Competition Rules

SOUTHEND PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
COMPETITION RULES AND REGULATIONS
1998 (Revised October 2016)
GENERAL
1. There will be five Print and five Digital Image Competitions per season, and an Annual Exhibition. (i) A maximum entry of THREE Prints / Digital Images per competition per member. (ii) Marks out of TEN will be awarded to each Print / Digital Image and totalled over the five Print / Digital Image competitions, to determine the winner. (iii) See separate list for Annual Exhibition categories and rules.
2. There are two classes of entrant – Preliminary and Advanced.
(i) Preliminary Class is restricted to existing Preliminary Class members, and new members not having acquired advanced status in a previous Photographic Society or Club
(ii) There is now one class for Print Competitions (see below for details)
(iii) Promotion to the Advanced class from the Preliminary Classes of Digital Images will be by either:- (A) Acquiring the most points in the Monthly Competitions, Digital Images. (B) Gaining a Photographic Distinction (i.e. RPS, PAGB, FIAP etc).
3. All Prints and Digital Images, and elements within, must originate from a photographic image(s) taken by the entrant to which they have the copyright.
4. The committee reserve the right to reject any Print or Digital Image they consider not within the spirit of the competition rules.
5. Prints / Digital Images may be monochrome or coloured.
6. There is no classification of subject matter.
7. Any one image, that has been entered into any Print, Digital Image or Annual Competition, cannot be re-entered in any subsequent monthly competition in the opposing format, for example a colour image cannot be re-entered as a monochrome image or vice versa in the same season. Should the image subsequently be re-entered in another season’s competition, it must have undergone significant manipulation, so as to make the change discernible from the original image and MUST have a different title.
PRINTS
8. Entries may be home or trade processed. (Darkroom or Digital)
9. Prints should be mounted on card that can be any shape or colour, provided it is no larger than 40 x 50 cm and no smaller than 30 x 40 cm. The minimum image size, including border, should have a longest edge of no less than 290 mm.
10. Each print must have the entrant’s full name, an identifying title and class of entry printed on the back of the print mount, in the top left corner.
11. Entry will be by purchase of the appropriately marked competition entry form, together with three labels on which you should enter the Judge’s name and date of the competition, then apply it to the top right-hand corner of your backing board. All entries must be submitted by 7.45 pm on the night of the competition.
DIGITAL IMAGES
12. Digital images can be landscape, portrait or square format. If in landscape, it can be no wider than 1400 pixels, in portrait no higher than 1050 pixels, square no larger than 1050 x 1050 pixels. All images must be presented as a JPEG and have sRGB colour space selected in properties. (For more in-depth instructions, see “Preparation of Digital Images for Projection” on the website under General Competition Rules.)
13. All Digital Images must be entered, with the appropriately completed, purchased competition entry form, no later than the last meeting of the Society before the competition meeting. Any exception to this is at the discretion of the Competition Secretary and the Chairman. Leniency on this rule must not be expected. On some occasions, circumstances may require entries to be received before the normal closing date; in this case, members will be notified at least two weeks in advance of the revised closing date.
14. The committee’s decision on ALL matters pertaining to the rules is FINAL.

PRINTS

CLASSES     for Annual Exhibition (revised 2020)
OPEN                                             
  • 1. Landscape/Seascape
  • 2. Portrait or Figure (Humans only)
  • 3. Any Other Subject
  • 4. Essex/Southend (Named Location)
  • 5. Flora & Fauna (No Domestic Pets)
  • 6. Architecture /architectural features
  • Presidents Panel
  • Black and White (John Whitby Sheild)
AWARDS
BURROWS CUP }   Best Print – Landscape/Seascape Category
TONY PATMAN CUP}    Best Print – Portrait or Figure Category
CRUMPLEN TROPHY }    Best Print – Any Other Subject Category
SOUTHEND CUP}     Best Print of an Essex/Southend Scene typical of the area.
WILDLIFE CUP }       Best Print – Flora & Fauna
PRESIDENTS PANEL   Best Panel of FOUR prints on a common theme, presented in the same style mounted on one 20” x 16” (50 cm x 40 cm) board.
JOHN WHITBY SHIELD}       Best Black & White Print in the Exhibition
CHALLENGE CUP}             Best Print in the Exhibition.  [MAJOR AWARD]
PRINTERS TROPHY } Highest Total of points in the Advanced Class Prints for Monthly Competitions.

NOTES
Only prints on 50 x 40 cm mounts will be displayed in the Annual Exhibition.

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE IN BY THE STATED DATE OR THEY WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

DIGITAL IMAGES

A maximum of 15 images per entry is permitted (all your monthly competition entries) submitted, on a memory stick(Preferable) or CD, containing the entries in five folders, one for each category. An Entry Form must accompany the entry.
CLASSES  
Preliminary or Advanced                                             
  1.  Landscape/Seascape.
  2. Portrait & Figure  (Humans only)
  3.  Any Other Subject.
    Open Category
  4. Essex/Southend  (Named Location) 
  5. Flora & Fauna (No Domestic Pets)
  6. Architecture /architectural features
AWARDS
LANDSCAPE CUP (Advanced)   }     Best Digital Image – Landscape/Seascape Category.
TRADE CUP (Preliminary)  
FLORENCE BELL SHIELD (Advanced) }   Best Digital Image  –  Portrait & Figure Category.
DUNKIRK TROPHY (Preliminary)  }
PRIORY SHIELD  (Advanced)   }             Best Digital Image – Any Other Subject
MIKE SINGER TROPHY (Preliminary) }
OPEN AWARDS
ESSEX CUP                Best Digital Image – Essex & Southend.
WILDLIFE CUP           Best Digital Image – Flora & Fauna.
MARJORIE SMITH ROSEBOWL      Best Preliminary Digital Image.
TIM MEARS CUP         Best Digital Image in the Exhibition  (MAJOR AWARD)
DIGITAL IMAGE TROPHY (Advanced)  Highest total of points in the ADVANCED Class for Monthly Competitions.
DIGITAL IMAGE TROPHY (Preliminary)    Highest Total of points in the PRELIMINARY Class Monthly Competitions. (Automatic promotion to the advanced class)
POINTS AWARDED IN ANNUAL EXHIBITION
 Major Awards receive an additional 10 points.
1st in Category Receives 10 points
2nd in category Receives   9 points
3rd in category Receives   8 points
Highly Commended Receives 5 points
RULES FOR THE ANNUAL EXHIBITION
  1. Rules of entry are as per the Monthly Competitions. Each print or Digital Image may only be entered in ONE category. Plus B/W if applicable. See also General Rules
  2. Any Print or Digital Image Cannot be re-entered into any other competition in the opposing format. That is a colour Image cannot be re-entered as monochrome and vice versa.
  3. Prints and Digital images entered in previous Monthly Competitions are eligible, but must not have been entered in any previous Annual Exhibition of this Society.
  4. Prints and Digital Images which have not been entered in a monthly competition may be included in the annual exhibition and subsequently used in a monthly competition.
  5. All trophies except for Beginner of the year and Photographer of the year must be returned to the Competitions Secretary, in a clean and sound condition, one week before the following years Annual Exhibition entry date.