Competitions - Rules, Prints and Digital Images
GENERAL
Throughout its season we run a number of competitions for members that cover projected images, colour and monochrome prints and printed and digital panels. There are also themed competitions.
Experienced judges are invited to choose what they see as work deserving an award. Judges also provide a dispassionate examination of members' work and suggest how they could be improved.
Many competitions are split into two Groups A and B, so members are competing against others with a similar level of skill and experience. Other competitions are ungrouped and open to members of all abilities. New members usually join Group B and can progress to Group A according to the awards gained from competitions throughout the season. However, new members with substantial previous experience may be placed in Group A. Promotion to Group A is agreed by the committee after looking at the season's results and the quality of the pictures. Members can request to be regraded if they feel they have been placed in the wrong group.
We encourage members to enter external competitions in association with the Midland Counties Photographic Federation and open competitions run by other photographic clubs.
Entering our competitions is not mandatory, and many new members like to see the the standard of work before they try for themselves. However, it does offer the opportunity to have technique and style constructively analysed and receive helpful advice. To help members develop their photographic and imaging skills we also run regular workshops throughout the season.
Go to LFPS Competitions - Dates for the dates of submission of entries and the competitions.
The club has a variety of competitions throughout the season. All members of the club are invited to participate but participants have been divided into sections depending on the experience and standard of achievement :
Group A - Accomplished Group Members who submit work of the highest standard in line with PAGB and club rules. Members will have gained 35 points in Group B. They may have entered national and international competitions and submitted work to represent the club for inter club competitions.
Group B - Consolidating Group Members who wish to develop their photographic skills and understanding. The aim is to enter 20 or more images during the course of the season and gain recognition or awards in competition against their peers.
Competitions are scored as follows:
Recognition is given to photographers by the appointed competition judge with certificates for those who, in the judge’s opinion are worthy of such recognition.
At the end of the season trophies will be awarded to the members who have accumulated the most points in colour and monochrome competitions. In addition, there are stand-alone competitions with individual trophies as outlined in the programme.
RULES
To ensure fair competition for all, the club uses definitions agreed by the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain and Midland Counties Photographic Federation. Consequently, all members should be aware of the different rules for differing competitions.
Competitions designated:
Open Images can be of any style using all types of photographic technique including High Dynamic Range, photographic filters to achieve the effect required by the photographer including all aspects of creativity.
Monochrome Any black and white image going from very dark grey (black) to very clear grey (white) and containing only various shades of grey. A black and white work toned entirely in a single colour will remain eligible for the monochrome class. However, a black and white work modified by partial toning or by the addition of one or more colours, becomes a colour work and is thus ineligible for the monochrome class.
Creative This is "Altered Reality". The image must obviously display a change in natural colour, form, shape, or any combination of these three. High Dynamic Range (HDR) images without further changes are not considered "altered reality."
Traditional A traditional photograph must maintain the original image content with minimal adjustments, which should not alter the reality of the scene and should appear natural. Rearranging, replacing, adding to or removing from any part of the image except by cropping is strictly forbidden. After satisfying the above requirements, every effort should be made to use the highest level of artistic skill in all photographs.
Nature (From MCPF 2024)
Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archaeology, in such a fashion that a well- informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation. The story telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality. Human elements shall not be present, except where those human elements are integral parts of the nature story such as nature subjects, like barn owls or storks, adapted to an environment modified by humans, or where those human elements are in situations depicting natural forces, like hurricanes or tidal waves. Scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible. Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible.
Nature Pictures which have been modified but preserve the truth of the statement may be entered. Any images that show an obvious alteration cannot be entered into the nature section but can be entered into the Open sections.
Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.
Portrait A portrait is defined as any image which has the intent of displaying a likeness, personality, mood, emotions or lifestyle of a person or small group of people, in such a way that the person or people may be readily identified from the image. The focus of the image should be on the subject's face, although the whole form may be included, the face and facial expression should be the most important parts of the image. Both studio and environmental portraits, formal or informal, are acceptable; with the image being presented in either ‘Landscape’ or ‘Portrait’ format. The person or people must be the main subject matter within the image. The subject must be human - for the purposes of the LFPS portrait competition animal portraits will not be accepted.
