Competitions, Rules, and Trophies

There are many competitions throughout the year, both within the club and between clubs. Many have Cups and other trophies associated with them. You can submit your work to compete for many, indeed all, of these trophies. Here's what you can try for!

The Official Competition Rules for all competitions, are available for download. The rules listed against each of the Trophies and Competitions, shown below, attempt to apply these Official Rules to each Competition to make each Competition easier to understand and enter. If you find confusion or contradiction between these sets of rules, note that this downloadable PDF of Official Rules supersedes all other rules.

In addition there are rules and help in preparing for The Master Trophy.

Competition Results

The Competition Results are available as downloadable PDF files. They are included as they become available through the year.

Previous year's results are held in the archive of annual material.

• Digital Projection Standard, Intermediate and Advanced Classes results for 2018-2019.
  
  
• Prints Standard, Intermediate, Advanced Classes results for 2018-2019.
  
  
• David Eaves Trophy Nature Competition results for 20th February 2019.
  
  

And last season's current Trophy holders...

• Mees Trophy Digital Competition of the Year for 27th June 2018.
  
  

Your Eligibility

• Your Club membership subscription must be up to date for you to be eligible to enter any of the club's competitions, and to receive any trophy you should win. Don't forget: subscriptions are due on the 1st of April each year.
  
  
• Please Note: The Judge's marking is final. The club reserves the right to modify the rules at any time as it deems appropriate.
  
  

Submitting Your Images For Digital Competitions

The club is using an online PhotoEntry system for the submission of images into its DPI competitions during the 2017-18 season. You will need to create your own account and log on to PhotoEntry.

One of the benefits of PhotoEntry is that it allows a record of all club competition entries to be kept in one place. To this end, we are enabling the option to upload digital copies of prints. This is for personal reference only and the images will not be used in competitions. That means marks will not be recorded, but it is possible to use the Entry Reference field for the purpose instead. As with DPI entries, only the originator will be able to view any work which is uploaded.

If you have any questions or comments about this e-mail or any aspect of PhotoEntry, either speak to Mike Farley at a club meeting or send me an e-mail him at mgcfphoto@gmail.com.

For guidance, here is a document detailing how to upload your digital images.

• Each image submitted should be rendered in the highest quality JPEG format
  
  
• Images must be in sRGB working space
  
  
• The maximum resolution in landscape format is 1,400 x 1,050 pixels (WxH). Portrait format should have a height dimension of not more than 1,050 pixels
  
  
• DPI entries may be submitted via DVD/CD or memory stick on the club night immediately prior to the competition round
  
  
• DPI entries via email must be submitted no later than midnight on the Saturday prior to the competition round
  
  
• Each entry should contain no more than 3 images in a folder whose title is the entrant’s name and class (e.g. John Smith_Standard Class)
  
  
• All entries sent via email should be sent as compressed (zipped) files.
  
  
• For each image the file name should be the title of the image, led by a two-digit number to indicate the requested order of preference (e.g. 01 Rusty Nail.jpg).
  
  

Submitting Your Images For Print Competitions

All competitions are scheduled to start at 8pm. Print entries should therefore be handed in no later than 7.45 pm. The Competition Secretary (or representative thereof) has the right to refuse entries received later than 8pm.

• All prints must be clearly titled and show the member’s name and competition class.
  
  
• Prints must be mounted on card and unframed.
  
  
• Prints intended for our exhibition and for consideration for external competitions e.g. SLF and SPA - must be mounted on card measuring 40cms x 50cms). The actual images themselves can be of any size.
  
  

• Intermediate and Advanced classes: An image may not be shown in both the print and DPI competitions nor entered again in the same season. An image which is not awarded a certificate may be used in a future season in any category. Any image not complying with these conditions shall be disqualified.
  
  
• Standard class: A Standard Class image that has not received a certificate shown in one category (print or DPI) may be resubmitted after round three in the same category, provided modifications have been made.
  
