Judging requires great concentration and should be unbiased. Thus, the audience is requested to remain quiet during the judging and to remain seated until all awards have been distributed. The use of cell phones and any other similar electronic devices without the written consent of the presiding officer are prohibited.

The purpose of competitions is to foster excellence and education in photography

Competitions are divided into SECTIONS. Entries for each section are defined below and generally adhere to the exhibition standards of the Photographic Society of America (PSA), which include a prohibition on the placement on the image itself of the name of the entrant.

Open Digital

The Open Digital Image Section has no special restrictions as to subject or treatment.

Top

Nature Section Specific Requirements

Images are restricted to natural history, except anthropology and archeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject matter and to certify to its honest presentation. Titles should accurately describe the plant, animal or scene. The story-telling value of the photograph should be given primary weight in evaluating the image; however, technical and pictorial quality are still important elements for evaluating and judging images. Human elements should not be present in nature images except where the inclusion of the human elements enhances the nature story, i.e. Barn Owls are often times found in man-made structures and could be shown in that venue. However, the inclusion of the hand-of-man should be an unobtrusive element in the image. Photographs including domestic animals, mounted specimens or obviously set arrangements are ineligible and should not be submitted. Scientific tags or banding, visible on wild animals, are acceptable.
Updated Jan, 2024

Nature Image Editing - All adjustments must be made in such a manner that the image reflects the actual scene.

Allowable Image Adjustments

• Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the pictorial content are permitted.
• Sharpening, including selective sharpening, of an image is acceptable.
• The use of the clone stamp or similar tools shall be limited to removal of dust spots and scratches only.
• Cropping and horizontal flipping are allowed.
• Processing of multiple exposures of a single scene (HDR) or the processing of multiple versions of a single RAW capture for exposure control is allowed.
• Processing of multiple captures of a single scene employing different focus points to achieve focus control is permitted. This process is commonly referred to as "focus stacking," "focal plane merging," or "focus blending".

CAUTION: Excessive use of even an allowable technique that causes the image to look “over processed” may cause the judge to “pass” the image.

Prohibited Image Adjustments
(Any manipulation which alters the truth of the image will be judged ineligible.)

• Any technique which adds to, removes, relocates or replaces any pictorial element of the image except by cropping.
• Artificial blurring of the background.
• Selective color (a post-processing technique where some or most of an image is converted to monochrome, but some parts are left in color), however complete conversion to greyscale monochrome is allowed

Top

Travel Section Specific Requirements

Requires that an image capture the feeling of a time and/or a place and/or portray a land, a people, or a culture. Travel images have no geographical limitations. Ultra-close-ups which lose their identity and studio-type model pictures are not eligible and should not be entered. The image title shall be read when the image is first projected for judging.

Travel Image Editing - All adjustments must be made in such a manner that the image reflects the actual scene.

Allowable Image Adjustments

• Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the pictorial content are permitted.
• Cropping and sharpening, including selective sharpening, of an image is acceptable.
• The use of the clone stamp or similar tools shall be limited to removal of dust spots and scratches only.
• Processing of multiple exposures of a single scene (HDR) or the processing of multiple versions of a single RAW capture for exposure control is allowed.
• Processing of multiple captures of a single scene employing different focus points to achieve focus control is permitted. This process is commonly referred to as "focus stacking," "focal plane merging," or "focus blending".

CAUTION: Excessive use of even an allowable technique that causes the image to look “over processed” may cause the judge to “pass” the image

Prohibited Image Adjustments
(Any manipulation which alters the truth of the image will be judged ineligible.)

• A. Any technique which adds to, removes, relocates or replaces any pictorial element of the image except by cropping.
• Artificial blurring of the background.
• Selective color (a post-processing technique where some or most of an image is converted to monochrome, but some parts are left in color), however complete conversion to greyscale monochrome is allowed.

Top

Photojournalism Section Specific Requirements

This section requires a single storytelling image such as seen in news media, including human interest, documentary and spot news. The journalistic value of the photograph shall be weighed more than the pictorial quality. Artificially produced situations or image manipulations which alter the truth of the image are prohibited. The image title shall be read when the image is first projected for judging.

