External Competitions Guide
Images Eligible for Entry
It is important that images entered for competitions are the work of the author.
We want to encourage members to attend activities to learn new skills and techniques. But when submitting images for competition that have been taken at a workshop or a remote shoot, members must feel confident that the work is their own, ie they feel they have contributed fully to the creation of the image and not unduly influenced by the workshop leader.
Only the Author can judge this. However, there are certain factors that might help them decide:
We want to encourage members to attend activities to learn new skills and techniques. But when submitting images for competition that have been taken at a workshop or a remote shoot, members must feel confident that the work is their own, ie they feel they have contributed fully to the creation of the image and not unduly influenced by the workshop leader.
Only the Author can judge this. However, there are certain factors that might help them decide:
- The framing and composition must be done by the author.
- The camera settings should be decided and applied by the author.
- The lighting is less clear. The author should have a reasonable degree of control of the lighting, even if it was set up by someone else, e.g. in a studio.
- Set -up or staging of the subject matter or model. The author should have reasonable control of the positioning and posing.
External Competitions
The Society enters a number of local and national competitions each year, both for Projected Digital Images (PDI) and Prints. We encourage all members to contribute and to persevere if their images are not immediately selected.
Images for all External Competitions are chosen by the Selection Committee. Currently the members of the Selection Committee are Peter Stevens (former HPS Chairman), Colin Southgate (an active qualified judge), Torben Cox (former HPS External Competitions Secretary) and Ali Asplin (current HPS External Competitions Secretary).
Images for all External Competitions are chosen by the Selection Committee. Currently the members of the Selection Committee are Peter Stevens (former HPS Chairman), Colin Southgate (an active qualified judge), Torben Cox (former HPS External Competitions Secretary) and Ali Asplin (current HPS External Competitions Secretary).
HPS currently enter the following External Competitions
PARK STREET LANDSCAPE PDI COMPETITION, held in October.
An invitational competition for 10 local clubs, each submitting 7 images. These images must be landscapes.
An invitational competition for 10 local clubs, each submitting 7 images. These images must be landscapes.
BEDFORDSHIRE INTER-CLUB OPEN PDI COMPETITION, held in Oct/Nov.
Competition for Beds and bordering county clubs, each of the twelve clubs submitting 6 - 9 images. There are trophies for the winning club and for the best image of the competition (The Grieveson Trophy).
Competition for Beds and bordering county clubs, each of the twelve clubs submitting 6 - 9 images. There are trophies for the winning club and for the best image of the competition (The Grieveson Trophy).
THREE-WAY BATTLE OPEN PRINT/PDI COMPETITION, held in Feb/March
Previously known as the ‘Border Skirmish’ now a three-way battle with Stevenage and Ware, who are in the East Anglian Federation (of the PAGB). Each club takes it in turn to host, in 2022 the competition will be held in Harpenden.
Each club can enter 5 mono prints, 7 colour prints and 10 PDI’s. Each author can enter a maximum of 1 mono print, 2 colour prints and 2 PDI’s.
Previously known as the ‘Border Skirmish’ now a three-way battle with Stevenage and Ware, who are in the East Anglian Federation (of the PAGB). Each club takes it in turn to host, in 2022 the competition will be held in Harpenden.
Each club can enter 5 mono prints, 7 colour prints and 10 PDI’s. Each author can enter a maximum of 1 mono print, 2 colour prints and 2 PDI’s.
CHILTERN ASSOCIATION OF CAMERA CLUBS (CACC) COMPETITIONS
1. THE ROSEBOWL OPEN LEAGUE COMPETITION.
Multi event inter-club competition, organised by CACC for 24 clubs, held Oct-March. The league consists of three rounds, each against three different clubs each round. For each league match, each club enters 15 images each, with no more than 4 per author. Note: Images selected for entry by HPS will be the 15 winning images from the previous season of Internal Competitions ie selected by five external judges.
At each league match, 5,3,2,1 points will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places respectively and stars are awarded to two of the highest scoring images.
The Rosebowl Inter-Club Open Competition Final, held in April.
a. The Final. Top 12 clubs will each enter 8 images, with no more than 2 per author.
b. The Stars Competition. Each club will enter any images which received a star. A club receiving no stars can enter any one image used in a league match.
2. PRINT CHAMPIONSHIP AND PROJECTED CHAMPIONSHIP.
A single event, inter-club competition, held in March. Each club can enter 15 prints and 15 PDI’s, with no more than 3 per author in each section. The same image can’t be entered in both competitions.
The first and second winning clubs in each competition will go forward to represent CACC in the national PAGB competitions (Print competition in October, held in Manchester and PDI competition in July, held at Warwick University).
3. CHILTERNS HUNDRED.
A single-event annual PDI OPEN competition, for members to enter individually with entries coordinated by clubs. This competition is held on the same day as the Print and Projected CACC competitions in March. Each member can submit one image.
4. INTIMATE LANDSCAPE COMPETITION.
A new competition starting in 2022, for 14 clubs, held in March.
Each club will enter 6 PDI images from a minimum of five authors.
Images can be any size in pixels or aspect but should not exceed 5MB in file size.
