MONTHLY COMPETITIONS (including EXHIBITIONS) 2023-24
Prints and Projected Images
Members are encouraged to submit entries for these Competitions which are held from November to March. The four Print and four Projected Image monthly competitions are separate and alternate at approximately two-week intervals. The subject is open i.e. one may enter pictorial, record, nature or scientific photographs.
(Note that EPS has chosen to follow the PSA ethical guidelines on animal welfare. The fundamental rule that must be observed at all times and applies to all competitions and exhibitions is that the welfare of living creatures is more important than any photograph. This means that practices such as baiting of subjects with a living creature and removal of birds from nests, for the purpose of obtaining a photograph, are highly unethical, and such photographs are not allowed in any EPS competition or exhibition. Under no circumstances may a living creature be placed in a situation where it will be killed, injured or stressed for the purpose of obtaining a photograph. Images that show live creatures being fed to captive animals, birds or reptiles are not permitted under any circumstances.)
Print and projected image entries will be marked out of 20 and will be commented on by the Judge on Competition Night. Two prints and/or projected images may be submitted each month and any receiving a mark of 12 or less may be resubmitted, once only, to a different Judge.
The four Print and four Projected Image Monthly Competitions are separate. There are two leagues for both competitions. (Guidance on which league a member should enter and on the promotion process is given later.) On each competition night the judge will also nominate the best overall image of the evening, regardless of league.
It is a condition of entry that, unless otherwise stated in writing, prints and projected images entered for monthly competitions, or the Members’ Exhibition, may be used for any Inter-club or national competition in which the Society takes part or for promotion of the Society in other media. The photographer retains copyright at all times and will be credited.
Images entered must be entirely the work of the photographer originating as captures by light. Composite images are permitted provided all component images meet this requirement. For the avoidance of doubt, use of images from any other source including royalty free image banks e.g. textures, stock skies and clipart are not permitted. Any information found, including in EXIF details, that may conflict with the member’s claim to copyright of any image submitted to competitions other EPS activities will resulting that image being disqualified.
1. Entire or part software-generated images are not eligible for entry to EPS competitions.
2. Image editing systems that include image generation capabilities (eg Photoshop) may be used but any software-generated elements may not be included in images entered for competitions unless explicitly allowed. The term ‘elements’ here means identifiable artefacts in the image such as a sky or an object.
3. Composite images are allowed providing all elements in the final image are taken from images that have been captured by light and the copyright owned by the photographer.
4. Images submitted to competitions where existing image elements are enhanced at the pixel level (e.g sharpening or resolution enhancement) using software, such as Topaz AI, are permitted.
Note. A committee consisting of the President, relevant Competition Secretary and Judge for the evening may, at their discretion, refuse to display any entry.
Awards and Trophies:
At the end of the season awards will be given in each League to the members gaining the highest total of points. This total shall be defined as the aggregate of the member’s 5 best scores achieved during the season. In the event of a tie, the award will be decided on the basis of members’ best six scores, and so on.
For the winners, the following trophies are presented at the AGM of the Society.
- The Competition Quaich : League 1 Print Competition
- The Clare Sproull Cup : League 2 Print Competition
- The Oliver Leach Trophy : League 1 Projected Image Competition
- The George Neilson Trophy : League 2 Projected Image Competition
SECTIONS AND PROMOTION RULES
Members may enter their images in one of two Leagues – League 1 and League 2. This applies separately to print and projected image competitions, and to the Members’ Exhibition. The following are guidelines for selecting the appropriate League in which to enter images.
League 1 – Members who hold any level of distinction from any recognised awarding body, such as the RPS, PAGB, FIAP or BPE must enter this section.
League 2 – Members who do not hold any such distinctions may enter League 2.
Members unsure of which League to enter should consult with the Phoenix Group Secretary (see syllabus) as to the League most appropriate to their abilities. The Phoenix Group Secretary will arrange for an appraisal of the member’s work and may suggest that a member should enter images into League 1, in spite of the member holding no photographic distinction. In addition any member may submit work at any time for assessment with a view to promotion to a higher section. The Phoenix Group Secretary will also consider entries in the Members’ Exhibition and promote any member whose work warrants it.
