A newly-formed group, the Horse Racing Photojournalists of North America, has been organized to form a unified voice for the work and concerns of photojournalists covering Thoroughbred racing in North America. The group announced its inaugural Photo of the Year contest, sponsored by OCD Pellets, Jan. 4.
“There are so many wonderful images that highlight the people, the venues and the events that make Thoroughbred racing an amazing sport,” read a release. “The HRPNA hopes this venue will let the public, the horse industry and the photojournalists themselves see the great work done by their contemporaries this year and for years to come. All entered images will be visible to the public during the open voting process.”
The contest is open to "any photojournalist who covered racing with a media credential and/or had a photo published on a news venue that regularly covers horse racing."
Finalists are determined by a public vote, according to the release.
"Voting will be open to any individual with an e-mail address. One vote per e-mail address, no repeat voting."
After the open voting process, the top five images from each category (racing action, racing action-remote, feature-on track, feature-off track, scenic, details, the backside, and portrait personality) will be forwarded to the judging panel for placement.
The judging panel for the inaugural contest is comprised of experienced racing photojournalists Pat McDonogh, Molly Riley, and Ben Van Hook.
Points will be awarded based on placing (5 for 1st place, 4 for 2nd place, and so on). The photographer who earns the most points based on judge’s placements will be named Horse Racing Photojournalist of the Year.
For entry rules and to view the call for entries, visit http://www.horseracingpjs.com. Category winners will be awarded plaques and the Horse Racing Photojournalist of the Year will receive a trophy.
