All competitions, except the 6x4 and Audio Visual ones, must be entered using an email sent to the relevant email address as shown in the inside front cover of this Programme.
For print competitions you must bring your prints to the hall no later than the meeting held one week before the competition date. You may bring them to a previous meeting but the deadline is one week prior to the competition.
Images, whether print or digital, listed in the Competition Entry Email will be included on the night in a random order. It is not possible to request a specific order of inclusion within the competition.
The following sections give guidance notes on how to prepare your entries:
Digital Projected Images
1. File size & type. Aim for a maximum file size of 5mb. Your image should be saved as a .jpg file – no other file type will be accepted. Jpg’s project well if saved as quality 8 or 10. The club projector has a resolution of 1400 pixels wide by 1050 pixels high. For clarity, a landscape format would have a minimum width of 1400 pixels and a portrait format would have a minimum height of 1050 pixels.
2. Files must be named on your media in the format ‘membership number (single space) title.jpg’. For example, this could be `86 sandy beach.jpg’. There should be only one space after the membership number and no other symbols (such as a hyphen or underscore) inserted before the title. Please save your file using the 3 letter suffix “jpg” rather than the alternate “jpeg”.
3. Image files must be in RGB mode (even for monochrome) and saved in the sRGB colour space.
4. Files must be submitted as an e-mail attachment Your email giving details of your entry must be sent to:
5. Email entry details must have the title saved on your media.
Prints
1. All prints must be mounted and have a picture size of at least 7” x 5” or 35 square inches and an overall maximum mount size of 50cm x 40cm.
2. Prints must be titled on the reverse and show the author’s name and Club membership number. These details should be in the top left hand corner of the reverse side in such a position that the print is the correct way up when read by the Competition Secretary.
3. Home or commercially processed prints are acceptable.
4. Care should be taken when mounting your print which will be carried in a box with other prints. Should the tape come off your print, it could very easily damage someone else’s print. You should also avoid prints which have a sticky surface.
5. If you are entering the Monochrome Print Competition, your photograph must clearly show that it has been created in different shades of a single colour. For this purpose, black is defined as a single colour although any other single colour will be acceptable. A combination of two or more colours (including black) will be refused by the Competition Secretary.
6. All print competitions must be entered by sending an email with the titles of your prints to:
CLUB COMPETITIONS AND RULES
Only members who have paid their annual subscription will be eligible to enter competitions. All entries must be the member’s original work.
The title of the print or digital image will be announced for all internal competitions (excluding the Digital Audio Visual Competition and the 6 x 4 competition) immediately prior to the judge’s comments.
Images submitted by members to competitions may be used by the Club in external competitions or on the website for a period of five years unless the member informs the Competition Secretary or Webmaster that they do not want their images used in this way
There are currently six types of competition (excluding competitions against other camera clubs) held during the year and full details of our rules are as follows:
Ladder Competitions
These competitions are held throughout the season and are made up of four separate rounds, two of which may have a Set Subject, the other two rounds being Open. Separate competitions are held for colour prints, monochrome prints and digital.
1. A maximum of 3 images for each competition can be entered but only the top 2 of each will be included in the ladder scoring. Points will be awarded (maximum 20) for each print or digital image entered. In addition, the best image of each round in each category (in the opinion of the judge) will be awarded a star.
2. The points gained by each competitor in each round will then be added together and the winner will be the entrant with the highest total at the end of the fourth Round. In the event of a tie, the member with the largest number of stars will be declared the winner.
3. No print or digital projected image can be entered if it has been entered in any previous Ladder Competition in any medium either in the current season or any previous season. For the purposes of this rule, a monochrome version of a colour image counts as the same image.
4. The Competition Secretaries will be responsible for collating the marks awarded and ensuring that the rules are adhered to.
5. Digitally enhanced images are acceptable. Such computer produced images must emanate from a photograph originally taken by the author and must not be entirely generated by computer. The copyright of every element of all pictures entered must be owned by the author. It is not acceptable to add any element of any image unless it emanates from the author’s own work.
6. The Best Improver trophy will be awarded to the member who has achieved the highest increase in total score from the previous season without gaining the winner’s trophy in any of the three Ladder Competitions, having fully entered all rounds in any one or more of the three Ladder Competitions in both seasons.
Picture of the Year Competition
This competition is designed to identify the best image from all of the entries submitted in the Ladder Competitions in the current season.
1. All prints and digital projected images entered must have been entered in the Ladder Competitions during the current season.
2. A maximum of 2 prints and 2 digital projected images per entrant can be submitted.
3. Images entered into this competition must be the original images entered into the Ladder Competitions. They should not be altered or enhanced in any way after entry to the original ladder competition.
4. The trophy will be awarded to the overall winner from all entries in all media.
Natural History Competition
1. Prints and digital projected images entered in the Natural History Competition cannot be entered in any Ladder Competitions or the Picture of the Year Competition during the same season. They may, however, be used in Ladder Competitions in any other season.
2. A maximum of 2 prints and 2 digital projected images per member can be entered.
3. For the purposes of this competition, Natural History photography depicts living animals, birds and insects taken either in the wild or in zoos and wildlife parks and also living plants, whether cultivated or wild. Images of anyone’s family pets are excluded.
4. The trophy will be awarded to the overall winner from all entries in all media.
Monochrome Digital Image Competition
1. Digital images entered in the Monochrome Digital Image Competition cannot be entered in any Ladder Competitions as either a colour or monochrome image or the Picture of the Year Competition during the same season. They may, however, be used in ladder or natural history competitions in any other season.
2. A maximum of 4 monochrome images per member may be entered.
3. Your image should clearly show that it has been created in different shades of a single colour. For this purpose, black is defined as a single colour although any other single colour will be acceptable. A combination of two or more colours (including black) will be refused by the Competition Secretary.
The Digital Audio Visual Competition
1. Entrants will present a sequence of images with background music or commentary lasting no longer than 7 minutes using the Club’s digital projector and laptop computer. Sound will be provided through external speakers linked to the laptop.
2. Digital projected images used in this competition may also be entered in any other competition, subject to its rules.
3. Entries should be brought to the Club on a USB stick with a note of the title preferably no later than the meeting one week before the competition date or on the night of the competition.
4. Your sequence should include only still images which may, if desired, move on the screen using pan and zoom techniques. Video or movie footage is not allowed. Individual images should not exceed 2mb.
The 6 by 4 Competition
1. Each member may submit up to 2 two panels consisting of five printed images (max size 6 x 4 ins). There is no set subject and the five prints need not be linked with a common theme. The panel should be brought along on the night by the member, who must take part in judging all the panels, excluding his or her own.
2. The prints should be presented on a plain single card or mounting board for display horizontally on table tops.
3. Panels will be judged by all members attending the evening (whether entering the competition or not) who will select five panels which they consider to be the best in show. The votes will then be counted to determine the final results of the competition.
4. In the event of a tie, we will ask for one tie-break point to be awarded by each judge (excluding the authors of the tied panels).
5. For the purpose of this competition, a printed image is defined as measuring no greater than 6 x 4 ins produced from substantially the whole film negative or entire picture area. Prints may be produced by any means, commercially or at home, from film or digital originals.
6. Manipulation of digital images will not be allowed except minor adjustments such as colour balance, contrast and levels.
7. Prints may be smaller versions of prints used in any other competitions, either in the past or in the future, but should not have been entered in any previous 6 by 4 Competition,