New Iris Awards for a changed world

Kaye Davis, chair of the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography’s (NZIPP) Honours Council, outlines how the Iris Professional Photography Awards has evolved to suit today’s challenges

Wow, what a start to 2020!

Covid-19 has certainly had a massive effect on our lives and impacted how we do things. We all know and have felt the impact of this within the creative sector, but, as creatives, we have the ability to problem-solve, adapt, and realign ourselves when things are tough.

Creative outlets can be a valuable tool for helping us through challenging times, and the purpose and function of the Iris Professional Photography Awards has always been a forum for creative expression. This was a key factor in ensuring that the Iris Awards went ahead this year and the reason that a decision was made very early on to run the 2020 Iris Awards as an online event. 

While that has posed massive challenges for us, it has also brought great opportunities; in particular, bringing the photographic community together and making 2020 memorable in a really positive way. 

Along with the new, streamlined entry process, the most significant aspect for entrants this year is the reduced cost associated with entering. In addition, with entrants not being able to shoot as normal, we’ve also loosened the rules, allowing entrants the opportunity to revisit their archives and submit images that would have fallen outside of the normal image-capture time frame. 

If you’ve never entered before, this is the perfect time to give it a go. There’s 14 different categories to choose from, intended to inspire and challenge the talents of both national and international photographers. You can check out the Iris Awards Call for Entries, and follow the link to enter, at irisawards.com.

Our suppliers and sponsors have also been hugely impacted by this unprecedented global event. Despite these financially difficult times, it has been incredibly heart-warming to see the backing and support our sponsors continue to show for the industry and this event, with some incredibly generous prizes on offer. So, as has been the call and response from so many across the nation, on sites such as New Zealand Made Products, please get to know and support our amazing sponsors and buy local.

While we can’t all be together in person for the Iris Awards 2020, we can still make it something special. Follow the NZIPP Facebook page for news and updates. We look forward to bringing you the live-streamed online judging from Thursday, 20 August, with an amazing pool of national and international judges.

We wish everyone all the very best with their entries!