The core of PPAM’s Photographic Competition is that it is not a “head to head” competition where one image competes with another. Instead, entries are judged against a standard of excellence which puts all entries on the same level right out of the gate. This standard is called:

The 12 Elements of a Merit Image

1. Impact
Viewing an image for the first time always evokes some kind of feeling. Sometimes they can make us sad, happy or angry. Sometimes they force us to look inward at ourselves. That’s called an impact, and the more powerful the image, the more powerful the emotional response of the viewer.

2. Technical Excellence
This is the image or print quality of the actual image itself as it’s presented for viewing. There are a lot of aspects that speak to the qualities of the physical print. These can include:

• Retouching
• Manipulation
• Sharpness
• Exposure
• Color correction

3. Creativity
Your point of view is exactly that– yours. And it’s unlike anyone else’s. This element speaks directly to that perspective. It shows your imagination and how you used the medium to convey an idea, a message or a thought to the viewer. This is how you differentiate yourself from others.

4. Style
There are many, many ways to apply this element to your work. Maybe you use light in a specific way on a subject, or maybe you make a technical decision for the express purpose of underscoring desired impact. When subject matter and style come together in an appropriate manner, the effects on an image can be spectacular. But remember, when subject matter and style don’t work together, the results can be, well, less-than-spectacular.

5. Composition
When all the visual elements of an image come together to express intent, that’s when the magic of composition happens. Good composition captures a viewer’s attention and directs it where you, the artist, want it to be. Depending on your intent, you can make something that pleases the viewer– or disturbs them.

6. Presentation
How you showcase an image is just as important as how you compose it. Everything in the presentation should work to enhance your image and not distract from it. Keep this in mind when choosing mats, borders and everything in between.   

7. Color Balance
Proper color balance can bring a sense of harmony to an image. When the tones all work together to support an image, the emotional appeal is that much greater. But color balance doesn’t have to be used to bring harmony to an image. You can use color balance to evoke any number of feelings from a viewer. The choice in how to take advantage is entirely up to you, but no matter what, be sure your choice enhances rather than distracts. 

8. Center of Interest
This is where an image’s creator wants a viewer’s attention focused. Sometimes there can be a primary and a secondary center of interest. Sometimes everything in an image will work together to create that center of interest.

9. Lighting
The use and control of light has an effect on every aspect of an image. It informs dimensions and shape, it sets tone and mood, and, like every other technique, proper lighting can be used to enhance your image while improper lighting can detract from it.

10. Subject Matter
Even though it lacks words, your image is still telling a story, and your subject matter is central to that. So make sure that your subject matter is right for the story that you’re trying to tell.

11. Technique
How you choose to execute your image is key. It’s also a holistic decision. Technique informs everything in the creation of your image. From lighting and posing to printing and presentation, it all works to show off the techniques that you’ve mastered and applied to your craft.

12. Storytelling
What does your image evoke in a viewer’s imagination? What do you want your image to evoke in a viewer’s imagination? Keep in mind: You are creating art. And while the act of creating is a personal thing, so too is the act of viewing. Your image is a story, and the one it tells your viewer may be one you never knew you were telling. 

Scoring Scale

Images entered into the PPAM Photographic Competition can receive scores up to 100 points, dependent on how they meet the 12 Elements of a Merit Image. Images are scored using the following scale:

100 - 95: Exceptional

94 - 90: Superior

89 - 85: Excellent

84 - 80: Deserving of a Merit

79 - 75: Above Average

74 - 70: Average

69 - 65: Below Exhibition Standards

 
How the scoring works
There's a panel of 5 Jurors including a Moderator. All Master Photographers.

Each Juror has a keypad in their hand. After viewing the image, a Juror will place the image into one of the above-mentioned categories on the scoring scale. Then the Juror will place a numerical score on the image, then proceed to enter their score into the keypad. A central unit will average the scores, which is then read aloud. The Moderator oversees the process from an iPad and can tell who's entered scores and who hasn't. It also allows the Moderator to see individual scores and may address a Juror who may be consistently judging the competition a bit too harshly or too softly when compared to the other jurors.

Scores may be challenged by a Juror who feels an image should score higher or lower than the score announced. An automatic challenge to the score occurs when one juror is high/low of the overall average score by 10 or more points.

How Challenges work
Any Juror may challenge an announced score or even call back an image after it's been judged.

The challenger will only challenge the score if he/she is attempting to get the image into category. In other words: Image scores 82 but is challenged by a judge trying to get it into the “Excellent” category (85-89). A Juror may also try to challenge an image score down.

After a challenge has been announced, the challenger gives the reasoning for challenging, good or bad.

Each Juror on the panel is then asked to announce the score they gave the image, then describe the reasons why they gave that score. It's important that the other Jurors take the challengers point into consideration before re-judging. This is known as "moving with the panel". Jurors are encouraged to listen and take other comments into account instead of simply digging in with their opinion.

The challenger then must address every adverse comment drawn by other Jurors during the rebuttal. The challenger then announces the score that he/she will be entering, and the image is then rescored by the entire panel.

Majority Challenge 
In this case, a score is automatically challenged if an image receives a "merit" score, but majority of the Jurors have scores below merit. The opposite also applies. An image will be automatically challenged if it does not merit, yet a majority of the Jurors have placed it in the merit category.

Callbacks
Jurors may "call back" an image after it's been judged. This may be because he/she is still haunted by the image and feels it needs to score higher or lower than it did. 

When Jurors comment and when they don't
On occasion, a piece may not draw any commentary from the panel. This can be frustrating to an entrant! This is especially true if the image lacks impact and the score is lower than 80. It can also happen if every one of the Jurors are in the same place on the score scale. In this instance, there's really nothing to discuss. Commentary usually happens when there IS something to discuss. For example, there may be a flaw in the image that draws a comment from a Juror, which will spur additional comments from the other Jurors. An image may be intriguing to one Juror but not another, or the entrant may have pushed the boundaries of one of the 12 Elements.

*resource https://www.ppa.com/events/photo-competitions/the-12-elements-of-a-merit-image