More than 1000 entries from New Zealand and overseas will be judged in the Epson/NZIPP Iris Professional Photography Awards by 25 judges in free open forum at the Millennium Hotel, on September 9 to 11.
The public are invited to look over the shoulders of the judges, who will work in groups of five as they scrutinise the entries in 10 categories and select them in a points system for bronze, silver and gold merits.
Those merits will be displayed in order in the hotel.
NZIPP marketing and development manager Arna Wahl-Davies, of Christchurch, told the Queenstown Times the open forum "is the best way to learn and gain more knowledge, especially because we've got a high calibre of judges you can interact with."
The major awards and 2010 Photographer of the Year will be announced at a gala black-tie dinner on Monday, September 13.
The New Zealand Professional Photographer of 2009 was Paul Gummer, of Palmerston North.
The annual Iris awards have been held for more than 30 years and overlap with NZIPP's Infocus conference, at the hotel, on from September 12 to 14.
Keynote speaker will be Michael Grecco, one of the world's best portrait photographers, with Time, Forbes, Rolling Stone, Esquire, People and Entertainment magazine credits among many others.
Top Australian wedding and portrait photographers Graham Monro and Robert Piccoli will speak.
New Zealand photographers Doc Ross, Alan Dove and Queenstown's own multi-award-winning landscape photographer Jackie Ranken will also offer their words of wisdom.
About 120 members were expected at the institute's first conference in Queenstown in 16 years, Ms Wahl-Davies said.
