Photo of the Month Competition and Advancement Guidelines
Photography Club of Sun City Hilton Head
Submitted by: Competition Committee-Kate Crowley, Chairperson
Effective January 2010
A. Participation
1. You must be a paid member of the Photography Club to participate in any competitions.
2. You must be present at the competition to enter your photo.
B. Photo Rules
1. You may submit only one (1) photo per competition.
2. Photo must have been taken within the last two (2) years.
3. Photos that have previously won a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or Honorable Mention in the monthly or interclub competitions may not be entered again.
4. All Photos must have a hard backing such as dry mounting, foam core (no thicker than ¼”,) or cardboard in order for the Committee to be able to handle and display the photo without it bending.
5. Mats are not required, but if a mat is used, it must be either black or white.
6. Photos may be color, black and white, or sepia each month unless the called for theme is specified to be color related or black and white/sepia specific.
7. Finished Product- The photo may be any size or shape you like, but the final product, with or without a mat, must have the outside dimensions of either 11x14 or 16x20.
C. Acceptable Images
1. Non-manipulated images are defined for our purposes as ones that are produced using digital techniques such as “Photoshop Elements” or “Equivalents” to enhance color, contrast, brightness, sharpening; or, retouching, or using the “clone” tool to eliminate red eye or distractions like glare, name tags, wires, branches, leaves, etc. In these instances information is being eliminated or enhanced. Non-manipulated photos are acceptable in all levels of participation.
2. Manipulated images are defined for our purposes as images that are created by adding information such as inserting people, places or things using “layers” or “cut and paste.” Manipulated photos are acceptable only in the Advanced and Expert Levels.
D. Photo Identification. All photos must be labeled on the back with the following information:
1. Photographer’s name
2. Title of photograph
3. Level of photographer (i.e. Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, or Expert)
4. Place an arrow on the back indicating the top of the photo.
The Sun City Photography club web site (http://www.pcschh.org) has a label template that can be used to identify your photo submission. Just print it off and fill it in.
NOTE: If the Competition Committee deems that the specifications in A., B., C., or D. above are not met or that the photo is not in the “theme” category, the photo will not be allowed into the competition.
E. Levels of Competition and Criteria for Advancement
Recommendation for New Club Members
Many new members of the Club may not know what level to enter their photos into for competitions. The Committee recommends that a new member should first observe one competition to compare his/her work to that of the other participants in order to best judge his/her level. Once a new member has started in a certain level, he/she must stay in that level until he/she has met the advancement criteria. New members may not enter Advanced or Expert Levels without approval from the Competition Committee. If there are any questions as to your appropriate level, please consult the Competition Committee.
Award Definition
A “WIN” is considered being awarded a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. We will award one (1) Honorable Mention per Level, but it will not be counted towards advancement. Note: Only “WINS” (as defined above) that were awarded from January 2008 forward will be counted towards advancement from one level to the next.
1. Novice Level and Advancement to Intermediate
a. You must enter your photo in the Novice Level of competition if you have Zero to two (2) wins in our Novice Level; or, if you are a new member and feel your expertise and skill level require you to be in this Level of competition.
b. Advancement from Novice Level to Intermediate Level-After your third “WIN,” you must advance to the Intermediate Level. Your “WIN” may be in any combination of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd places in either the monthly or interclub competition.
2. Intermediate Level and Advancement to Advanced
a. You must enter your photo in the Intermediate Level of competition if you have been advanced from the Novice Level and have Zero to two (2) “WINS” in the Intermediate Level; or, if you are a new member and feel your expertise and skill require you to be in this level of competition.
b. Advancement from Intermediate Level to Advanced Level-After your third “WIN,” you must advance to the Advanced Level. However, one of your “WINS” must be a 1st place and the other two “WINS” can be in any combination of 1st, 2nd, or 3rd places. All of these “WINS” may be in either the monthly or interclub competition. As a rule, a new member may not enter directly into the Advanced Level.
3. Advanced Level and Advancement to Expert
a. You must enter your photo in the Advanced Level of competition if you have been advanced from the Intermediate Level and have not completed the requirements for advancement to the Expert Level.
b. Advancement from Advanced level to Expert Level-To advance to the Expert Level, you must “WIN” two (2) 1st place ribbons plus two (2) other ribbons in any combination of 1st, 2nd or 3rd. One of these four (4) ribbons must be won in an interclub competition and the others may be won in either the monthly or the interclub competition. As a rule, a new member may not enter directly into the Expert Level.
4. Expert Level
You must enter your photo in the Expert Level once you have met the requirements for advancement from the Advanced Level. As a rule, a new member may not enter directly into the Expert Level.
Note: In order to establish the Expert Level for 2009, the Committee moved several Advanced Level photographers into the Expert Level. Each of these photographers has had at least six (6) WINS (in accordance with the previous Competition Guidelines) with an average of at least two (2) per year since entering into the Advanced Level.
F. Committee
1. The Competition Committee will organize photos at the meetings, assist the Judge in labeling the winning photos, and facilitate the viewing of the photos. They will also be responsible for framing and/or displaying the winning photos in the appropriate places.
2. The Chairman of the Competition Committee will be responsible for tracking the “WINS” and notifying the Member by e-mail when he/she is to advance to a new level of competition participation.
G. Judging
1. Each meeting where we have Competitions, we usually have a guest speaker who is versed in photography and that person will be the Judge for that night. Each photo will be shown to the audience, but only the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mentions will be critiqued by the Judge.
Note: For a first place to be awarded, there must be 3 or more entries. For a second place to be awarded, there must be 5 or more entries. For a third place to be awarded, there must be 7 or more entries. Honorable Mention will be awarded only if there is a third place awarded.
H. Awards and Displays
1. Ribbons will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention winners.
2. The first place winners in all levels will have their winning photo framed and hung in Pinckney Hall until the next Competition.
3. All 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention winners will have their winning photo displayed in the window at the Photography Studio until the next Competition.
I. People’s Choice Awards and Best of Year
1. All 1st place photos for the year will be eligible to contend for these awards.
2. Individual 1st place winners on each level will have the option of displaying his/her photo at the December Holiday Party. The Members attending this event will then vote by ballot counts- for the People’s Choice-one per level;
3. Then, there will be one winner chosen for the Best of Year-voted on by the attendees and chosen from all who enter no matter what the level.
4. The People’s Choice winning photos and the Best of Year photo will be displayed in Pinckney Hall until the next Club Competition.