Home Page Sandbach Photographic Society Facebook Page

Competitions

All fully paid-up members of the Society are eligible to enter the Society competitions.

The entries are judged by an external judge who awards points. The points for each entrant are totalled for the year and awards presented for the highest scoring entrant at the Annual Awards in April.

All entries must be given to the Competition Secretary at the meeting previous to the Competition date unless agreed otherwise.

Print entries must be marked on the back of the print with the entrant’s Competition Number (obtainable from the Competition Secretary) and the title.

Suitable labels are Avery L7160 (3x7 labels; 21 per sheet) or equivalent.

A template pdf is available here

Projected digital images must be e-mailed to the Competition Secretary or entered on a memory stick or card.

Rules

These rules may be downloaded as a pdf file from here.
(Right-click or Option-click and select ‘Save As’ to download the file)

1. During each season of the Society, there will be a number of league competitions, typically 4, when members' work will be judged and awarded a mark out of 20.

2. Entry into competitions is restricted to fully paid-up members of the Society. A Competition Number is given to each member by the Competition Secretary.

3. The entrant must have taken the images submitted.

4. The league competitions are divided into two main classes:
Projected Digital Images (PDI) and Prints.

5. Non-league Theme and other competitions as decided by the Committee may also be held during the year. These will not contribute to the league scores. Entries into these competitions must be new work which has not been entered into any previous SPS competitions, but it will be eligible for entry into subsequent league competitions.

6. At the end of the SPS season a non-league Print/PDI of the Year competition (alternating) will be held, where images from the previous two year’s league competitions for that class will be eligible for entry.

7. Monochrome prints entered in the print league competition will also be eligible for entry into a separate monochrome print league competition held in parallel to the normal competition.

8. To allow subsequent entry of monochrome prints into the Five Towns Competition, monochrome prints should comply with the current rules of the Five Town Competition (available from the Competition Secretary).

9. Prints and PDI previously accepted for a league competition or near duplicates shall be ineligible in subsequent league competitions in the same class. Entries produced by more selective enlargement, alternative trim or masking or pictures taken from a similar viewpoint will be deemed to be near duplicates.
In the non-league Print/PDI of the year, competition changes to the image and/or the title will be allowed, permitting the author to reflect on judge’s suggestions or re-assessment of the image. However, the image must be based on an entry in the same class during the previous two year’s league competitions.

10. The maximum entry in each league competition is three pictures per member per class (i.e. three DPI and/or three prints). All entries shall be handed to the competition secretary by the required date, which is normally one clear week before the competition night.
If entries reach a level where it is impractical to view/judge them in an evening, then at the Competition Secretary’s discretion the maximum may be reduced to 2.

11. Presentation of Entries

a) Prints must be mounted on card and identified with the title and the entrant’s competition number on the back. The maximum mount and print size is 50cm x 40cm. The minimum mount size is 30cm x 25cm. The print must be at least 25cm on its longest side. No tape of any description is allowed on the back of the mount.

b) PDI images submitted must be “.jpg” or “.jpeg” files, exactly 1400 pixels wide and 1050 pixels high (landscape format). They must be sRGB colour space.
If the actual image occupies less than 1400 x 1050 pixels then the unused area must be filled with a colour, texture or border of choice; however, experience has shown that black is often the preferred choice.
The file name must contain the title of the image followed by the entrant’s competition number e.g. “ Formby Beach;58.jpg” (An underscore _ is acceptable instead of the semicolon.)
Because external competitions may require PDI at a higher resolution the author may be requested by the Competition Secretary to supply images at a different resolution.

c) Slides must be mounted between glass and in suitable mounts (such as Gepe), spotted titled and identified by the entrant’s competition number and the title. The spot must be in the bottom left hand comer when the slide is viewed normally in the hand. Marking with an indelible coloured pen is preferred. Improperly mounted slides or slides which are considered liable to jam or damage the projector will be withheld from the competition. Only 2" x 2" slide mounts are acceptable.

d) Prints for entry in the Society's competitions may be home or trade processed and taken with digital or traditional photographic techniques.
PDI’s may be originated from digital or film.
Slides may be home or trade processed but must have been taken in a film camera and not created from digital images.

e) Entries in “Panel of En-prints” competitions should consist of five 15cm x 10cm prints mounted on a 50cm x 40cm card.

12. The Committee reserves the right to reject any image they consider unsuitable for display in the club competitions.

13. League Competition Awards
For each class, for each entrant in the league competitions, their highest mark from each of the competitions will be totalled.

a) Prints: The Newfield International Award

The competitor with the highest total marks in the prints class is the winner for the year and will be awarded the trophy. Runners-up will receive certificates. In the event of a tie, the total for all the second best entries of each tied entrant will be added to their total to resolve the winner. The tie will stand if this procedure fails to produce a clear winner.

b) Projected Digital Images: The Founders Award

The winner will be decided using the same process as used for the prints.

Awards for the above will only be made to members who have entered at least three league competitions.

The following may be awarded each year:

c) The Eddie Dickinson Award to the worker with the highest total marks in any class. Again, in the event of a tie, the best second entry will be added etc., as described above.

d) The Charles Moore Award for the best print or projected digital image that has been submitted in league competitions during the last two years. A competition to select the best print or PDI will take place after completion of the league competitions. The award is presented for PDI/Print on alternate years.

e) The Peter Frost Award to the worker with the highest total marks in prints and PDI.

f) The Monochrome Print Award to the winner of the monochrome competition.

g) The John Minshull Progress Award will be given at the discretion of the Committee to the member who, in their opinion, has made the best improvement in photographs entered in the club competitions in the year.

h) Award Cards for winners of non-league competitions.

Inter-Club Competition and Exhibitions
Pictures entered in the Society competitions will also be eligible for entry into Exhibitions organised by the Society or inter-club competitions.

April 2014

Sandbach Crosses by Martin Smith
Sandbach Crosses by Martin Smith