Scapes Any rural, urban or or coastal landscape including Colour, Monochrome, Infra-Red, HDR and Panoramic images. The image must be from one capture. (HDR from a bracketed set of the same image and Panoramas from a panned set of the same scene are viewed as one capture.) The integrity of the subject must be maintained and the making of major physical changes to the landscape is not permitted. You may not, for example, move trees or import the sky from another image. People and animals may be included in the scene as long as they are ancillary to and/or supportive of the main subject.
Multiple Entries
To avoid the same image appearing in several competitions please observe the following rules. (NOTE: An image that has been entered in a colour competition is considered to be the same image if it is then entered in a monochrome competition, and vice versa.)
Statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Photography
In line with guidance from the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB):
On behalf of members of the society, the committee value the honesty and integrity of the competitors who comply with this guidance.
MOUNTED PRINT COMPETITIONS and LABELS
We hold several compettions for mounted prints, which are prints mounted in cardboard mounts. Standard competition and exhibition cardboard mounts are 500 x 400 mm (approximately 20 x 16 inches). This can be used to mount a picture printed on A3 (594 x 420 mm). To assist new members to make up mounted prints we hold a Members' Support Evening, typically the first Monday of October, in which we demonstrate how to mount a print.
When you enter prints for club competitions please attach one of the labels below to the back of each mount. Indicate your group, the date of the competition and the orientation of the image - it’s not always obvious with some pictures!
These labels are designed to print on Avery L7163 labels or similar - 14 labels to an A4 page.
Competition Labels 2024 to 2025
Priority
Occasionally there are too many entries to competitions to judge in one evening. Please state a Priority number for each of your entries - ‘1’ for the strongest, ‘2’ for the next, and ‘3’ for the weakest. If there is large number of entries, those with the Priority ‘3’ will be withheld. If you only enter two prints please still state a Priority number for each entry. If you fail to enter a Priority number the Print Secretaries will, if necessary, select a print to withhold at their own discretion.
Submit Matching Digital Images
Please also submit a matching digital image for each print (as described below). There are two reasons for this.
(a) This will give us digital copies of all the images submitted to print competitions, which will make it much easier to select prints for MCPF, PAGB and other external competitions.
(b) It will make it easier to compile and put on our website the award winning images from the competitions.
PROJECTED DIDGITAL IMAGE (PDI) COMPETITIONS
Sizing Images
The maximum size for digital images for Projected Digital Image (PDI) competitions is 3840 pixels wide x 2400 pixels high, so please (re)size images as follows:
Save each of your resized images as a JPG file with minimum or no compression (100% quality) and use the sRGB colour profile.
Finally BEFORE you Upload
Please check the name and image size in the operating system (right click and look at properties).
Letterbox A letterbox image must be at least 3 times longer on the long edge than the short edge, it can be presented in either portrait or landscape orientation.
PhotoEntry
We use a hosted service named PhotoEntry to manage our digital images for our competitions. The service provides a website that enables our members to upload the images they wish to enter to our competitions. When a new member joins, he/she will be set up on PhotoEntry and sent a link by email to complete the registration and choose a password. The following link enables you to log in and submit images.
https://compent.photoentry.uk/compent
Please note that PhotoEntry forces you to assign a Priority, 1, 2 or 3, to each submitted image, which is explained above.
Throughout its season we run a number of competitions for members that cover projected images, colour and monochrome prints and printed and digital panels. There are also themed competitions.
Experienced judges are invited to choose what they see as work deserving an award. Judges also provide a dispassionate examination of members' work and suggest how they could be improved.
Many competitions are split into two Groups A and B, so members are competing against others with a similar level of skill and experience. Other competitions are ungrouped and open to members of all abilities. New members usually join Group B and can progress to Group A according to the awards gained from competitions throughout the season. However, new members with substantial previous experience may be placed in Group A. Promotion to Group A is agreed by the committee after looking at the season's results and the quality of the pictures. Members can request to be regraded if they feel they have been placed in the wrong group.
