Competition Rules
INTERNAL COMPETITIONS, the ANNUAL COMPETITION and the ANNUAL EXHIBITION
SECTION 1
(i) Material entered in any Internal competition or an annual exhibition should originate from an image(s) captured on a date NOT more than four years prior to the start of the current Club Year.
(ii) All images, prints or digital images, must have been taken by the member making the entry and no copy of another author’s work will be permitted.
(iii) All images submitted MUST originate from a photograph taken on a camera, whether film or digital, or on a flatbed scanner. In any case of doubt, the Committee shall have the authority to disqualify the entry and nullify any points that might have been awarded, unless the author can provide the original image as proof.
(iv) There will be four categories in the Internal Competitions viz. Colour Prints, Monochrome Prints, Colour Digitally Projected Images (DPI) and Monochrome DPI. There will be four categories in the Annual Competition and the Annual Exhibition, viz. Colour Prints, Monochrome Prints, Colour Digitally Projected Images (DPI) and Monochrome DPI. Colour Prints and Monochrome Prints may be home or trade processed.
(v) Colour and Monochrome prints to be on rectangular mountboard measuring 40cm x 50cm and of thickness no more than 3mm, unless otherwise specified. This to be either the size of the mount or surface mounted. The size of the image is the choice of the author.
(vi) A member may NOT enter, in the same internal competition or in the Annual Competition or the Annual Exhibition, two or more versions of the same or similar image (whether monochrome or colour print or digital file) . If entries are made in error all but one, to be selected by the Committee, of the images will be disqualified and any points awarded will be nullified.
(vii) Highly awarded digital images from competitions will be published on the website unless the author notifies the webmaster that they do not give permission. In addition, the Club requires members to provide DPIs of print images to be sent to the club projectionist when entering the print competitions, so that the images can be projected alongside the submitted print for the benefit of the audience - the judge will be reminded to ignore the projected image in these cases. The DPI of highly awarded prints from competitions will be published on the website unless the author notifies the webmaster that they do not give permission.
PRESENTATION OF ENTRIES.
SECTION 2
(i) PRINTS must be firmly affixed to their mounts, which may be commercially produced if desired. Prints may be disqualified if it is liable to cause damage to other prints (e.g. Velcro pads, poor mounting, poor taping) or not adequately backed. One image only per mount can be accepted, unless the competition allows or states otherwise. This single print may contain material from more than one source but the result must be a cohesive, composite image and not a series of individual, separated pictures.
(ii) All prints must be identified on the reverse with the author’s name and a title. Repeating the title on the front of the print is optional.
(iii) All prints will be identified for entry into the Internal Competitions and/or the Exhibition by the placing of the Club Label on the reverse of every print, prior to the Judging, for means of identification. This may include the Catalogue number for the Exhibition.
(iv) DPI will be sent to the Projectionist and CC'd to the Competition Secretary at least a week before the competition using WeTransfer (or similar file transfer software, NOT Dropbox). This is for both DPI entries and DPI of entered prints. The file name MUST include the title, the author, and the category. The file must be readable by the Club’s computer.
(v) DPI must be entered in a standard jpeg format with a colour profile of sRGB. They may be of any resolution but will be projected at the resolution of the Club’s projector. The image must be a maximum of 1600 pixels wide or 1200 pixels high or both. The author’s name and the title for the image must be included in the EXIF data for the image. Titles to be no longer that 24 characters including spaces.
Please read how to prepare digital image for camera club competition in the HOW TO section click here.
GENERAL
SECTION 3
(i) Amendments, additions or deletions to the Competitions and Exhibition Rules shall be made at a General meeting of the Club or by Executive decision of the Club Committee.
(ii) Contravention of the Rules may result in a loss of points, at the discretion of the Club Committee.
(iii) The committee may withdraw and any member may request that the committee considers the withdrawal of any entry that it/he/she considers fails to meet the rules of the competition for which it is submitted. Such disqualification may occur before or after the judging of the competition.
If after judging any request for withdrawal to be lodged verbally immediately on the day/evening after the competition followed in writing to the committee within seven days. The member affected by a withdrawal may appeal in writing to the committee with the President making a final and binding decision.
(iv) All trophies will be held for one year and returned one month before the following Exhibition.
(v) The above rules do not apply to inter-club projected or print battles.
RULES FOR INTERNAL COMPETITIONS
SECTION 4
(i) There shall be four classes for judging in all categories of all the internal competitions (Colour Prints, Monochrome Prints and Colour DPI and Monochrome DPI). A member may only enter one image in three out of the four classes for an internal competition.
