Portfolios are a major part of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition calendar – this category is a stand-alone competition in its own right and run in association with The Royal Photographic Society (The RPS). Portfolios offer photographers the chance to explore the main competition categories (as a guide theme) with a set of six photographs (mandatory), creating a complete IGPOTY photography portfolio.

The 'Portfolios' competition has a First Place prize of £1,000. It is supported by the Royal Photographic Society who award Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, respectively.

Awarded entry opportunities:

Exposure, international press coverage, prestigious portfolio-based photography category for gardens, plants and nature, opportunities for growth and feedback, become a stakeholder in conservation, cultivate your skills, reinforce or launch your photographic career.

N.B. (For theming purposes only):

The 9 'Main' Categories for IGPOTY 19 are; Abstract Views, Beautiful Gardens, Breathing Spaces, Plants & Planet, The Beauty of Plants, The World of Fungi, Trees, Woods & Forests, Wildflower Landscapes, Wildlife in the Garden. For further information on these categories please visit their respective landing pages.

Portfolios are the perfect way to express the beauty and importance of plants and gardens in an extended way. If single images are essays then a photography portfolio is a story book. And although there hasn’t got to be a defined beginning or end point, an IGPOTY photography portfolio winner will show perfect cohesion of imagery and articulation of subject. The choice of imagery must display this faultless consistency and intent.

Creating a photography portfolio takes time, thought and often long-term planning, but the results are worth it. The power of the botanical/garden story becomes amplified through the set of six images and helps people connect with the images on a deeper level. Achieving this will hone your sense of narrative within photography and will develop a self-critical way of working, particularly when choosing subject matter or curating the right images to include into the photography portfolio.

For inspiration/reference, please browse the past IGPOTY awarded portfolios.

Prizes

First prize:

£1,000,
IGPOTY award certificate,
Your awarded image goes on display at the IGPOTY 19 launch exhibition/in the travelling exhibition (whenever possible).

Prizes supplied by The RPS:
RPS 'Gold Medal',
RPS certificate.

Second prize:

IGPOTY award certificate,
Your awarded image goes on display at the IGPOTY 19 launch exhibition/in the travelling exhibition (whenever possible).

Prizes supplied by The RPS:
RPS 'Silver Medal',
RPS certificate.

Third prize:

IGPOTY award certificate,
Your awarded image goes on display at the IGPOTY 19 launch exhibition/in the travelling exhibition (whenever possible).

Prizes supplied by The RPS:
RPS 'Bronze Medal',
RPS certificate.

General rules:

• You may not submit watermarked images with your name or website visible on the photo. Please do not frame your images with borders.
• Entrants may submit a maximum of 4 images per single entry token and a maximum of 6 images per portfolio entry token.
• For free-to-enter competitions you should enter 1 image per token given, up to a maximum of 8 images (8 tokens).
• Entrants' images must be .jpg or .jpeg format and of high enough quality.
• All entries (low-res) images should be a maximum of 1920px on their longest side at 72 ppi (ideally with an sRGB colour profile).
• The maximum file size for each initial entry (low-res) image file must not be more than 6MB.
• All entrants must be able to supply a full size high-res image (300 ppi) for each entry, suitable for printing/exhibiting should an entry be shortlisted. You may be asked for this when the time comes.

N.B.

• High-res source file/s need to be at least 3780 pixels (longest side) @ 300 ppi, ideally larger (and ideally with an Adobe RGB (1998) colour profile).

Full competition rules:

Please see the IGPOTY competition rules, which always prevail:
https://igpoty.com/igpoty-rules/

Category rules:

IGPOTY runs juried competitions based on skill, judging will be done jointly by IGPOTY and an RPS appointed representative.

A Portfolio must contain all 6 images. People should not be the main focus of your images.

'Portfolios' is a stand-alone competition with its own prizes, portfolio entries are only eligible for the 'Portfolios' competition/prizes, not the overall IGPOTY main competition prize/s.

You cannot win more than one IGPOTY award using the same images, even individual images from a portfolio.

Only singular entries from 'Single Entry' main pay-to-enter categories can win the overall IGPOTY prize. Entries from 'Photo Projects' (stand-alone competitions) cannot win the overall IGPOTY prize, neither can portfolios, which will be judged as part of the IGPOTY 'Portfolios' competition category which is stand-alone. Special Awards are not eligible for the overall IGPOTY prize and are stand-alone.

Please see IGPOTY Competition Rules for full terms, which always prevail.

Please see IGPOTY Competition Rules for full terms, which always prevail.

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For help please visit our Frequently-Asked-Questions page.