Naples Camera Club

Rules and Procedures for Competitions

(most recent revision August 14, 2007)

I. Introduction.  The primary objective of club competition is the further education of those who compete, rather than for individuals to garner honors; however awards exist because they help measure progress. Club competition might include friendly rivalry, but should never become a more serious contest, or the purpose will be defeated.

Competition can encourage photographers or it can stifle their ambition. Obviously, NCC wants its competitions to do the former. All competitions will operate with fairness and proper procedure, but also with a sense of humor and light-hearted fun. Not every photograph is a winner, but to the maker his or her photograph is very important. Each member can expect to and deserves to have his or her work impartially and constructively evaluated with respect.

II. Process of competition. Members should submit their slide entries to the competition chairperson and his/her helpers at least ten minutes before the meeting begins. Digital entries should be submitted via email before 6 p.m. the day before the meeting.

Slides or digital images for each competition will be shown quickly the first time for an overall view of entries (unless judges prefer no preview). Then the images will be shown a second time for judging (marking of scores by judges). An image should be on the screen for at least ten seconds. 

Prints will be judged using a print light box. The maker’s name must be covered, but the title and assigned number should be indicated near the lower right hand corner. Judges will study and score the prints.

Later, after the scores are determined, all images will be shown a third time and/or all prints will be displayed with their titles read.  Names will be read for those photographs receiving honorable mentions or places. At this time judges or commentators will comment on the entries. When feasible, the order of this last show will be one-point entries, honorable mentions, and then the placing slides, digital images or prints in reverse order (sixth to first).

Each member should be careful to pick up his or her entry slides or prints at the end of the meeting. Slides or prints are not the responsibility of club officers or committee chairpersons.

III. Rules of competition.

 Rule 1: Members may submit one image in each of the categories of competition (further defined in the Definition Document) each evening when listed on the schedule [(1) Nature -- Birds Only, (2) Nature -- No Birds, (3) Assigned -- subject matter listed on the schedule, (4) Open -- not altered reality (not digitally altered), (5) Altered Reality.] Guests may submit images for commentary, however, awards will be given and award points will be kept only for NCC members in good standing.

 Rule 2: Transparencies generally must be 2x2 mounts (cardboard, plastic, or glass – NOT glass over cardboard). Transparencies must be “thumb spotted” in the lower left-hand corner, as you would view the image, as it will appear on the screen. A title and the maker’s name must be clearly written on the slide. This is the responsibility of the maker, and slides will be shown as thumb-spotted and not changed.  Digital entries will be shown as sent to the digital coordinator.

 Rule 3:  Prints may or may not be mounted or include mats, however, they should not be framed. Prints must be a minimum of 8x10 to a maximum of 16x20 not including the mount. Signatures must be covered, but makers’ names should appear on the back of the print.

 Rule 4:  Members may submit entries when they are not present at the meeting by sending them with a friend, but they may not do this for more than five of the ten meetings.

Rule 5:  A slide or print that has won a place in a Naples Camera Club competition once may not be submitted in an NCC competition a second time. Honorable mention slides, digital images, or prints and one-point winners may be submitted again the next year.

IV. Judging the images in a competition.  Images may be judged using two methods: 1] by a single outside judge, and 2] by a panel of three judges who are or are not club members using the scoring box. The judging method used each evening will be at the discretion of the Competition Chairperson.

 Guest judges: From time to time it will be possible to recruit guest judges to judge our competitions. These judges may use whatever scoring method with which they are comfortable.

 Panel of judges:  When a panel of judges uses the scoring box to judge the images, each judge will score the photograph 3 through 9. One of the judges will comment on each slide or print during the final showing with titles and results. If the panel is composed of members of the club, an alternate judge will score the judging member's entry.

 Club scoring:  Each member can individually score the images for their own learning experiences but these scores will be solely to enhance their judging experience. Images are evaluated for photographic technique, quality of composition, interest and impact, and extra points are given for a truly outstanding and exceptional image.

V.  Number of awards.  The number of exhibitors will determine the number of winning places. With the goal of awarding approximately 25% of entries places to a maximum of six places and 25% of entries honorable mentions, the number of places and honorable mentions corresponding to the number of entries will be as listed below.  If there are more than 30 entries in a competition there will be a maximum of six places and ten honorable mentions.

VI. In the case of ties. If the scores of two or more placing entries are the same, both individuals will receive the number of points of the place, and the next place will be eliminated.  For example, if two people tie for 3^rd, they both receive 6 points, and the 4^th place will be eliminated.

VII. Points earned in competitions for club awards. The award points secretary will record the points earned by each member each year in order to discern the “Photographer of the Year” in each division (the person with the most points) – if there are two divisions. Cumulative plateau awards (at 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 450, 600 and 750) will be awarded to individual members. When a member reaches 75 points he or she must move up to Division A. Points earned for competitions will be:

VIII. Competition awards. All awards for a specific fiscal year (October 1- September 30) will be made at the December meeting of the following year. 

• Accumulated Points. Members may receive awards for their accumulated points in club competitions. Awards will be given for 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 450, 600 and 750 points earned in NCC competitions. When a member has earned 750 points he or she will become a “Fellow” of the Club, and point records will no longer be kept. Awards may be certificates or plaques.

        Photographer of the Year.  One “Photographer of the Year” award (two if there are two skill divisions) will be made to the person

        receiving the most points in any given year. A member may not receive a “Photographer of the Year” award for two consecutive years.

        If the point count has this result, the person with the second highest number of points will receive the award that year. If there is a tie in

        points accumulated, two awards will be made. 

• Projected Image and Print of the Year.  “Two Projected Images of the Year” (one nature and one pictorial) and two “Print of the Year” awards (one nature and one pictorial) will be made. Each member may enter a nature projected image, a pictorial projected image, a nature print and a pictorial print that have been entered in one of the meeting competitions during that year.  This competition will usually be held during the last meeting in March.