  

The Club Uses Your Entries for Other Purposes

Member's competition images may be used for the following:

• To represent the club in external competitions.
  
  
• For reproduction on the club website, club Bulletin and on club promotional material.
  
  
• Copyright will remain with the photographer.
  
  
• If you DO NOT wish for your images to be used for these purposes, please inform the Competition Secretary, Bulletin Editor or a member of the Council.

Competition Categories

All categories are run as open competitions.

To be able to compete in any of our internal competitions, Monthly and Open, you must be a fully paid up ‘Full’ member of the club. There are three classifications of entry

Each member shall compete in the same class for prints and DPIs.

• Advanced Class – The required standard shall be that likely to consistently achieve acceptance at Open Exhibition level. Fellows (FRPS) or Associate (ARPS) members of the Royal Photographic Society and senior awards of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain members, shall automatically qualify for entry.
  
  
• Intermediate Class - For members who have won either the print or digital image Standard class competitions or who have a standard the Council consider to be higher than that of a beginner to photographic competitions. Licentiateship (LRPS) members of the Royal Photographic Society or Credit of the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (CPAGB) shall automatically qualify for entry.
  
  
• Standard Class - For all other members. Includes work submitted by new and current members who are learning the photographic skills to compete at the higher levels of classification.

Those Standard class members who either win or are runners-up at the end of each season in the PRINT and DIGITAL categories, will be invited to join the Advanced Class for future competitions. Reclassification of classes will be considered by a panel of not less than two experienced exhibiting photographers, under the chairmanship of the Chairman or Vice Chairman.

Submission of a panel of 10 images for classification should be given to the Competition Secretary on the first Wednesday that the Club returns in September, following the summer break. Members who wish to apply, should contact either the Competition Secretary or the Chairman.

Competition Scoring

All competitions will now be scored out of 10 points instead of 12. Certificates will be awarded for 10, 9.5 and 9 points.

Definitions For Special Competition Categories

Monochrome means traditional "Black and White", as well as meaning a single colour, such as Sepia. If there is even a slight hint of an additional colour, the image is not regarded as being monochrome. eg: a "Black and White" image with a single traffic light displaying green. This rule is strictly enforced.

The Bamber Trophy is for prints only.

Both the RPS and SPA rules define Nature photography as depicting observations from all branches of natural history. This can include any natural phenomena including geology, oceanography etc. but the inclusion of human or man-made objects is discouraged. The image should convey the essential truth of what the photographer saw at the time it was taken. No radical changes or additions should be made to the original image, whether through darkroom processing or digital or electronic manipulation, except for the removal of minor blemishes or distractions.

All subject matter must be properly identified. Titles should convey the correct common name and/or the Latin name of the subject. “Twee” titles will not help.

Bearing in mind the above, entrants should also note that during a previous year's competition, judge Peter Brandham advised us that, ideally, he is looking for subjects shown complete, together with their natural surrounding wherever possible.

Among the things he did not want to see were:

• Obvious garden flowers or plants
• Evidence of the subject(s) having been photographed in captivity (eg Owls tethered to posts)
• Out-and-out pictorial work (eg flowers with completely black or bland backgrounds)
• Animal portraits or images showing merely parts of birds, animals, butterflies etc

The Do's and Don'ts of Competition Entry

• Where an image has scored 10 or more, it cannot be resubmitted in the same format (i.e. print or DPI) in either the current or succeeding seasons regardless of the changes made. It can be entered in the alternative format with or without changes in a subsequent season, subject to not having been previously used in that format.
  
  
• Where an image has scored less than 10, it can be resubmitted on one occasion only in a different form during a subsequent season. The difference between the two images must be readily discernible.
  
  
• Where images are of the same scene or location and have been created from separate negatives or digital captures but there are obvious differences, these will be regarded as separate images.
  
