Communication Arts - 2023 Photography Competition

For 64 years, Communication Arts has honored the craft of talented photographers from around the world. In support of these hardworking artists, we will not be accepting AI text-to-image generated submissions in our Photography competition.

Enter one of the most prestigious competitions for creativity in photography, the Communication Arts Photography Competition. Any photograph first published or produced from March 2022 through March 2023 is eligible. Selected by an international jury of distinguished creative directors and photographers, the winning entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Photography Annual, in print and digital editions, and on commarts.com, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work. As a service to art directors, designers and art buyers, a comprehensive index will carry contact information of the photographers represented.

Each winning entrant will receive a personalized Award of Excellence, milled from solid aluminum, and award certificates issued for firms, individuals and clients.

CA’s Award of Excellence is one of the most-coveted awards in the industry. If chosen, winning places you in the highest ranks of your profession.

What To Enter
Any photograph first published or produced from March 2022 through March 2023 is eligible. Entries may originate from any country. Descriptions in English are very important to the judges. Submission of entries acknowledges the right of Communication Arts to use them for publication and exhibition.

Photography Competition Categories:
These categories are judged by the Photography jury and will appear in the Photography Annual. For a list of fees, please download the category PDF:

Advertising: ads, posters, music and product packaging, etc.
Books: covers, jackets, interiors, etc.
Editorial: consumer or trade magazines, newspapers, etc.
For Sale: posters, prints, greeting cards, licensing/stock, gallery sale, online store, etc.
Institutional: company/association publications, annual reports, catalogs, client websites, blogs, etc.
Motion/Cinematography: time-based media for film, television, video or web, etc.
Self-Promotion: promotion for illustrators, design firms, ad agencies, art schools, printers, paper companies, etc.
Unpublished: experimental/personal work not published.
Student Work: illustration or animation created for school assignments.

Late Fees

Entries must be registered no later than Midnight (Pacific Time), March 3, 2023. Entries registered after that date require a late fee of $10 per entry. No entries can be registered after March 17, 2023.

Each photograph is a single entry. Campaigns or series are limited to five photographs and must be created for the same project.

How to Enter
All competition entries are processed through our online competition system.

Before you begin the process of entering a competition, please have the following information and materials ready. This will make the process go quickly:

• Your contact information for registration and notification.
• Title and basic credits for each project.
• Digital files of work you want to submit. See below for file specs.

Entries can be submitted in the following formats:

Digital Images: Must be RGB in JPG format with a maximum file size of 2MB.

Motion/Animation Entries: Must be in MOV, MP4 or MPG format, with a maximum file size of 500MB.

All entrants grant Communication Arts the right to reproduce work selected in the Illustration Competition on the Communication Arts website and in materials used to promote the magazine, the competition and/or future related promotions.

Forms and Entry Fees

Once you have completed the registration process, a PDF with an invoice will be generated.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and PayPal through our online competition system. Charges for your entry fees will appear on your statement as (“Commarts Competition Fees”). We also accept checks, international money orders and wire transfers. Make checks payable to Communication Arts. Non-United States contestants wishing to pay by check must send a check in U.S. funds drafted on a U.S. bank. Please include a copy of your invoice with the check or money order. Please note on wire transfers: We require an additional fee of $25 (U.S.) to cover fees charged by the banks to process the transfer. If you would like to pay via Wire Transfer, please contact us at [email protected] for bank information.