1. THE ROSEBOWL OPEN LEAGUE COMPETITION.
Multi event inter-club competition, organised by CACC for 24 clubs, held Oct-March. The league consists of three rounds, each against three different clubs each round. For each league match, each club enters 15 images each, with no more than 4 per author. Note: Images selected for entry by HPS will be the 15 winning images from the previous season of Internal Competitions ie selected by five external judges.
At each league match, 5,3,2,1 points will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places respectively and stars are awarded to two of the highest scoring images.
The Rosebowl Inter-Club Open Competition Final, held in April.
a. The Final. Top 12 clubs will each enter 8 images, with no more than 2 per author.
b. The Stars Competition. Each club will enter any images which received a star. A club receiving no stars can enter any one image used in a league match.
2. PRINT CHAMPIONSHIP AND PROJECTED CHAMPIONSHIP.
A single event, inter-club competition, held in March. Each club can enter 15 prints and 15 PDI’s, with no more than 3 per author in each section. The same image can’t be entered in both competitions.
The first and second winning clubs in each competition will go forward to represent CACC in the national PAGB competitions (Print competition in October, held in Manchester and PDI competition in July, held at Warwick University).
3. CHILTERNS HUNDRED.
A single-event annual PDI OPEN competition, for members to enter individually with entries coordinated by clubs. This competition is held on the same day as the Print and Projected CACC competitions in March. Each member can submit one image.
4. INTIMATE LANDSCAPE COMPETITION.
A new competition starting in 2022, for 14 clubs, held in March.
Each club will enter 6 PDI images from a minimum of five authors.
Images can be any size in pixels or aspect but should not exceed 5MB in file size.
Notes
HPS is a member of the Chiltern Association of Camera Clubs (CACC) which consists of 39 clubs, from Oxford in the west, Milton Keynes in the north and St Albans/Harpenden in the east.
The CACC is itself one of 15 Federations of camera clubs that cover the country and make up the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB). The federations have approx. 1000 affiliated clubs and 40,000 members between them.
The CACC is itself one of 15 Federations of camera clubs that cover the country and make up the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (PAGB). The federations have approx. 1000 affiliated clubs and 40,000 members between them.
Guidence for Preparing Entries
Prints
Prints must be mounted on 50 X 40 cm board (20” X 16” accepted). Any Velcro and loose sticky labels must be removed, or the print may be excluded. No written information, except a title, may appear on the front of the print and any labels may be removed by the organisers.
PDI
The requirements for competitions are usually 1600x1200px sRGB colour space, unless stated in information email sent out to members.
Please prepare images as you would for the standard internal competition. For instructions click here for details.
Prints must be mounted on 50 X 40 cm board (20” X 16” accepted). Any Velcro and loose sticky labels must be removed, or the print may be excluded. No written information, except a title, may appear on the front of the print and any labels may be removed by the organisers.
PDI
The requirements for competitions are usually 1600x1200px sRGB colour space, unless stated in information email sent out to members.
Please prepare images as you would for the standard internal competition. For instructions click here for details.
Detailed Rules for Landscape Competitions
PARK STREET LANDSCAPE
The subject of the competition will be "LANDSCAPE" The briefing to the Judge will be that: “A landscape image should be an image that has as its subject an extensive outdoor scene of land, sea, sky or city with no requirement that land as such be the largest component. It may include individual items of interest like persons, trees, buildings but not if they dominate the image”
Marking will be by normal club criteria, but with emphasis on representation of the subject, originality and photographic ability. A maximum of twenty marks per image may be awarded.
INTIMATE LANDSCAPE
An intimate scape is one in which you’re selecting and isolating one small part of a scene that captures your interest and presents an ‘intimate feel’. It might be a smaller part of a wider scape, it might also be a smaller composition that focuses on shapes, lines, colours, textures or patterns. It is a view of a scene in which any object of focus, is surrounded by its context. We encourage the celebration of the beauty of the natural world. Thus, the scape can be land, sea, water or city but, whatever the content, it must be an ‘intimate’ scene. The challenge encourages creative submissions - close up and macro, black and white or colour, multiple exposure and other creative techniques. More information can be found at www.intimate-landscape.com
The subject of the competition will be "LANDSCAPE" The briefing to the Judge will be that: “A landscape image should be an image that has as its subject an extensive outdoor scene of land, sea, sky or city with no requirement that land as such be the largest component. It may include individual items of interest like persons, trees, buildings but not if they dominate the image”
Marking will be by normal club criteria, but with emphasis on representation of the subject, originality and photographic ability. A maximum of twenty marks per image may be awarded.
INTIMATE LANDSCAPE
An intimate scape is one in which you’re selecting and isolating one small part of a scene that captures your interest and presents an ‘intimate feel’. It might be a smaller part of a wider scape, it might also be a smaller composition that focuses on shapes, lines, colours, textures or patterns. It is a view of a scene in which any object of focus, is surrounded by its context. We encourage the celebration of the beauty of the natural world. Thus, the scape can be land, sea, water or city but, whatever the content, it must be an ‘intimate’ scene. The challenge encourages creative submissions - close up and macro, black and white or colour, multiple exposure and other creative techniques. More information can be found at www.intimate-landscape.com
Updated by Paul Johnson August 30th 2022