  
• Images can be submitted as either colour or monochrome, but not in the same season regardless of format, e.g. a colour print and mono DPI versions of an image would be considered identical for the purposes of the rule. The definition of monochrome is below.

The above apply to the monthly competitions held over six rounds and not the exhibition or one-off contests where there are different criteria.

If you have any questions as to whether an image will be allowed, you have the option to seek a binding decision from one of the Competition Secretary, Chairman or Vice-Chairman. Depending on which individual is consulted, the others will be advised of the outcome. Both the proposed and all previous versions entered into the relevant competition must be presented so that the assessment can be made equitably. It is recommended that sufficient time is allowed before the competition submission deadline as a response cannot be guaranteed at short notice.

Digital manipulation is accepted in the Print and Digital categories provided all elements are created entirely from the photographers own photographs.

If another person helps with the production, e.g. printing, then we trust our members will not allow this third party any creative freedom!

Professionally or trade processed prints are eligible for entry in both classes.

All prints MUST BE CLEARLY TITLED AND SHOW THE MEMBER’S NAME AND COMPETITION CLASS.

Prints must be securely mounted; glass mounts for prints are not accepted.

All prints must be handed in no later than 7.45 pm on the evening of the competition, and digitally projected images one week before the event. Entries may be given to the Competition Secretary earlier if necessary. Additional instructions will be given for the preparation of digital files in the digitally projected contests.

Members do not have to enter for the purpose of competing for the trophies. It is acceptable to enter a few prints or digital images occasionally, for the purpose of obtaining a critique or advice. Please note that images entered may not be used for any competition until the following years programme.

In the event of any ambiguity in the Rules, or any dispute, the decision of the Chairman of the evening will be final.

Your Club membership subscription must be up to date for you to be eligible to enter competitions and to receive any trophy that you should win. Don't forget: subscriptions are due on the 1st of April each year.

Monthly Trophy Competitions

The Official Competition Rules for all competitions superceeds this information in the event of a conflict.

• The Digital Projection Competition. The Standard Class competition is for the "Most Trophy". The Advanced Class competition is for the "Croydon Trophy".
  
  
• The Print Competition for Standard and Advanced Classes. The Standard Class competition is for the "Pickford Trophy". The Advanced Class competition is for the "President's Trophy".
  
  

Annual Trophy Competitions

The Official Competition Rules for all competitions superceeds this information in the event of a conflict.

• The Annual Digital Projected Image Of The Year Competition for combined Standard and Advanced Classes. The competition is for "The Mees Trophy".
  
  
• The Annual Print Of The Year Competition. Competition is for the "Duthoit Trophy".
  
  
• The Annual "Set Theme" Competition for a combination of digital projected images and prints. Competition is for the "Master Trophy". The Master Trophy is a Panel Competition. Members can enter three DPI’s or three Prints (but not a mixture of both) as a themed or un-themed panel. Scoring will be on an aggregate basis with points being awarded for each image and the panel as a whole. A trophy will be given for each discipline.
  
  
• The Annual Nature Competition for digital projected images and prints. Competition is for the "David Eaves Trophy".
  
  

The Annual Exhibition

At the Annual Exhibition there are many awards. You must present a panel of prints to be eligible. Every club member is eligible to present a panel. The awards are:

• The "Dorrett Cup" for Best Print Panel.
  
  
• The "Cundell Trophy" for Best Print.
  
  
• The Best Print runner-up Trophy.
  
  
• The "Eileen Wadley Trophy" for the best Standard Class digital image or print.
  
  
• Rules for entering the Digital Projection Annual Exhibition.
  
  

Inter-Club and Regional Competitions

These are organised by regional photographic organisations and groups of clubs. The rules may vary from year to year. Check first before submitting your work. All work is submitted through Croydon Camera Club on behalf of its members, and a printed set of rules should be available each time.

• Federation of South London Competitions
  
  
• Jack's Jug
  
  
• Vic Smith Trophy
  
  
• Surrey Photographic Association Competitions