SPOA announces finalists for 2023 National School Photographic Competition

Sample entries from the 2023 contest.

School Photographers of America (SPOA) announced the finalists for the 2023 National School Photography Competition. The grand champions for each category will be announced July 13th in Greenville, S.C., at the International Conference on School Photography and Yearbooks at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom Downtown. The contest spotlights the best in school photography, from traditional classroom portraits and graduation photos to dynamic school sports photography and creative senior portraits.

“I am so excited about this year’s competition,” says David Crandall, executive director, SPOA. “After the judges were done and the software brought up the finalists’ images, I was so impressed.  There are some seriously talented photographers in our industry that have a heart for kids and a passion for photography. The competition has promoted some healthy competition while increasing the level of photographic quality across the country!”

School Photographers of America will be honoring the finalists in each category – as well as celebrating the grand champion with a prized trophy — at a formal dinner and awards show at the conference.  Photographers from all over the United States entered this competition.

The finalists are:

The competition uses an online photography software specific to scoring and running photographic competitions.  There were two rounds of judging that included specific scoring on things such as impact, expression, lighting, and composition.  Judges spent many hours preparing months in advance by discussing categories, facilitating benchmark sample scoring before spending almost two weeks judging the entries.  The finalists should be very proud of their achievements and the honor it brings not just to their company but to the students and schools they represented.

The following 24 categories represent top programs that are desired by schools, families, and students today and are a great representation of the work school photography companies provide to the schools, students, and communities they serve.

• Preschool – Fall Portrait
• Preschool – Graduation
• Underclass – Fall Portrait – Traditional
• Underclass – Fall Portrait – Creative
• Underclass – Spring Portrait
• Classroom Groups – Traditional
• Classroom Groups – Creative
• School Staff Groups
• School Sports – Individual
• School Sports – Team – Traditional
• School Sports – Team – Creative
• League Sports – Individual
• League Sports – Team
• Large Group Panoramic
• Cap & Gown
• Prom/Dance
• Seniors – Formal Portrait
• Seniors – Casual
• Seniors – Lifestyle/Environmental
• Seniors – Creative/Open
• Seniors – Portfolio
• School Buildings
• Photographer – Creative/Open
• Photographer – Portfolio