Methods of Promotion:
Normally, promotion from League 2 to League 1 is decided on the basis of performance in the Monthly Competitions. Members whose five highest marks total or exceed 87 will be promoted to League 1. These totals are determined separately for Prints and Projected Images. Success in the annual Members’ Exhibition may also lead to promotion. Members may elect to compete in League 1 but then cannot return to League 2.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
PRINTS
Printing by the trade, or by a person other than the member submitting the work is acceptable. All other work must be completely the work of the author and this includes all component parts of an image.
Mounting:
No entry may exceed 50 cm x 40 cm in size (this includes the mount). There is no minimum size. All prints must whenever possible be mounted on board (50cm x 40cm preferred), either flush-mounted or window-mounted. Window mounted is preferred to reduce the chance of surface damage in transit. No adhesive or Velcro-type patches should be attached to an entry as these may damage other Members’ prints.
Naming Prints:
All print entries must have the following information marked on the rear the same way up as the print is to be viewed – a Title, the entrants Membership Number (not name) and League. If submitting a Nature Image that fully complies with the Nature Definitions of FIAP or PSA please add (N) after the Title.
Submitting Prints :
Prints should be put in the advised place in Great King Street before 7.30 pm on the submission date. Members are urged to take appropriate care of their own and other Members’ prints when doing so. Whilst every care will be taken with Members’ entries, the Society cannot be held responsible for loss or damage. The maximum number of entries per member in each Print competition is two.
Digital Images of print submissions :
For each print submitted, Members are requested to submit a digital file at normal projection resolution (see below) either by email or by Dropbox (this will be advised before each competition). These files are used to display images at the monthly print competitions and are used for review and possible selection by the Society for use in external competitions or exhibitions in which the Society takes part. They are NOT given to the Judge. For those Members producing prints by non-digital processes, it would be appreciated if a digital copy could also be provided.
On the judging night:
We photograph and display prints live on the evening of the Judges feedback to assist members to view what the Judge is describing on competition evenings.
Display :
To allow members to view prints submitted for the monthly competitions close-up, as many as possible will be displayed at the end of the competition evenings on the display boards at the front of the meeting room. In addition, a selection of high-scoring prints may be retained after judging for display in EPS premises. They will be displayed there until the following print competition. Selection will normally be based on images scoring 18 or more. Members who do not wish their prints to be so displayed should inform the Print Competition Secretary.
Collection:
Any prints which are not collected by Members on competition nights, or are retained for display, will be replaced on the shelves in the Library and Members are urged to collect these as soon as possible to avoid build-up and possible damage. The Society reserves the right to dispose of prints which have not been collected within two months.
DIGITAL IMAGES
Images MUST be .jpg (JPEG), and should be 1600 pixels (maximum) horizontally x 1200 pixels(maximum) vertically. You should not exceed 1600 horizontal pixels or 1200 vertical pixels regardless of your image’s aspect ratio. It is recommended that you use the sRGB colour profile.
Naming Digital Images:
File names should follow the following convention: XX_nnnn_Image Title.jpg where XX=L1 or L2 (League 1 or League 2) and nnnn is your 4 digit membership number (prefix with zeros if you have a 2 or 3 digit one). Your title should be exactly as you want it to appear in the results list with appropriate capitalization and spaces. Please note that underscores are used to separate the components of the file name and should not be used within your image title. If submitting a Nature image that fully complies with the Nature Definitions of FIAP and PSA please add _N after Image Title i.e. XX_nnnn_Image Title_N.jpg
Submitting Digital Images:
Images should be submitted by Dropbox and the link will be e-mailed to members before each competition. The maximum number of entries per member in each PDI competition is two.
Display:
As a follow up to each PDI judging evening there may be an interactive workshop to review and discuss learning points from the judge’s comments. During these workshops competitors who are happy to do so can have their images put up on screen in Lightroom / Photoshop to implement & discuss the judges suggestions for improvement. These are informal constructive & informative evenings and are advertised in the syllabu