1. ABSTRACT - Experimental, special effects, infrared prints, (excludes Creative).
2. ACTION - Motion being portrayed as the dominant theme.
3. ANIMALS -Animals depicted as the main theme (excludes birds).
4. CLOSE UP - Photographs of small subjects or close up views of sections of large subjects.
5. CREATIVE - Creative is defined as altered reality. This definition includes alterations utilizing: colored lights and gels, blacklight, mylar, sandwiches, projected images, double exposures, zoomed images, litho, birefringence, and computer manipulation. The appropriateness of the technique selected is considered in judging. Once a manipulated image has received an Award or an HM in any LPA competition, the base original image may not be re-used with another manipulation.
6. DESERT SCENES - Depicting the environment, plants, animals and birds of the southwestern deserts. Excludes desert wildflowers.
7. DESERT WILDFLOWERS - Close-ups and landscapes dominated by desert wildflowers.
8. FLOWERS - Single or multiple blossoms of one or more plants, excluding Desert Wildflowers
9. HUMAN INTEREST - Human Interest images depict a person or persons in a interactive, emotional, or unusual situation, excluding sports action. The picture must include a person or persons (no implied person) No sports action as main subject. No recreational or organized sport activity. Reality Based - see Notes below.
10. NATURE - Something that exists in nature: An insect, butterflies, leaves, etc. Includes birds and fish, no man made objects. Reality Based - see Notes below.
11. PHOTOJOURNALISM - Photojournalism images shall consist of pictures or sequences with informative content and emotional impact, including human interest, documentary and spot news. The journalistic value of the photograph shall be considered over pictorial quality. In the interest of credibility, photographs which misrepresent the truth, such as manipulation to alter the subject matter, or situations which are set up for the purpose of photography, are unacceptable in Photojournalism. Reality Based - see Notes below.
12. PICTORIAL - Picturesque scenes such as landscapes, seascapes or scenic views.
13. PORTRAIT - Portrayal of a person or persons.
14. STEP INTO THE PAST - Historic sites, buildings, antiques and relics of the past.
15. STRUCTURES - Man made objects such as buildings, bridges, lighthouses, etc. EXCLUDES VEHICLES.
16. TRAVEL - Images taken outside the Antelope Valley that represent travel, such as buildings, people and their customs, etc. Reality Based - see Notes below.
17. VEHICLES -Any type of vehicle (car, boat, airplane, etc.)
18. PANORAMIC - Any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, cropped or stitched together to form a long/narrow photo in either the horizontal or vertical format. Panoramic prints may be up to 320 square inches in area in Novice, Amateur, and Advanced levels and up to 408 square inches in the Master level.

Other competition themes may be added at the discretion of the Competition Chair, and guidelines posted in advance.

No elements may be moved, cloned, added, deleted, rearranged, or combined. No manipulation or modification is permitted except resizing, cropping, selective lightening or darkening, and restoration of original color of the scene. No special effect filters can be applied. Any sharpening must appear natural.