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Competition Rules – Effective from 1st January 2023 (updated rules in blue)
- MONTHLY COMPETITION
Categories and Numbers of Entries
1.1 There shall be a photographic competition open to financial members of NEPG each month except December (unless otherwise resolved by the Committee or the Club).
1.2 At each such monthly competition, up to two entries per non-novice member will be accepted with a maximum of one entry in any of the following categories:
a) Open monochrome prints. The definition of monochrome, for the purposes of a monthly competition, is: any image containing shades of black, white or a single colour. If toning is
carried out, it must be over the total photograph.
b) Open colour prints. The definition of colour, for the purposes of monthly competition, is any image that would not qualify for monochrome.
c) Subject (see program) prints; can be either colour or mono.
d) Open colour entries.
e) Subject (see program) projected images.
f) Open Mono entries. The definition of monochrome, for the purposes of a monthly competition is: any image containing shades of black, white or a single colour. If toning is
carried out, it must be over the total photograph
1.3. New/novice members may enter up to two projected entries per month in the Novice Projected images. Members qualify as Novices until such time as either: they have
accumulated a total of 24 points in this category, or they have submitted an entry in any of the categories 1.2(a) – 1.2 (e) above. Novice members may not enter the Novice Projected
category and one of the other categories on the same competition night. Upon graduation as described above the Novice member shall be entitled to enter all other competition
categories. The normal rules concerning total number of images submitted on a competition night shall then apply.
Submission of entries
1.4. Projected images must be received by the CD, or its nominee, by 11.59 pm on the second Friday preceding the competition (12 days before the competition day)
1.5. Printed images must be received by the CD no later than 7.15pm on the evening of the competition.
1.6. Projected images are to be submitted to the CD via the NEPG Competition Entry Uploader. This can be found on the NEPG website under Competition – Competition Entries
1.7. Digital copies of winning prints for the website can be submitted to: [email protected] or [email protected].
Presentation of Images
1.8. No part of a print entry, including its mat, or other mount, shall fall outside the perimeter of a rectangle measuring 500mm by 400mm. A print is required to be matted or mounted but shall not be framed.
1.9. No print entry shall show the name of the author on its face.
1.10. The name of each print, its author, and the category in which it is entered shall be printed legibly at the top left-hand corner of the back of the entry.
1.11. The file name of each digital file entered shall be the title of the image (e.g.: “Hot day on the beach.jpg”)
1.12. Each print shall be displayed in the orientation indicated by the markings referred to in rule 1.10, unless the CD decides otherwise.
1.13. Digital files submitted for the Projected images section must be in JPEG file format and recommended to be in the sRGB colour profile.
The recommended maximum file size is 1.5MB.
Images must have been created less than 3 years before the competition date.
Size must not exceed a width of 1920 pixels and a height of 1080 pixels.
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- So, a landscape-size image shall have a width not exceeding 1920px, and a height not exceeding 1080px.
- A portrait-size image shall have a height not exceeding 1080px; and
- A square-size image shall have sides not larger than 1080 x 1080px.
Originality & Content
1.14. Subject to the following rules, each entry shall have been created by the member entering it.
1.15. An entry shall be deemed to have been created by a member if:
a) In the case of an image made by a single exposure, (a single image) the moment at which the image was captured was determined by the member.
b) In the case of an entry comprising separately mounted single images, (such as a diptych) each single image would be acceptable under paragraph (a).
c) In the case of an entry comprising more than 1 single image, which are not separately mounted, each single image would be acceptable under paragraph (a).
1.16. It is not necessary that a print (whether colour or monochrome) has been printed by the member entering it.
1.17. All elements of an image need to be photographic in nature and created by the member. This includes any texture layers used in the creation of an image. Use of stock images, images created by computers (CGI or AI), or textures created by other photographers is not permitted.
1.18. Text is not permitted to be included in an image – unless specifically stated in the subject brief for the category. The only exception to this is illegible text which may be part of a texture layer created by the photographer, or text which naturally exists within a scene that the photographer has photographed (i.e., street signs, advertising, general signage, billboard etc)
Digital, Age, Repetition etc
1.19. Any involvement of a digital process in the origination, manipulation, storage or printing of an entry is irrelevant to its eligibility, providing it complies with terms 1.13 through to 1.17.
1.20. No entry in a monthly competition shall comprise or include a single image which was originated more than 3 years before that competition. A member’s entry shall be rejected if, in the opinion of the CD, it is substantially the same as an image created by that member (in whatever format) more than 3 years before that competition.
