How to caption a photo in Associated Press style

The Associated Press caption formula

{Who} → {what they are doing} → {the period of the game} → {the date} → {the place} (AP Photo/Photographer Name)

Keep it to one sentence, usually 20 to 35 words.

Kentucky guard Otega Oweh (00) dunks during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Nicholls Colonels, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Photographer Name)

England midfielder Jude Bellingham (10) controls the ball during the first half of a UEFA Champions League soccer match against Spain, Saturday, June 1, 2024, in London. (AP Photo/Photographer Name)

Photographer credit

AP usually ends the caption with a parenthetical credit: agency, a slash, then the photographer. If the photographer is unknown or withheld, the wire may use (AP Photo) alone.

Typical pattern: (AP Photo/Photographer Name)

Outlets that use this caption style may still want a different photographer credit. Match the credit format your editor or client specifies — it can differ from the wire’s usual line even when the body of the caption matches.

How to write the name

Lead with the person you can see: team, position, full name, then the jersey number in parentheses. College and high school leave the mascot off that name (“Kentucky guard Otega Oweh (00)”). Pro teams keep it (“Los Angeles Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (1)”).

Use (00), never #00. That hash mark is a Getty habit, not AP.

Date and place

Put the date after the game phrase with a comma, not the word “on”: “during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2025,”. Abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Spell out March, April, May, June, and July.

End with the city only. Do not name the arena or stadium. In the U.S., use AP state abbreviations (Ky., Calif.) and skip the state on standalone cities such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Outside the U.S., use the city and, when needed, the country. Do not add USA to a U.S. caption.

The period of the game

Name the period of the game, then the league or sport: “during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game,” “during the second quarter of an NFL game,” “during the eighth inning of a baseball game.” Use whatever the sport actually uses: quarter, half, period, or inning. If players from only one team are mentioned, add the other team with “against.” If players from both teams are already mentioned, leave the matchup out. Use “between” only for cheerleaders, fans, or other non-player subjects.

Write the caption in four steps

1. Write the person you can see: team, position, name, and number in parentheses.
2. Describe only the action you can see in the frame.
3. Add the period of the game and the league: “during the first quarter of an … game,” then against, between, or neither.
4. Add the AP-style date with a comma (not “on”), then the city — not the venue. Add the country only when the game is outside the U.S.