We hold six competitions through the season.
The pattern for the 2022-2023 season is:-
Autumn/Winter 2022
Open Hand in:23rd September
Man Made. Hand in: 21st October
President’s Theme – Juxtaposition Hand in:18th November
Spring 2023.
Contre Jour Hand in:13th January
Illustrative Hand In: 10th February
Landscape Hand in: 10th March
Click on one of the above to find out more details.
There is also an Audio Visual Competition on the last club meeting in December.
The society has six categories of competitions – Illustrative, Man-Made, Landscape, Nature, People, Pictorial. Each year, three of these categories are offered. The other three offered each year are Open, a President’s Choice of topic and a further title chosen by the committee.
This range of competitions has not been arrived at by accident nor by tradition alone. The object of this range of titles is to give a wide set of opportunities to all levels of photographic ability, giving members more than one opportunity to follow their own interest as well as to give them challenges. For instance, if a member is primarily a Landscape photographer, then Landscape images may be entered in the Open, Landscape and Pictorial Competitions. If a member has a speciality in Sports photography, then these images may be entered in Illustrative, Open and People competitions. If a member likes taking pictures of dogs, these may be entered in Open and Illustrative Competitions and even in the Pictorial competition if it is a well composed and aesthetically pleasing image. At the same time, members are encouraged to move out of their comfort zone and try different subjects and different techniques in different competitions. Each theme is devised to allow diversity and inclusivity. Each competition has the potential to produce a wide range of differing images, thus making for an entertaining and diverse selection of images. In addition, over the year, every aspect of photography, every genre is covered, so that no member’s enthusiasm or area of expertise is omitted.
In all competitions, prints are to be mounted. These mounts must not be greater than 40 by 50 cm.
Guidance on how to prepare prints and digital images can be found here.
Trophies are given in the Prints and Projected Images Competition for the most successful entrants overall.
HOW OFTEN CAN I USE THE SAME IMAGE?
An image can be used in three different formats – as a Colour Print, as a Mono Print and as a Projected Image. With each format an image can be used once in a monthly competition and once in the Annual Competition. Once used in the Annual, an image may not be used again in that format.
Apart from use in the Wednesday Night Group, a single image, could, in its various formats, be entered on six separate occasions. However, don’t be surprised when members groan when they see the image yet again!