Internal Competitions

Eligibility

Any registered and paid-up Active member can compete. In order to be a competing member, you must have a unique email address listed on the club’s website and set up as a Competing Member.

Skill Levels

The three competition skill levels and where members may start are as follows. A member will commence at the appropriate level as described below. They will remain in that level for the duration of a year.

• Novice
  Novice is recommended for those that are new to photography, but open to any member except those that must be in Intermediate or Advanced. Novice does not mean new to the club. Novice competitors are still learning to use their camera and working on getting off the automatic settings. New members are expected to honestly self-assess themselves and contact the membership or competitions manager to set up the correct level.
• Intermediate
  Intermediate is for any member who is comfortable using their camera in manual mode and understands the basics of composition. Intermediate is also for any member who has been promoted from Novice, or who has consistently placed images in competitions at this level outside of the club.
• Advanced
  Advanced is for any member who consistently produces superior images and has a good understanding of the technical and artistic aspects of photography. Advanced is also for any member who has been promoted from Intermediate, or who has consistently placed images in competitions at this level outside of the club. Any member who is, or has been, a professional photographer must enter at this level.

Monthly Competition Judging

• Novice Level
  The Novice categories will be judged by a panel of intermediate and advanced club members. Images are judged on technical ability at the appropriate level (focus, exposure, depth of field, appropriate shutter speed, post processing, etc.), composition, achieving purpose, visual impact, and subject matter.
  
  
• Intermediate and Advanced Levels
  Whenever possible, Intermediate and Advanced level images will be judged by photographic artists who are not members of the club. Whenever possible, experienced nature photographers will be used to judge the nature categories. Images will be judged on technique; content; clearly defined subjects; good use of colour, tone, or hue; lighting; layering; creativity; photographic vision; subject impact (wow factor)
  etc.

The club asks judges to use the CAPA Judging Guidelines. Judges are requested to consider the following criteria:

• Assess images in an objective and unbiased manner.
• Be receptive to new concepts in photography. The issue is not whether the judge likes the technique, but whether it is well done.
• Personal feelings should not be part of the point scoring or comments.
• Score each photograph using a 20-point system
• When assigning scores and comments to an image, remember that one of the objectives of competition is to encourage the members that are competing and help them to improve their photographic skills.
• The Judges' comments may be edited for publication in Close-Up magazine.

Annual Competition Awards

• Distinguished Photographer Awards
  At the end of season, annual recognition will be awarded for outstanding achievement in the competition year. The competition committee will assign points based on the monthly placement of images (1st, 2nd, and 3rd and Honourable Mention) to determine these awards.
  
  
• Year End “Best of” Image Awards
  The categories for this competition are the same as monthly competitions. Note that novice members have a different set of categories than Intermediate and Advanced. All placed images from the monthly competitions (1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention [HM]) will automatically be entered in the year-end image competition. If a member does not wish an image to compete in the year end completion, he/she must contact the Competition Committee prior to the deadline for the competition. Members wishing to have their previously placed prints entered into the year-end competition must bring the prints to the competitions night meeting on the 1st Thursday in April.
  
  
• Year End Image Competition Judging
  Judges for the year end image competition are not members of the club. There are no scores or comments assigned to the images during judging; just placements. Winning images will be awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Honorable Mention in each category and level at the May competition meeting.

Questions? Contact Competitions Committee

2022/23
Year-End Winners Gallery

2021/22
Year-End Winners Gallery

2020/21
Year-End Winners Gallery

2019/20
Year-End Winners Gallery

2018/19
Year-End Winners Gallery 

2017/18
Year-End Winners Gallery 

2016/17
Year-End Winners Gallery

2015/16
Year-End Winners Gallery