The Visual Student

John Schreiber is a co-coordinator for the 64th College Photographer of the Year competition. Schreiber graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Tx. where he obtained a BBA in marketing and a minor in photography. Schreiber is now working towards a master’s degree in photojournalism at the University of Missouri. He most recently finished a summer internship with the Reno Gazette-Journal in Reno, Nevada and was a co-coordinator for the 66th Pictures of the Year International competition.

As the deadline to enter College Photographer of the Year creeps up on us (you have until 11:59pm central time Sunday, September 27th), this is as good a time as any to give out some last-minute advice when it comes to entering this contest.


As photojournalists, we are, by nature, a deadline-driven bunch. We work well under pressure and are accustomed to turning things in with seconds to spare. However, I have to HIGHLY recommend that you do not wait until 11:45pm on Sunday to start getting your entries ready. In college, you may be able to crank out a 10-page essay on the idiosyncrasies of post-modern literature 15 minutes before your class, but you will want to spend a little more time getting your images ready, captioning everything, and finally uploading them to our servers. Please look at the “Entry Preparation page at http://www.cpoy.org/?s=EntryPrep while gathering your images. You will also want to give yourself time if something does go wrong. There is some mystical force in this universe that always makes your computer crash or Internet connection fail when working on deadline. Play it smart and upload your entry earlier in the weekend to avoid the deadline server crunch and remember to read the rules, categories and entry preparation directions before you click the “submit my entry link.”

This year, CPOY is implementing a new entry program that will automatically check your entries to make sure you named everything correctly. This program will help everything run smoothly and give you a chance to correct your errors. You may be frustrated at first, but the program is meant to help you. Pay attention to detail and take your time when naming files–everything will be ok. All the rules and category information are thoroughly outlined on the website. Take the time to read everything before you start entering. It will save you time in the long run.

For many of you, this is the first time you are entering a major photojournalism competition. We understand it can be a confusing and tedious task. It is a good learning experience and should help set you up to enter contests throughout your career. With that said, if you do have any questions, my fellow coordinator Katie Wood and I are here to help you. Don’t be afraid to email us at info@cpoy.org.  I promise there are two warm bodies at the other end of that email who are checking messages quite regularly.

All the technical stuff aside, entering CPOY should be looked at as an educational experience in addition to a competition. It is an opportunity for you to grow as a photographer and evaluate where you would like to go. Awards are just icing on the cake.

You are encouraged to enter the portfolio category (the category that decides who the College Photographer of the Year will be) every year you can field a complete portfolio. It may seem intimidating, but there is absolutely no harm or shame in entering your work and not winning. By creating a portfolio to enter into this category, you have a chance to look at where you have been in the last year and where you need to go next year. It is a good way to critically evaluate a year’s worth of work and then set goals for the future.

As always, we strive to make the judging of CPOY as transparent as possible. Although we sit in a dark room for an entire week living off coffee, cheez balls, and animal crackers, judging is completely open and everyone is welcome.  Judging will take place Nov. 8-13 in Tucker Forum of Gannett Hall on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, MO.   If you can’t make it to Missouri, we will be screen and podcasting our judging again this year through our website www.cpoy.org. You will be able to watch entire rounds of judging for each of the categories and even download them to your iPod. Watching the judging is probably the most beneficial experience of the whole contest. Hearing the judges’ feedback about the images is almost certain to improve your own work.

The most important thing to remember is that this is just a contest. If you don’t win anything, it is not the end of your career as a photojournalist. Use what you learned from the contest to improve your work and then go out and make great pictures. With some luck, you may become the next College Photographer of the Year. Now, stop procrastinating and start entering your photos!

For more CPOY editing advice, see this column by the 63rd College Photographer of the Year, Tim Hussin.