Photo by Kim Pederson, Rock Valley College
About
Taking place at the end of the academic year, the Annual Narrative Series Competition is designed to allow our members to enter videos and projects using Exposure, Adobe Spark and other platforms that host photo essays or multimedia stories.
Judging for the Annual Narrative Series occurs online and is a unique process which challenges those entering to choose what they feel is their best work from the past year, to be judged by their peers.
Rules
- Full Members only are eligible to enter this competition.
- The primary producer on any of the entries must be the person to submit the entry into the competition.
- The awards will be given to the university, as more than one staff member may have contributed.
- Each member can submit up to 3 entries in any combination of categories.
- Works which place in past Quarterly Narrative Contests are not automatically submitted into the Annual Narrative. They will need to be resubmitted for the Annual.
Categories
- Video/Cine- These are university and college productions used in marketing or promotion of the institution, individual colleges, or departments. These could also be traditional commercials aired on cable, TV or as digital ads.
- Online Photo Essay- Photo essays have found new life with sites like Exposure, Adobe Spark, or custom website. Entries in this category are stories about the university, individual colleges, or departments. They can contain still photos, written essays, or short video clips.
- Social Media- These are short videos originally published on services such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or Reels.
- Personal Vision - Open to videos of any subject that were made to satisfy your personal interests.
Entering
- Entries are due May 31, 2026. Dates and Times for entry are displayed on your member dashboard and based on the timezone set in your member profile. Check that your timezone is set correctly by choosing "Edit My Profile" at the very bottom is the timezone option. Click "Save" when finished.
- Each member can submit 3 entries, in any combination of categories.
- The price per entry is $15. You must pay for your entries using the Purchase Entry button before you submit your entry via the Submit Entry button. You may pay by credit card, debit card, or check. (instructions below under “Paying for Entries”)
- To enter, navigate to your dashboard (MY ACCOUNT in the dropdown menu), scroll down, select Enter Contest Now. Use a screen grab or appropriate image (JPG or PNG) from the production for the image requirement.
- Add a brief description and a link to your entry in the description field. YouTube and Vimeo work best for video.
- You must click on the “Submit Another Entry” button to register your entry in the competition.
- Changes / Deletions to submissions can be made up until the closing of the submission phase, noted on your member dashboard; the system automatically submits at that hour the last edit you applied to your entry.
- Keep in mind that you will be judged by a diverse group of people who may deduct points if they believe your entry is in the wrong category.
Viewing and Judging
Voting with integrity and without bias is vital for the feedback and growth of the UPAA membership. Please vote in a way that best reflects the score you feel an entry deserves. Be aware of your potential favoritism, conscious or unconscious. This helps this and other competitions be a reliable tool to measure our success and areas of potential growth.
- Full, student, and associate members are eligible to vote.
- When judging, unless you feel an entry is blatantly in the wrong place, the entrant should be given the benefit of the doubt.
- Entries will be available for voting until June 20.
- Your vote can be changed at any time up till the end of the voting phase, and you do not need to vote for every entry for your votes to count. That said, please do your best to vote on every entry.
- Voting members will rate EACH entry in each category on a star scale of 1 to 7, with seven being the highest score. Members will not be required to complete the voting in one session, and can return multiple times prior to the end of the month to complete their voting.
- Dates and Times for voting are displayed on your member dashboard and based on the timezone set in your member profile. Check that this is set correctly by choosing "Edit My Profile" at the very bottom is the timezone option. Click "Save" when finished.
- Depending on how you choose to view the entries, the entries will “disappear” after you’ve voted. To view entries you’ve already voted on, select the “View all entries” from the viewing options dropdown.
Paying for Entries
Entry fee is $15 per entry. Entry fees fund the awards given for this competition. You must pay for your entries via the Purchase Entry button before you submit your entry via the Submit Entry button. You may pay by credit card, debit card, or check.
If you are paying by check, send checks to the address below, which can also be found on the invoice.
33 Brackett Street
Medford, MA 02155
Point Totals and Awards
- First, second, third placements and honorable mentions in each of the categories are determined by the highest points awarded.
- Acrylic awards are given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placements and honorable mentions in each category.
- Awards will be presented during the Awards Banquet at the Annual Symposium.
- Entries placing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in all categories, and the highest scoring entry in Personal Vision will be saved in an ANS winning article in Depth in Field.
- Video/Cine will be the only category used to determine Videographer of the Year. Personal Vision placements will be used as a tiebreaker. If PV is not applicable, Video Chairs will work with the Board to choose the VOY.
- The Videographer of the Year (VOY) is selected by the Video Chairs and the Board utilizing a formula that combines the Quarterly Narrative Series Video/Cine scores with the Annual Narrative Series Video/Cine scores. For details about how VOY is determined, visit the AWARDS page.