New York Times Photo Essay Contest for Exploring Community
The New York Times Photo Essay Contest for Exploring Community invites teenagers to document the local communities that interest them, using an immersive Times series as inspiration.
Interested in the competition?
Competition Overview
Students age 13 to 19 in middle school or high school
Eligibility
Free
Entry fee
February 14 to March 20, 2024
Contest date
June 2024
Results and winners are notified
Competition Details
1. Competition Guidelines
Using The Times’s Where We Are series, teenagers are invited to create a photo essay that documents a community that they’re not a part of. With the photos, they will create a visual essay with a short introduction and a series of captioned photographs. The photo essay must include:
- 6 to 8 images
- A short caption of no more than 50 words
- A short introduction of up to 300 words
- At least one quote from a member of the community about what makes it meaningful
- Informal “artist’s statement” as part of the submission to describe the photography process.
Other rules include:
- Students can work alone, in pairs, or in a group of four, but should submit only one entry each.
- Keep digital manipulation and postprocessing to a minimum
- The photo essay should be original for this contest
- Remember to get permission from the people you photograph.
2. Prizes
Having your work published on The Learning Network and earning a chance to be published in the print editions of The New York Times.
