Entry into the NZIPP Iris Awards is open to:
»All professional photographers nationally and internationally – a professional is defined as a person who earns an income in the professional photography industry.
» Students enrolled in and studying photography or other creative arts programmes, full or part-time, at a recognised NZ or Australian tertiary institute.

• All Australian entrants will now be eligible for Australian Photographer of the Year. We are also including separate category winners for Australian entrants.
• All Australian entrants will go through a pre-judging round as we are limited with the number of entries that can be live judged.
• All awarded entries from NZIPP Accredited Australian members will receive merit points towards NZIPP Distinctions regardless of whether the image makes it to live judging or not. NZIPP Australian Affiliate Members can earn up to five merit points towards NZIPP Distinctions.
• The World Photographic Cup Team Australia Association have requested NZIPP supply data from Australian entrants into the Iris Awards. Entering the NZIPP Iris Awards will be one avenue to be part of the Team selection.
*Note selection is made by World Photographic Cup Team Australia Association.
• International Photographer of the Year is now only eligible for those who reside permanently outside of New Zealand or Australia. This will only be awarded if we receive entries from 5 or more international entrants.
• Expressive category entries are no longer eligible for Photographer of the Year titles. Any images used within an expressive entry, including books, may not be entered into other categories. A size limit to Expressive entries has also been added to the category rules.
• You no longer need to name your Nature category entry with a common or scientific name, but you must include a caption with your image.
• Printed backdrops are now allowed to be used in the Family Category only (see page 27 of the Call For Entries Document for details)
• Engagement, pre-wedding shoots, post wedding shoots, stylised wedding fashion shoots and other non wedding-day shoots are no longer included in the Wedding category but can be entered in one of the Portrait categories.
• The photographer must be the contracted photographer of the wedding to enter images into wedding categories.
• The maximum number of total entries per participant is back to 10, with the exception of students, who can enter a maximum of four images. As before, no entrant can submit more than four images in any one category.
• A 5 year age limit applies to images – all elements must have been photographed since 31 July 2017.
• The Gala Dinner event will not be live streamed this year. The live-judging will continue to be live-streamed and links will be available on the NZIPP Facebook page before each category begins.
• NZIPP Grand Masters will now be able to achieve 3 and 4 bars.
• The Terms and Conditions of Entry have been updated.