We encourage members to enter external competitions in association with the Midland Counties Photographic Federation and open competitions run by other photographic clubs.
Entering our competitions is not mandatory, and many new members like to see the the standard of work before they try for themselves. However, it does offer the opportunity to have technique and style constructively analysed and receive helpful advice. To help members develop their photographic and imaging skills we also run regular workshops throughout the season.
Go to LFPS Competitions - Dates for the dates of submission of entries and the competitions.
The club has a variety of competitions throughout the season. All members of the club are invited to participate but participants have been divided into sections depending on the experience and standard of achievement :
Group A - Accomplished Group Members who submit work of the highest standard in line with PAGB and club rules. Members will have gained 35 points in Group B. They may have entered national and international competitions and submitted work to represent the club for inter club competitions.
Group B - Consolidating Group Members who wish to develop their photographic skills and understanding. The aim is to enter 20 or more images during the course of the season and gain recognition or awards in competition against their peers.
Competitions are scored as follows:
- First - 6 points;
- Second - 5 points;
- Third - 4 points;
- Highly Commended - 3 points;
- Commended - 2 points.
Recognition is given to photographers by the appointed competition judge with certificates for those who, in the judge’s opinion are worthy of such recognition.
At the end of the season trophies will be awarded to the members who have accumulated the most points in colour and monochrome competitions. In addition, there are stand-alone competitions with individual trophies as outlined in the programme.
RULES
To ensure fair competition for all, the club uses definitions agreed by the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain and Midland Counties Photographic Federation. Consequently, all members should be aware of the different rules for differing competitions.
Competitions designated:
Open Images can be of any style using all types of photographic technique including High Dynamic Range, photographic filters to achieve the effect required by the photographer including all aspects of creativity.
Monochrome Any black and white image going from very dark grey (black) to very clear grey (white) and containing only various shades of grey. A black and white work toned entirely in a single colour will remain eligible for the monochrome class. However, a black and white work modified by partial toning or by the addition of one or more colours, becomes a colour work and is thus ineligible for the monochrome class.
Creative This is "Altered Reality". The image must obviously display a change in natural colour, form, shape, or any combination of these three. High Dynamic Range (HDR) images without further changes are not considered "altered reality."
Traditional A traditional photograph must maintain the original image content with minimal adjustments, which should not alter the reality of the scene and should appear natural. Rearranging, replacing, adding to or removing from any part of the image except by cropping is strictly forbidden. After satisfying the above requirements, every effort should be made to use the highest level of artistic skill in all photographs.
Nature (From MCPF 2024)
Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archaeology, in such a fashion that a well- informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation. The story telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality. Human elements shall not be present, except where those human elements are integral parts of the nature story such as nature subjects, like barn owls or storks, adapted to an environment modified by humans, or where those human elements are in situations depicting natural forces, like hurricanes or tidal waves. Scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible. Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible.
Nature Pictures which have been modified but preserve the truth of the statement may be entered. Any images that show an obvious alteration cannot be entered into the nature section but can be entered into the Open sections.
Street photography, also sometimes called candid photography, is photography conducted for art or enquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within public places.
Portrait A portrait is defined as any image which has the intent of displaying a likeness, personality, mood, emotions or lifestyle of a person or small group of people, in such a way that the person or people may be readily identified from the image. The focus of the image should be on the subject's face, although the whole form may be included, the face and facial expression should be the most important parts of the image. Both studio and environmental portraits, formal or informal, are acceptable; with the image being presented in either ‘Landscape’ or ‘Portrait’ format. The person or people must be the main subject matter within the image. The subject must be human - for the purposes of the LFPS portrait competition animal portraits will not be accepted.
Scapes Any rural, urban or or coastal landscape including Colour, Monochrome, Infra-Red, HDR and Panoramic images. The image must be from one capture. (HDR from a bracketed set of the same image and Panoramas from a panned set of the same scene are viewed as one capture.) The integrity of the subject must be maintained and the making of major physical changes to the landscape is not permitted. You may not, for example, move trees or import the sky from another image. People and animals may be included in the scene as long as they are ancillary to and/or supportive of the main subject.
