Club Competitions
Gosforth Camera Club run internal competitions over the annual season and details of each of these are found below. The details for each competition may change from season to season, especially as the result of changes agreed at the Annual General Meeting, and members should check the rules for specific competitions each year; themed and set subject competitions will change annually. General Rules apply to all competitions and are listed separately.
Print Essentials
Definition of monochrome (based on the FIAP definition): a black and white image going from very dark grey (black) to very clear grey (white) or a black and white image toned entirely in a single colour.
A black and white image modified by partial toning or by the addition of one colour, is a colour image.
The minimum size of a print should be 20cm on one side. The maximum print size is 50cm x 40cm.
Prints must be mounted on board to a maximum size of 50cm x 40cm.
The identification of the print should follow the standard naming format: Member Number and Title. The labelling should be on the reverse of the print/mount. The PDI copy does not require the member number as the website keeps track of image ownership.
All prints, however produced – home or commercially – are eligible for entry into the club’s competitions.
All print entries should be accompanied by a digital image of the same size and format as used in PDI competitions which will be used to project the image to the audience at results meetings. Prints and their digital equivalents should have the same titles to allow matching up of the images. Prints must also have the member's competition number in addition to the title, marked on the rear of the mount, to aid the return of the prints. Competition numbers may be found on members’ personal page (“My Account”) on the website.
PDI (Projected Digital Image) Essentials
Definition: An image, whether scanned or from a digital camera, must originate from the personal work of the author using light falling on to a sensitive medium. Digital incorporation of work by others is not permitted.
Images must be in JPEG format and be submitted on the club website, by the entry date. The maximum permitted dimensions are 1600 pixels width and 1200 pixels height. Resolution (dpi) is not restricted unless the resulting JPEG file size breaches the maximum size limit for the file, although it is not necessary for the resolution to be greater than 72 dpi for viewing on a screen.
Each image must have a title, the member number is no longer required as this is recorded by the website.
Open Colour Print Competition (Sony Award) and Open Mono Print Competition (YMCA Award)
From the 2021-22 season, the open colour and open mono print competitions will consist of two rounds each. Members may enter 3 images in each round and marks from all six entries will count towards the final aggregate total.
Open PDI Competition (Projected Digital Image)
This competition consists of three rounds. Members may enter a maximum of two images in each of the rounds.
The all rounds of the competitition will be of open subject matter. Marks from all 6 entries will count towards the season total.
Set Subject Competition – PDI (Louis Moore Tankard)
All images entered in this competition must be taken after the topic of the subject was chosen by a vote of members at the Annual General Meeting and a maximum of two entries per member may be entered.
For the 2024-2025 season, the set subject is: ‘Seascapes’
Nature Competition – PDI (Ron Lovesey Salver)
A maximum of two entries per member.
Entries for this competition should feature living animals and/or plants (including fungi) ‘taken from nature’ and normally found only ‘in the wild’. Thus, regarding zoological subjects: domestic pets (e.g. cats, dogs, white mice, budgerigars, goldfish) and agricultural animals (e.g. dairy cattle, pigs, horses) are excluded; but their relatives normally found ‘wild’ (e.g. lions, dingoes, wood mice, roach, wild boars etc) are appropriate. Likewise, for botanical subjects: common garden and greenhouse plants are excluded, whereas ‘wild’ plants and fungi growing in their natural environment are acceptable. ‘Wild’ animals in captivity (eg. In zoos and collections including butterfly farms and falconry display collections) are accepted, as are subjects temporarily captive (such as insects briefly removed from their environment for macrophotography).
Portrait Competition– Print/PDI (alternate years)
Following the decision of the 2024 AGM, the Portrait Competition will alternate between PDI or Prints in alternate years, beginning with PDI entries for the 2024-25 season. A maximum of three entries per member (prints) or two entries per member (PDI).
Definition: Portrait photography is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people (a group portrait), in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject or the mood, impression or feeling that the photographer has attributed to the subject.
