Rules for Competitions

In order to clarify how the rules are made or for anything else relating to management of the club read the CONSTITUTION

1. Entries must be the author's own work. Processing may be carried out commercially. All subject matter in all images must have been photographically originated by the author.

2. No image accepted for any monthly competition in one season, may be entered in the same or any succeeding season. Any image entered in the Annual Exhibition that has not been entered in a previous monthly competition may be entered in a monthly competition in any subsequent season. No negative, or digital file used to provide an entry in one competition may, with or without modification, be used again to provide a different version as an entry for any succeeding competition..

3. There are three entry classes for prints: beginner, intermediate and advanced. There are two entry classes for projected images: non-advanced and advanced.

4. Each entry must bear the following information: The title, the class and the author's PIN number. The author's name must not be shown.

5. Prints must be mounted on conventional mounting board, the dimensions of which must not exceed 20 x l6 in. (508 x 406mm).

6. The maximum entry for each competition is four prints in monochrome or colour and four projected image files.

7. An entry form must be completed by each entrant which includes the author's order of preference for each image, the author's name, PIN number and class.

8. The entry dates are usually at least two weeks in advance of the judging and are contained in the syllabus. No late entries can be accepted.

9. A record is kept of marks awarded to members by judges. These are totalled at the end of the season and trophies are awarded to members attaining the highest aggregate marks.

10. Members must be prepared to allow entries to internal competitions to be retained by the Club for use in competitions with other clubs.

11. Any dispute in relation to the rules shall be referred to the image panel. In the event of a failure of the panel to resolve the dispute, it will be referred to the Committee whose decision is final.

1. The Annual Exhibition is judged on two separate evenings. The entry date is shown in the syllabus. No late entries can be accepted.

2. Entries must be the author's own work. Processing may be carried out commercially. All subject matter in all images must have been photographically originated by the author. No image shall be entered in more than one Annual Exhibition.

3. To be eligible to enter prints in the Annual Exhibition, members must have entered prints in at least two monthly competitions in the same season.

There are two entry classes in sections H and J for projected digital images:

*Sections E, F and G in prints and Sections K, L and M in projected digital images are open (all classes compete against each other in these sections). Section G prints and Section M projected digital images compete against each other for a single trophy.

6. Prints must be mounted on conventional mounting board, the overall dimensions of which must not exceed 20 x 16in (508 x 406mm).

7. Each entry must bear the following information: the title, the class, the section and the author's PIN. The author's name must not be shown.

8. A maximum of four prints may be entered in each of sections A to G incl., and a maximum of four projected digital image files in

9. A form must be completed in respect of each section entered. This must show the author's name, the author's PIN, the section entered and the class.

10. The first item entered on each form must not have been entered in any previous monthly competition or Annual Exhibition. The provisions of rule 2 for monthly print and projected image competitions will apply.

11. Titles of succeeding items should be entered in the author's order of preference.

12. Where the number of entries exceeds the time normally available to judge them, the total entry will be reduced by withdrawing items lowest in the author's order of preference.

Images in this section must depict subjects in which the influence of man is of little importance or absent altogether. Thus cultivated or domestic subjects are to be excluded. Images may be of animals, insects, plants, weather or geology of the land, sea or sky. Preference should be given to subjects in their natural surroundings or environments.

1. This is a print only competition in which the image must have been taken in South Lanarkshire.

2. The print size must not be less than 10 x 8 in. (254 x 203mm) or greater than 12 x 8in.(305 x 203mm).

Malcolm Moore was a long-standing member and a recent past President of our Club. In his latter years he developed a great interest in black and white photography and it was his wish that a trophy in his name be competed for annually in this medium.

1. This is an open competition for monochrome prints only and all such prints in all sections in the Annual Exhibition, irrespective of class, will compete automatically for the trophy.

2. For the avoidance of doubt (a favourite phrase of Malcolm’s!) the undernoted SPF definition of monochrome shall apply in determining the eligibility of all prints for this competition.

A monochrome work fitting from the very dark grey (black) to the very clear grey (white) is a monochrome work with the various shades of grey. A monochrome work toned entirely in a single colour will remain a monochrome work able to stand in the monochrome category. A monochrome image modified by a partial toning or by the addition of one colour becomes a colour work (polychrome) to stand in the colour category

The rules are not intended to be restrictive: they are necessary to facilitate the smooth running of the competitions and have evolved in the light of experience to eliminate anomalies and unfairness when these have become evident.

The file should be re-sized with a resolution of 100 pixels per inch and with a pixel size of 1024 wide x 768 high for landscape images or 768 high for portrait images.

The file should be saved as a `Jpeg' at highest quality (minimum compression) Unsharp Mask Sharpening and adjustments to Brightness and Contrast will NOT be altered following submission

Your source images may not be in a suitable ratio! The sizing asked for is a 4:3 ratio exactly which is usual with older digicams. Newer digicams favour a 16:9 ratio which means that images will require to be cropped for full display when projected. Similarly DSLR images will have a ratio of 3:2 and will also require to be cropped for full display. If it is decided to use the full image then the width must still be 1024 pixels for landscape images and the height remains at 768 pixels for portrait images. These when projected will not make full use of the screen and may tend to lose out in respect of impact on judges.

An intermediate member entering a colour pictorial print called “Morning Light” would label it thus. (or write it on the rear of the print)

It is customary to place this information on the rear of the print in the top left hand corner. This provides a guide to the correct orientation of the print.

Centenary Trophy Best digital print or projected digital image from Sections G and M (open)

Secretary’s Plate Best Natural History projected digital image from Section L (open)

Davidson Trophy Best non-advanced pictorial projected digital image from Section H

Hamilton Advertiser Trophy Best advanced pictorial projected image from Section H

President’s Trophy President’s choice of best print or projected digital image in the Annual Exhibition