Multiple Entries
To avoid the same image appearing in several competitions please observe the following rules. (NOTE: An image that has been entered in a colour competition is considered to be the same image if it is then entered in a monochrome competition, and vice versa.)
- An image that has been placed in any single-image competition must not be entered for another single-image competition. “Placed” means it has been awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Highly Commended or Commended.
- An image that has won a placing and not previously been used in a panel of pictures may be used in a panel. A panel must not include more than one placed image.
- Only one image from a placed panel can be entered in a future single-image competition and it must not have been previously placed in such an event. The image cannot be used as part of another panel or entered for any other single-image competition.
Statement on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Photography
In line with guidance from the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB):
- All original images produced for use in photographic competitions must have been made by the entrant using only the photographic process;
- The entrant must own the copyright of ALL elements of the work;
- Images may not incorporate elements by anyone else (e.g. clipart / royalty free images) or be generated using image creation software (AI) using artificially created pixels.
On behalf of members of the society, the committee value the honesty and integrity of the competitors who comply with this guidance.
MOUNTED PRINT COMPETITIONS and LABELS
We hold several compettions for mounted prints, which are prints mounted in cardboard mounts. Standard competition and exhibition cardboard mounts are 500 x 400 mm (approximately 20 x 16 inches). This can be used to mount a picture printed on A3 (594 x 420 mm). To assist new members to make up mounted prints we hold a Members' Support Evening, typically the first Monday of October, in which we demonstrate how to mount a print.
When you enter prints for club competitions please attach one of the labels below to the back of each mount. Indicate your group, the date of the competition and the orientation of the image - it’s not always obvious with some pictures!
These labels are designed to print on Avery L7163 labels or similar - 14 labels to an A4 page.
Competition Labels 2024 to 2025
Priority
Occasionally there are too many entries to competitions to judge in one evening. Please state a Priority number for each of your entries - ‘1’ for the strongest, ‘2’ for the next, and ‘3’ for the weakest. If there is large number of entries, those with the Priority ‘3’ will be withheld. If you only enter two prints please still state a Priority number for each entry. If you fail to enter a Priority number the Print Secretaries will, if necessary, select a print to withhold at their own discretion.
Submit Matching Digital Images
Please also submit a matching digital image for each print (as described below). There are two reasons for this.
(a) This will give us digital copies of all the images submitted to print competitions, which will make it much easier to select prints for MCPF, PAGB and other external competitions.
(b) It will make it easier to compile and put on our website the award winning images from the competitions.
PROJECTED DIDGITAL IMAGE (PDI) COMPETITIONS
Sizing Images
The maximum size for digital images for Projected Digital Image (PDI) competitions is 3840 pixels wide x 2400 pixels high, so please (re)size images as follows:
- SQUARE - Set the size (width x height) to 2400 pixels x 2400 pixels;
- PORTRAIT - Set the height to 2400 (so that the width is less than 2400);
- LANDSCAPE - Set the width to 3840 or less, and the height to 2400 or less;
- Please do NOT fill any unused area, this is not required.
Save each of your resized images as a JPG file with minimum or no compression (100% quality) and use the sRGB colour profile.
Finally BEFORE you Upload
Please check the name and image size in the operating system (right click and look at properties).
Letterbox A letterbox image must be at least 3 times longer on the long edge than the short edge, it can be presented in either portrait or landscape orientation.
PhotoEntry
We use a hosted service named PhotoEntry to manage our digital images for our competitions. The service provides a website that enables our members to upload the images they wish to enter to our competitions. When a new member joins, he/she will be set up on PhotoEntry and sent a link by email to complete the registration and choose a password. The following link enables you to log in and submit images.
https://compent.photoentry.uk/compent
Please note that PhotoEntry forces you to assign a Priority, 1, 2 or 3, to each submitted image, which is explained above.
