Welcome to the (slightly late, sorry about that) 2021 Screenshot of the Year competition!
Just like previous years, this contest is designed to share and celebrate the screenshots you've been busy capturing these past eleven-and-a-bit months. Unlike previous years, however, we're gonna have to change the method of submission, since our PS4 Community went the way of the dodo.
As a result, this contest is open for all consoles and platforms, not just PlayStation. If you've captured something worthy on your PC, Switch, Xbox or heck, even your smartphone, then it's also welcome here!
Read on for the rules, instructions on how to submit shots, and some helpfully hopeful hints.
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Categories
We're bringing back the same three categories from last year. I think they're general enough to ensure that almost any screenshot can find a home (if we ever invent more specific or outlandish categories, I'll be sure to give y'all plenty of notice). They also help ensure a wider variety of finalists.
The three categories are as follows.
Judging assignments are to be confirmed. There's a chance it'll just be me, which I'm totally cool with, as I won't be submitting any of my own screenshots anyway.
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What to Submit
Each individual can submit a total of four shots (two less than last year). You don't have to submit four; you can just submit one, or three, or two-and-a-half if you're feeling particularly esoteric.
There is no category limit. If you're a master of landscapes, you can submit all four to that category.
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How to Submit
Since the aforementioned passing of the PS4 Community, we're gonna need you to upload your screenshots direct to this topic, here on the forum. This does make submission slightly more complicated, but I'm afraid it's our only option this year. Specific instructions can be found in the next post.
When submitting each shot, please remember to include the following:
1) The category in which your shot belongs (Landscape, Character or Action); 2) A title for your shot; 3) The game in which the shot was taken.
Those with low bandwidth connections or browsing on a limited data plan should be warned, as all these shots are gonna make the topic very data-intensive. Sorry about that!
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When to Submit
You should have all your shots submitted by the evening of Wednesday 15 December 2021 (GMT).
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Finalists and the Public Vote
The best three shots from each category will be selected to proceed, along with a wild card runner-up that can be chosen from any category. This will give us ten finalists for the public vote, which I'll post up as quickly as possible, hopefully on or around Thursday 16 December.
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Best of luck and remember, your shots can come from any console this year! Have fun!
You'll need to get your shots online somehow, so that they've got a dedicated web address. One of the easiest ways to do this is to link a Twitter account to your gamer profile, so that you can upload your shots directly to it. You can do this on PlayStation, Switch and Xbox (or so Google tells me).
Otherwise, you're gonna have to manually transfer your shots to a PC or tablet (using a USB stick or, in the Switch's case, a MicroSD card) and then upload them to an image-hosting website. ImgBB is free and anonymous to use. You can also create a free account at either Imgur or Postimages and create separate albums for your uploads, although both of these sites do require an email address to sign up with.
Once your shot is online, copy its direct link into a forum post and surround it with image tags. These look like the following, only with square brackets instead of round ones.
(img) (/img)
If you wanna see an example, quote this post, and you'll see how I've done it below.
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What category does my shot belong to?
This one is totally up to you, but remember to keep in mind that each shot will be judged on its merits as an example of its category.
What does that mean? Well, let's take a look at Lara Croft here.
This shot features Lara front and centre, and portrays her character pretty well, but it's also taken in the middle of a firefight, with flames in the background and a trigger about to be pulled. Were I to submit this, I'd have a hard time deciding between the Character and Action categories.
Think about why you took your shot, what you wanted it to say, and how you'd like it to be judged.
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What makes a "good" screenshot?
We all know what we like, so trust your instincts. If you think something looks good enough to capture, then chances are others will agree with you.
That being said, please don't be lazy. Take this for example:
It's a great shot, I think you'll agree, but I snapped it during a cutscene, so it's been framed and lit by one of the talented cinematography experts over at Insomniac Games. All I did was press a button at the right moment, and I'm sure there are thousands of players out there who did the same. We're not here to give professional developers yet another award. Do your own thing!
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So, do I have to use Photo Mode for my shots?
Absolutely not. A good Photo Mode can obviously add flair, but there are plenty of games out there which don't feature them, yet look stunning all the same. In previous years, we've considered and elevated shots from folks who've simply positioned an in-game camera for maximum effect.
