The College Photographer of the Year competition celebrates outstanding student photojournalism annually. Participants showcase their talent through single images, photo stories, and multimedia projects capturing breaking news, sports, public issues, portraits, and illustrations.
Highlights from the 78th CPOY competition were displayed at the McDougall Center for Photojournalism through October 2024.
Founded in 1945 by Cliff and Vi Edom, the competition is administered by the University of Missouri with ongoing support from co-sponsor Nikon Inc., whose contributions ensure free entry for college students worldwide.
The National Press Photographers Foundation (NPPF) collaborates with CPOY to present the Colonel William J. Lookadoo and Milton Freier Memorial Awards. Since 2005, National Geographic Magazine has supported CPOY by offering an internship to the Gold winner in the Portfolio category.
Winners, including the College Photographer of the Year, Runner-up, and category champions in Sports Portfolio, Documentary, Multimedia, and others, receive equipment and educational opportunities sponsored by Nikon Inc., MediaStorm, True/False Film Fest, National Geographic, Reuters and the Summit and Missouri Photo Workshops.
See all of this year’s winners and an archive of past winners at cpoy.org.
