E. Our Competitions

  1. General
    1. (36) The term ‘image’ is used throughout to mean Prints or Projected Digital Image (PDI)
    2. (41) Images must be completely the original work of the entrant, of recent origin.
    3. (42) By entering an image in a club competition the member is agreeing to the use of such image on the club website and to making that image available for selection for use in SCPF and interclub competitions; the copyright remains with the member.
    4. (43) An image may only be entered either as a print or a PDI not both.
  2. Prints
    1. (38) Prints may be home or laboratory processed and derived from any process to produce a photographic image on paper.
    2. (39)(71) Print entries shall be mounted on card or in window mounts.
    3. (72) The maximum mount dimensions shall be 500mm by 400mm overall.
    4. (74) Note: – 500mm by 400mm is the required size for mounted prints to be submitted for interclub and Southern Counties Photographic Federation competitions/exhibitions. Other smaller sizes are acceptable for Club competition but will not be eligible for selection for external competition unless re-mounted as above.
    5. (73) The title and entrants name shall be clearly marked on the back. The title must have the same orientation as the image to avoid any confusion as to the orientation of a print when being displayed.
    6. (75)(76) Entry for print competitions is through a sized titled JPEG image following the same procedure as for PDI entry below. These images are held on the Competition Database and will be used to support the Selection Process.
  3. PDI
    1. (40) Projected Digital Images (PDI) may be derived from any photographic based source e.g. file from digital camera, digitised transparency, re-photographed or scanned print etc.
    2. The club digital projector defines the current resolution; this may well change in the future as equipment is upgraded.
    3. (78) Currently image size must fit within a maximum pixel count of 1600 pixels wide by 1200 pixels high. Either the width must be 1600 pixels and/or the height must be 1200 pixels.

      Be careful this means, ‘portrait’ format images can only be 1200 pixels high. In addition if the width is 1600 check the height is less than (or equal to) 1200 pixels.

      Images must be in JPG format, and the maximum image file size you may upload is 5.0 Mb.
  4. Competition Entry and Judging
    1. (44)(77) Entry for both Print and PDI competitions is by uploading a sized and titled JPEG image of your entry to the club’s competition web site ‘comps.horndeancameraclub.org.uk’.
    2. (47)Images should be uploaded by no later than one week ahead of the competition date.


      Acceptance of late entries is solely at the discretion of the Competition Secretary and such arrangements must be made on a case-by-case basis.
    3. (46) Access details for the club’s competition web site will be emailed to new members at the start of their membership.
    4. (45) Physical prints for Print competitions must be handed in to the Competition Secretary no later than one week ahead of the competition.
    5. (48) Judging of competitions will be, wherever possible, by an independent judge. Marking will be a maximum of 10 points with half points permissible. Certificates of Merit are awarded solely at the discretion of the Judge.
    6. (49) Anonymity of entrant will be maintained; only the Competition Secretary, print presenter and/or projectionist are permitted to handle images before judging takes place.
    7. (50) The title only will be announced as images are presented to the Judge.
  5. League Competitions
    1. (51) There are separate League competitions for League 1 and League 2 and these are also split by Print and PDI giving four league competitions.
      • Prints League 1
      • Print League 2
      • PDI League 1
      • PDI League 2
    2. (52) Members, on commencing to enter competitions, will automatically be classed as League 2; should a new member be an experienced photographer they will be invited to submit a representative sample of their work (min 6 prints) to the Selection Committee who will determine the appropriate league.
    3. (53) At the end of the year the members with the top three scores in League 2 will move up to League 1. The bottom three in League 1, with the exception of any member who has ever won a League 1 trophy (Print or PDI), will move down.
    4. (54)
      • Entrants are permitted up to two entries for each round of League competitions.
      • Entries may not have been entered in any previous League competitions (except see note below).
      • An image cannot be entered as both a Print and PDI.
      • An image cannot be entered both as Monochrome and Colour either in one category or across Print and PDI.
      Note in Competition 6 your lowest scoring images from the previous five competitions can be resubmitted as one of your two entries with alterations in line with the judges comments.
    5. (55) Each League consists of five ‘Open’ and one ‘Set Subject’ competitions.
    6. (56) The ‘Set Subject’ is the same for both Leagues but can be different for Print and PDI.

      It is chosen by vote at the preceding AGM.

      The winner of the Set Subject (Prints) is awarded the Ron Gilles Cup and PDI the Rowney Cup on the evening of the Competition.
    7. (57) The winner of the respective League is determined by the entrant having the greatest total from their best 7 scores achieved (from a maximum of 12 entries) in that League.
    8. (58) In the event of a tie the winner is determined by successively taking a smaller number of best scores (best of 6, best of 5….) until a winner emerges. Failing this the trophy is awarded jointly.
    9. (59) Trophies are awarded for the winners of:
      • Prints League 1
      • Print League 2
      • PDI League 1
      • PDI League 2
  6. Print/PDI of the year
    1. (60) Separate competitions for Print and PDI will be held with the same form and entry requirements as for the League, both Prints and PDI entries are classless for this competition. (ie League 2 and 1 compete together)
    2. (61) Images must have appeared in a League competition during the current season, non League images cannot be used. Alteration of an Image as the result of judges’ comments in a previous submission is permitted.
    3. (62) There will be five categories, judged separately:
      • Flora and Fauna
      • Portrait
      • Landscape
      • Open
      • Creative
    4. (63)A member may enter up to a total of six images from this years League to be divided among the categories at their discretion. ( i.e. six images may be entered in a single category or one in each or any combination between).
    5. (64) A panel of three judges awarding marks out of five will carry out judging of each category in turn. The entry will be awarded the total marks from the three judges.
    6. (65) For each category the highest mark will be the winner, in the event of a tie the judges will choose the winner at their discretion. That entry will be awarded the trophy for that category.
    7. (66) On the completion of the judging of the five categories the judges will select an overall winner from the five category winners to be awarded the Print/PDI of the year trophy. (Note: Set Subject is not included)
    8. (67) Trophies to be awarded are:
      • Prints
        • Flora & Fauna (Reg Watson Cup)
        • Portrait (Haswell Trophy)
        • Landscape (Clements Cup)
        • Open (Steadman Trophy)
        • Creative (Cathy Weston Goblet)
        • Print of the Year(Gales Cup)
      • PDI
        • Flora & Fauna (Barn Owl trophy)
        • Portrait (Portrait Cup PDI)
        • Landscape(PDI Landscape Cup)
        • Open (John Urry Cup)
        • Creative (Tom Weston Goblet)
        • Digital Image of the Year(Dentten Cup)
  7. Non League Competitions
    1. Other Competitions may be run at the discretion of the Programme Secretary – these will not count towards the league and entries may not be entered into the print/PDI of the year.

      However, images entered in these competition may also be entered into league competitions in any format corresponding to the league rules.
    2. Chairperson’s Challenge
      (68) One competition is held each season the subject for which is determined by the Chairperson. The form of the competition and number of entries permitted is also at the Chairperson’s discretion. The winning entry is awarded the Colab Trophy.
    3. Safari
      (69) A local photographic safari outing is run at the end of the season, the form and rules for which are decided by the Safari Organiser. A trophy Elephant is awarded to the winning entry during the following season.
    4. Chairperson’s Award
      (70) A cup is awarded at the Chairperson’s discretion to a member in recognition of their contribution to the Club.

(return)