1.21. Images accepted in previous monthly competitions, or images considered by the CD to be substantially the same, are ineligible for entry. Colour and monochrome images produced from the same image capture are considered the same image for this rule.
Awards by judge
1.22. Judges will nominate Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in each competition, based on the merit of each entry. If two or more entries meet the judging criteria for an award, the judge shall give each entry the same award. Not all entries will necessarily be given an award. A judge may award no Golds or perhaps several Golds (Silvers/Bronzes) within one judging.
Rules for Member Judging
1.23. Members shall vote for print images before final judging by the external judge. The voting slips record first place for each of the 3 print categories.
The rules are as follows:
a) You may not vote for your own image.
b) Within each print category, enter the number on the voting slip of the image you judge to be the best.
c) Judging is blind, so you must make every effort not to identify the person who submitted the work.
d) Member judging will be carried out at the beginning of competition and judging slips must be returned to the competition director prior to external judging results being announced.
e) Projected images are not part of this judging.
f) A member may enter only one judging slip per night.
- ANNUAL COMPETITION
2.1. There shall be a photographic competition open to financial members of NEPG each December (unless otherwise resolved by the Committee or the Club).
2.2. At each such annual competition, entries will be received (by a date to be determined by the Committee) in the following categories.
a) monochrome prints,
b) colour prints.
c) projected images
d) novice projected images
Note: there will be no subject category at the annual competition.
2.3. Any member may submit up to two entries in each category up to a total of 6, provided each entry was validly entered in a monthly competition under rule 1 in that calendar year. The entry need not have previously won an award.
2.4. Entries in the annual competition shall be the actual entry in the monthly competition earlier that year, and shall not be rematted, copied, reprinted, cropped or otherwise altered. In the case of entries which have been damaged or lost since they were entered in the monthly competition, the CD shall have the discretion to allow a departure from this rule.
2.5. Novices who have graduated within the calendar year are entitled to enter up to 6 entries across all categories A to D as above, with previous entries of Novice being re-entered into the annual Novice Category, and post-Graduation monthly entries being re-entered into Open Categories A to C.
2.6 The judge for the annual competition will choose a winning image for each of the four categories.
- PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR (POTY)
3.1. Each entrant in monthly competition categories A to E shall accrue points according to the following: 10 points for a Gold award, 8 points for a Silver award and 6 points for a Bronze award.
3.2. The Photographer of the Year Title will be awarded to the financial member who accrues the most points under rule 3.1, in the calendar year for which the Title is awarded. In the event of a draw, the winner shall be the one with the greater number of Golds throughout the year (excluding December). If the number of Golds are equal, then the winner will be decided on the number of Silvers then Bronzes. If equal after Bronzes, then two equal first places will be presented. The CD’s decision as to the identity of the winner of the Title shall be final.
- MEMBERS’ CHOICE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
4.1. Each entrant in monthly competition print categories A, B and C shall accrue Members’ Choice points according to the following: 10 points for a first place, 8 points for a second place, 6 points for a third place. There may be multiple equal places. In this event, points are still awarded with 10 for all equal first places, 8 for seconds and 6 for thirds.
4.2. The Members’ choice Photographer of the Year Title will be awarded to the financial member who accrues the most points under rule 4.1, in the calendar year for which the Title is awarded. In the event of a draw, the winner shall be the one with the greater number of firsts throughout the year (excluding December). If the number of firsts are equal, then the winner will be decided on the number of seconds then thirds. If equal after thirds, then two equal first places will be presented. The CD’s decision as to the identity of the winner of the Title shall be final.
- DISPUTES
5.1. If the Competition Director (CD) considers that an entry:
a) is too late for acceptance,
b) does not meet the definition of the subject in which it is entered:
The CD shall advise the author of the entry that he/she is considering rejection of it, and why, and shall take it into account any response the author may make. The CD may also then confer with the competition committee before deciding whether to reject the entry.
The CDs decision will be final.
If, before the entry is judged, and if the author is available, the CD fails to advise the author of the entry that the CD is not satisfied that the entry meets the definition of the subject or the requirements of these rules, it shall be taken that the entry meets the definition of the subject and meets the requirements of these rules. However, rule 5.1 does not validate an entry submitted by a person who is not a financial member at the time the entry is judged, or an entry which infringes rule 1.2.
5.2. The CD may reject an image submitted for competition, if in the CD’s opinion it:
a) is likely to cause offence to a reasonable adult. Or
b) could render the club or a member liable to prosecution or civil suit.
In reaching his or her opinion, the CD may confer with other members.