Just be warned that nothing, and I mean nothing, ruins a good shot like an on-screen HUD.
Looks cool, but also generic. Please be sure to deactivate the HUD where possible!
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Finally, there was some debate during last year's competition concerning characters in pre-arranged poses, specifically pertaining to shots taken from the brief end-of-mission animations in Ghost of Tsushima. This isn't an issue, particularly since most Photo Modes include a "pose" toggle anyway. So long as you've made an effort to move the camera yourself, in order to frame a shot, you're good. Just be aware that, if your shot is clearly taken from a character model gallery or cutscene, it'll likely be overlooked in favour of more dynamic submissions.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
Phew! I think (and hope) that's everybody who was involved in last year's competition, or at least expressed an interest in taking part, plus anybody else I promised to tag.
If I've forgotten about you, then I sincerely apologise!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
So very hard to whittle these down, my best shot this year has a bloody UI in the corner as well so can't even use it! And yes, it took me until 2021 to play The Frozen Wilds.
Action
You're Gonna Need A Bigger Bow
Horizon Zero Dawn (Think this one is base game)
Character
Snow Angel
Horizon Zero Dawn : The Frozen Wilds
Character
Cheer Up Mate
NBA 2K22
Character
"Family? Family is forever..."
Mafia: Definitive Edition
N.B. An alternative name for the above photo: "Is that a casserole in your arms or are you just pleased to see me?"
And we're off, some great early entries already! Thanks, folks!
@nomither6 Sorry if I didn't make it clear, but submissions are limited to four per person. I know it's a pain, but can you please delete two of your shots, so that we know which to consider?
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@nomither6 Much obliged, sir! And for what it's worth, no matter where you eventually end up in the contest, I reckon you kept the right ones.
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@Anti-Matter Thanks for the entries, which will definitely be considered! As I think we discussed last year, though, you may be at a slight disadvantage because you've taken pictures of your TV screen with a camera, rather than captured clear shots using the PS4's Share button.
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@Throb Looks utterly gorgeous from where I'm sitting, but then I disable HDR on all my screens, so I couldn't tell you the difference, I'm afraid. Back when my PS4 had HDR enabled, I'd often find the colour and contrast of my screencaps got all messed up whenever I transferred them to my PC. The best I can say is that, to my eye, your shot doesn't look "broken" in any way, if that helps...?
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@Foxy-Goddess-Scotchy Very, very lovely, and way more than just "noteworthy", I'd say! Thank you, I'm real glad you decided to submit them! No apologies necessary!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger can I send you my pictures on PS5 please Rog?
Forum Best Game of All Time Awards
PS3 Megathread 2019: The Last of Us
Multiplat 2018: Horizon Zero Dawn
Nintendo 2017: Super Mario Bros 3
Playstation 2016: Uncharted 2
Multiplat 2015: Final Fantasy 7
Here are mine, hopefully the resolution etc has stayed the same, i can resubmit if they are in the wrong format?
I had so many from just a couple of games that I limited myself to just the one shot from each game.
Also, the RE one has the logos on because I couldn't remove them, is that allowed?
Action
Mass Effect Legendary
"Did someone call pest control?"
Action
Dirt 5
"Here in my car, I feel safest of all"
Landscape (with a character in)
AC Valhalla
"Picnic - Lighting the BBQ"
Character
RE Village
"More machine now than man"
Can't think of anything good to put here just yet, watch this space...
In fact, that's good standing advice for anybody struggling with an upload. If you'd prefer, you can send me your submissions via PSN, with their appropriate details and your PushSquare username. I'll then make sure they get posted on here before the deadline.
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@Thrillho Thanks again for tagging the staff, and getting this on the front page!
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@Throb A great set of entries! The resolution has held; the forum shrinks images down when embedding them, but I've opened their direct links in new tabs, and can see them at 3840x2160. Also yeah, we're fine with game logos and copyright information. I know some games insist on stamping that sort of thing all over captured shots, so there's no escaping it, really. Thanks for taking part!
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Topic: WE HAVE A WINNER - The 2021 Screenshot of the Year Competition
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