Currently the two league system is suspended
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The Bresson and Bailey groups for existing photographers and the Snowdon group for those relatively new to photography and/or digital processing. The committee will have the right to withdraw the Snowdon class at any time if it is deemed necessary through the lack of those new to photography and/or digital processing as Club members.
For all internal competitions the judge will mark each image but will take into consideration that the author is in the Bresson, Bailey or Snowdon league, and be invited to offer supportive critique accordingly. The number in each group will depend on the membership at the time.
Should there be a tie for positions at the end of the season then a count-back system of counts of score values will be used.
Members entering work in the Snowdon class are to submit work in that class until such time as he/she has been awarded a sufficiently high number of the top marks, awarded by the judges in one season, in the internal competitions only, with the decision on who should then work in the Bailey class to be agreed in committee and those concerned to be informed of the change by the Competition Secretary early after the start of the following season.
Similarly members entering work in the Bailey class to submit work in that class until such time as he/she has been awarded a sufficiently high number of the top marks, awarded by the judges in one season, in the internal competitions only, with the decision on who should then work in the Bresson class to be agreed in committee and those concerned to be informed of the change by the Competition Secretary early after the start of the following season.
Membership of the Bresson class in one category of the internal competitions does not mean that the member is automatically moved to the Bresson class in other categories. This recognises the different artistic skills needed to ensure high standards of work in the Bresson class.
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ii) An image may be entered in up to TWO internal league competitions in any category provided it has NOT been awarded 20, 19 or 18 points by the Judge on its first appearance. Once awarded a 20, 19 or 18 it CANNOT be submitted again in any form ( colour print, monochrome print or colour DPI or monochrome DPI). If an image scores below 18 it is noted that the two entries of the same image in different categories still counts as two entries overall. Images entered in internal league competitions may, however, be entered into the Annual Competition at the Exhibition regardless of score.
(iii) Judges will award points out of twenty for each piece of work submitted. These points will be accumulated by individual members throughout the Club year thereby creating a league table. A 'no entry' to count as zero points.
(iv) The subjects of the internal competitions shall be decided by the Club’s Committee, after the opinions of the membership have been sought by the Club’s Secretary.
(v) All print entries (colour or monochrome) should be with the Competition Secretary at least one week prior to the date of each internal competition, with the latest time and place to be fixed by the Competition Secretary at the start of the Club year. All DPI both for the DPI competition and the DPI of prints, should be sent to the Club Projectionist, CC'd to the Competition Secretary at least one week prior to the date of each internal competition, with the latest time and place to be fixed by the Competition Secretary at the start of the Club year. The DPI will be sent by using WeTransfer (or similar file transfer software, NOT Dropbox).
RULES FOR the ANNUAL COMPETITION and the ANNUAL EXHIBITION
SECTION 5
(i) An image may be entered into ONE Annual Competition and ONE Annual Exhibition only.
(ii) There shall be a minimum of FOUR subject categories:-
- Architecture
- Nature
- Open
- People (including formal and candid human portraits and figure studies)
For the 2024 Exhibition there is an additional subject category of Set Subject which is "Transport"
(iii) For the 2024 Annual Competition, the number of images that each member may enter in each section is: -
Monochrome Prints ---------------------12 prints
Colour prints ------------------------------12 prints
Colour DPI -------------------------------- 12 images
Monochrome DPI ------------------------12 images
The maximum total number of entries across the sections is 36.
The total number of accepted images by each member may be changed at the discretion of the committee. Whilst nudes or semi-nudes images may be entered into the Annual Competition, they will not be displayed at the Annual Exhibition.
(iv) The maximum permitted entry in each section (5iii) may be divided between the subject categories as the member wishes.
(v) The Exhibition judge to mark each print entry out of 20. Each entrant to be entitled to have a minimum of one image displayed, plus all ‘placed’ entries, with the remaining highest marked images to be displayed as space allows.
Judges will be invited to award Commendations to any number of deserving prints and projected images.
(vii) Trophies will be awarded to those members judged to have satisfied the criteria listed under “Trophies”.
(viii) All entries to the Exhibition are on an equal basis unless specifically stated by the Committee in advance of the Final Entry Date.
GENERAL
6 Whilst every care will be taken to protect work from damage, work is entered at the owner’s risk.
7 There will be a small fee for each exhibit entered in the Annual Competition to cover judging fees and trophy engraving.
