What Are the NZIPP Iris Awards - And Why I Enter Every Year | Michelle Fey Photography

Every year, without fail, I put myself through it.

Weeks of editing. Late nights in Photoshop. Choosing between images I love, cutting the ones that aren't quite ready, and second-guessing every decision right up until the submission deadline. Then the waiting.

So why do I do it?

What the Iris Awards actually are

The NZIPP Iris Awards are New Zealand's most prestigious professional photography competition, run by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography, the industry body I've been a member of for over a decade.

They're not about likes or followers. There's no public vote. Every image is assessed by a panel of experienced photographers and judges against a strict set of criteria: technical excellence, creative vision, emotional impact, and overall presentation.

Images are scored out of 100. A score of 75-79 earns a Bronze. 80-84, a Silver. 85-89, a Silver Distinction. 90-94, a Gold. And 95 and above is the Gold with Distinction - awarded only to work that genuinely stops the room.

Categories span the full breadth of photography - Portrait, Landscape, Commercial, Wedding, Documentary, and more. Each submission is printed and mounted, not just uploaded. Your work is scrutinised on paper, under bright lights, by people who know exactly what they're looking at.

It's rigorous. It's demanding. And it's the closest thing New Zealand photography has to an objective standard of excellence.

Why I enter

Honestly? Because it makes me better.

There's no shortcut with Iris. You can't charm the algorithm or post at the right time of day. You either put forward work that stands up to scrutiny, or you don't. That clarity is rare, and I find it genuinely valuable.

Every time I prepare an entry, I learn something. Maybe it's about the image itself, a tonal decision I'd overlooked, a compositional choice I'd been too attached to. Maybe it's about the print, how an image that looks stunning on screen can flatten on the wrong paper. Maybe it's about my own standards, and what I'm willing to put my name to.

I've earned multiple Gold, Silver Distinction, Silver, and Bronze Iris Awards across Portrait, Landscape, and Animal categories. I hold a Master of Photography with Distinction and Two Bars from NZIPP. I'm proud of those credentials. But the awards aren't the point, the discipline of pursuing them is.

Iris keeps me honest. It keeps me pushing. And in a year where I've been building michellefey.com and transitioning fully to fine art, it's also become a way of holding myself accountable to the work I actually want to be making.

2026

I've submitted again this year. I'll share the results here in August.

If you're a photographer wondering whether to enter

Enter. Even if you don't win anything, the process of preparing work for Iris-level scrutiny will raise your game. Choosing your best images, getting them printed properly, presenting them with intention, that's not just competition prep. That's the practice of being a serious photographer.

And if you do win something? That bronze sticker on your print doesn't lie.