit your final edit of 3 images, arranged in the provided template, downloadable here. This edit should demonstrate your journalistic and creative vision and should be carefully researched and arranged. Additionally, submit the lo res, watermarked image files, sequenced in the order you want images to be viewed. Name these files according to the following convention: PE_RITUsername_Sequence.jpg (Example:PE_jmc1435_01.jpg) Please put all of your images and the template into one folder named PE_username (example: PE_jmc1435). 
• Multimedia Storytelling (MM): A multimedia story or essay that reflects the human experience and may include: videos, photos, text, and audio. Upload a .docx file including your name(s), story title, and website URL with multimedia piece. Please include a single frame/image from your project, this will be used during judging and in any award display.
• Non-Fiction Video (NFV): A non-fiction video that reflects the human experience. Upload a .mp4 file along with a .docx file including your name, story title, and a brief intro paragraph for the video (3-5 sentences max). Please include a single frame/image from your project, this will be used during judging and in any award display.  

Submission Guidelines

• Entries will only be accepted through the online entry form (below).
• The last slide copyright agreement should be checked at the end of the submission process.
• Read the category descriptions and make sure each entry is submitted in the appropriate category.
• Entries should be JPG format, sized at 6000 pixels @ 300 dpi on the longest edge and output as sRGB files.
• Entries MUST have IPTC information according to the instructions below. Read and follow them carefully.

IPTC Metadata

Any entry with incorrect metadata will be disqualified. Captions may be considered during judging, so write and copy-edit captions carefully. All metadata should be applied in Photo Mechanic, but can also be filed in Photoshop or Lightroom if you have not used Photo Mechanic. View helpful video below for IPTC preparation in Photo Mechanic.

The following IPTC fields must be included:

1. DESCRIPTION/CAPTION Format should follow “Story Title – Story Synopsis – Photo Caption.”The entrant’s name must NOT be anywhere in the caption field. For single image categories, only the caption is needed in this field.
2. CREATOR/ PHOTOGRAPHER Entrant’s name
3. CREDIT – only for the Picture Editing (PE) category when the entrant is not the photographer.

IPTC Template Preparation

File Naming

• All photographs must start with the category code (i.e. for feature “FEA”), followed by the entrant’s RIT email username (i.e. “jmc1435”) followed by a sequence number. (Ex. FEA_jmc1435_01.jpg) Please use underscores between sections of file names. 
• Portfolio submissions must be arranged sequentially with singles first followed by story/stories. File names for multiple picture entries (Portfolio and Picture Story) must be sorted sequentially with singles first followed by story/stories.
• The filename will help direct the image to the proper category. Ask if you need any help with your entry.

For any questions or concerns contact the What We Do Chair, Joseph Ciembroniewicz, jmc1435@rit.edu, or reach out to an NPPA officer.