8 Submission of an entry is deemed to imply knowledge and acceptance of the rules.
OTHER ANNUAL COMPETITIONS
Panel competition
This competition is open to all members on an equal basis. It is divided into four classes for monochrome prints, colour prints, monochrome DPI and colour DPI. Each Panel must consist of three individual images. The set of three images are to have an obvious and connecting theme of the author’s own choice. Please note, a print panel consisting of mixed colour and monochrome images is permitted but must be entered as a colour print panel. In the same way, a DPI panel consisting of mixed colour and monochrome images is permitted but must be entered as a colour DPI panel.
A member may enter up to three Panels, but only one Panel in any one class. The decision over which class(es) to enter is entirely up to the author. The winning entries are to be decided by an external judge.
Prints in a panel are to be on three individual boards. The maximum print size to be 40cms x 50cms including the mount. Adding on the reverse the author’s name and Panel title plus indicating how they are to be displayed as viewed by the judge – left, centre and right.
Three, individually saved, DPI are required as entered for all club competitions. After the author's name and the Panel title indicate how they are to be displayed i.e. left, centre and right. A fourth DPI is to be included showing how the panel of three is to be displayed when projected. No further information is required.
5 Image Panel Print Competition
This competition is open to all members on an equal basis. It is for prints only mounted on one 40cm by 50cm board. Each panel consists of five images, displayed individually, using cuts-outs or surface mounted as desired. All images on one sheet of paper is acceptable.
The five images to have a theme of the author’s choice plus an appropriate title, which can be placed on the front.
Each Panel to be presented without the author’s name
The panel to be judged by the members.
TROPHIES
For the Internal Competitions trophies are awarded, for each of the sections, to the member who achieves the highest total number of points in that section.
For the Annual Competition leading to the Annual Exhibition a number of trophies are awarded which may be changed at the discretion of the committee.
Ethel Lewcock Rosebowl -------------------- Best Fauna Entry in the Exhibition
Founder`s Cup ---------------------------------- Best of the Presidents Selection in the Exhibition
Peter Day Award (Shield) -------------------- Most Creative Entry in the Exhibition
Budd Colour Cup ------------------------------- Best Colour Digital Entry in the Exhibition
A New Cup, to be named : Best Monochrome Digital Entry in the Exhibition.
Freeman Cup ------------------------------------ Best Mono Print in the Exhibition
Evelyn Day Cup --------------------------------- Best Colour Print in the Exhibition
Budd Challenge Cup -------------------------- Highest Points Mono Prints in the Exhibition
President's Cup -------------------------------- Highest Points Colour Prints in Exhibition
Diamond Anniversary Cup ------------------ Highest Points Colour Digital entries in Exhibition
A New Cup, to be named : Highest Points Monochrome Digital entries in the Exhibition.
Cliff Clifford Cup is awarded annually to the club member whom it has been decided has made an outstanding contribution to the life and work of the club during that year.
Members vote at the end of each season and the Trophy is presented at the AGM.
ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS
NEW DEFINITION OF NATURE at 2022
TO BE USED IN PAGB COMPETITIONS
Nature means Images where living organisms are the primary subject matter.The story telling value of an Image will normally be weighed more than the pictorial quality. Nature includes:
- Images taken with subjects in controlled conditions such a zoos, game parks, botanic gardens, aquariums and enclosures where the subjects are dependent on man for food. Scientific bands, tags or collars are permissible.
Nature excludes:
- Images where the subjects are obviously domestic animals or plants.
- Images where an obviously artistic treatment has been applied. Processing of the captured image, by cropping, exposure adjustment, colour correction, noise minimisation, dodging/burning, HDR, focus stacking and sharpening, is permitted, as is cloning of image defects and minor distractions including overlapping elements.
An Image appearing to meet these criteria will be accepted as Nature. The Judges will normally assume that any Image presented to them is eligible. Access to some biological subjects may be restricted. Where that is relevant, then Photographers warrant that they have followed relevant codes of practices and hold any necessary licences.
Note. The GB Cup (Nature), and the Inter-Federation (Nature) Annual Competition are the only Nature Competitions organised by the PAGB. In all other competitions, and the Awards for Photographic Merit, nature rules do not apply except where there is an individual award for Nature and the photographer has specified eligibility. Similarly there is no Wildlife Competition but this definition will be used where a specific Wildlife Award is made.
Last Update to Page: 15-Jan-2023