Portrait photography produces pictures that capture the personality portrayed by a subject by using effective lighting, backdrops, props and poses. Similarly, the photograph should emphasise some connection or interaction with the photographer. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is the person’s face, although the entire body and the background may be included. Professional models are allowed.
A portrait may include small groups, (say a sports group, or a subset of a wedding group), and allow the inclusion of animals etc because of the reference to props.
A portrait would not include street photography or candid snatched shots. Urban settings are allowed if some element of posing or composition is included. A maximum of three entries per member is allowed.
Club Outing Competition – PDI
For the 2023-24 season, a list of official club outings will be published on the club website early in 2024 to allow extra time for preparation of the image before this season’s competition.
A maximum of two entries per member is allowed.
Entries for this competition must have been taken on any official club outing since the previous competition. ‘Official’ means approved by the Committee and open to all, final confirmation of the official club outings for thay year will be notified on the club website a month before the competition closing date.
Print Panel (Triptych) - PDI
Two entries per member are allowed.
Members may enter three images on a final combined image of a size up to the standard size for website entries (1600px horizontal, 1200px vertical – both maximum dimensions for the final triptych). Each image to consist of three individual images so that the three images within the main image portray a theme. The judge will be asked to assess entries based on the three individual images, which are of necessity likely to be relatively small, but mainly the innovation, creativity, presentation of the triptych as a whole.
The theme of each triptych is entirely up to the author, all subjects are allowed and if you wish to be creative with the background/border to the images, then do so. Images should however be identifiably separate and not give the appearance of a single composite image.
Knockout - PDI
Up to 3 images may be entered. Images will be sorted randomly and projected in pairs, one from each pair being eliminated by a vote of the members present, with the remainder going into a further round and so on to produce a winner. We will use official software which sorts and shuffles the images and sometimes gives byes into the next round to even up the numbers. Images should be identified only by the title and should be submitted by email to the Internal Competition Secretary as this competition is not run using the club website.
Newcomers Competition – PDI
Up to 3 images may be entered.
A newcomer is a member in his/her first or second season in the club and who has not been a member of this or any other camera club previously.
Season Aggregate Competitions:
Newcomer of the Year
This is based on performance in the Open Colour and Mono Print and PDI competitions. The points awarded for all images in each of the 3 competitions are totalled to determine the winner. A newcomer cannot win the trophy more than once.
Novice of the Year
Upon joining the club, members are asked to self-assess their level of experience. This competition is only open to those who are novices (see definition below) and is based on performance in the Open Colour and Mono Print and PDI competitions.
Photographer of the Year (Ray Cole Memorial Trophy)
This is based on performance in the Open Colour and Mono Print and Projected Digital Competitions (7 legs in all).
Competitor of the Year
This encourages entry into many competitions and is based on performance in the Open Colour and Mono Print, Open PDI, Nature, Set Subject, Portrait, Outings and Print Panel (Triptych) competitions (12 in total) as agreed at the 2020 AGM. The points awarded for each image in the competitions are totalled to determine the winner.
Definitions
A Newcomer:
1. May have a long history as an amateur photographer.
2. Has no more than two years’ experience of club photography, whether at Gosforth Camera Club or elsewhere.
3. Has no more than two years’ experience of competing in photography competitions. (This includes online and TV run competitions if the photographer receives feedback.)
4. Has not won an open club competition in the previous year. (i.e. a competition with multiple rounds of open subject matter.)
5. Has had no more than 5 images rated highly commended or above since joining the club.
A Novice:
1. Is new to the systematic practice of photography.
2. May have experience of photography over a long period but, until recently, that experience will largely have been restricted to little more than point and shoot cameras or smartphones and auto mode.
3. Will feel that they have mastered very few of the basic skills they require in the areas of photography that interest them.
4. May be taking basic classes to improve their skills.
5. Has had no more than 3 images rated highly commended or above since joining the club.
6. May remain a novice for up to three years after joining the club.
7. Has not won any competitions in other clubs.