Photojournalism Image Editing - All adjustments must be made in such a manner that the image reflects the actual scene.

Allowable Image Adjustments

• Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the pictorial content are permitted, but should be limited to color, saturation, brightness and contrast adjustments.
• Cropping and sharpening, including selective sharpening, of an image is acceptable.
• The use of the clone stamp or similar tools shall be limited to removal of dust spots and scratches only.

CAUTION: Excessive use of even an allowable technique that causes the image to look “over processed” may cause the judge to “pass” the image

Prohibited Image Adjustments (Any manipulation which alters the truth of the image will be judged ineligible.)

• Any technique which adds to, removes, relocates or replaces any pictorial element of the image except by cropping.
• Artificial blurring of the background.
• Exposure blending, HDR, focus blending or similar image editing techniques.
• Selective color (a post-processing technique where some or most of an image is converted to monochrome, but some parts are left in color), however complete conversion to greyscale monochrome is allowed.

Top

Print Competitions

Print competitions are divided into two sections:

• Monochrome Prints must contain a single hue, neutral in color or modified by overall toning with a single hue. Selective use of spot color, split-toning, quad-toning, etc., is not permitted.
• Color Prints must include at least one color in addition to any overall toning. Monochrome images are not eligible in Color Print competitions.
• Except for the above, the print section has no special restrictions as to subject or image editing.
• Entries may be commercially printed; however, all adjustments to the image must be the work of the entrant.

Other Competitions

The Executive Board may approve other kinds of competitions, under such terms and conditions as are published in advance.

Top

Web Posting

Images submitted for the St. Louis Camera Club competitions will be publicly displayed for judging at a meeting of the Club. Images receiving awards may be publicly displayed at other times in connection with Club activities. Such images may be posted on the Club’s website, in a manner identifying the maker. The images may not otherwise be published, nor will they be used for commercial purposes, without express permission of the maker. If the maker does not wish any image to be displayed and/or published in this manner, the image may not be entered into competition. By entering an image into competition, the maker represents to the club that the maker has the legal rights to display and publish the image in this fashion, including any necessary model releases. These images may be reduced file sizes.

Top

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

A generated artificial intelligence (AI) image is not considered to be a photographic image because it was created by an AI system and contains no image captured by the maker. Therefore, generated AI images will not be accepted in competitions.

• All components of a submitted image must be the maker’s original work and do not contain elements created or captured by someone else or AI.
• A sky replacement is permitted but must be a sky photographed by the maker.
• If a winning image is questioned, the maker may be asked to provide their raw image.

The above rules apply to Open Digital and Prints. Please refer to the specific rules for Nature, Photojournalism and Travel.

• All entrants must be a member of the club.
• All images for digital image competitions must be in digital format.
• All images must be the work of the entrant (including all digital post processing), except for film processing and printing. The digital image or print represents the artistry of the entrant; therefore, the original image must be recorded by the competitor with a traditional film or digital camera or scanner. It is not permissible to use all or part of an image that comes from the internet, a publication or other source that is the work of another person.
• Images that have won points in any Section are ineligible for entry in any other section and reentry in the same section. For purposes of clarity, an image will be considered ineligible if it is from the same series of exposures taken in “burst” or continuous shooting mode and is (a) virtually identical to an image that has previously won points or (b) shows only a negligible shift from, and does not change the story of, an image that has previously won points. Images that have won points in any Section are ineligible for entry in any other section. Individual images that have been part of winning Short Essay or Photo Essay/Documentary/Travelogue are eligible for entry in regular Sections.
• There are no time limits on when photographs are taken for theme competitions and for all regular competitions. Each member may enter one image per competition.
• Entrants must place their digital images and prints in the appropriate class category, either by using the proper submission procedures in the case of digital projected images or by labeling and placing prints in the indicated place. Those placed in the wrong class will be declared ineligible.
• No entries are permitted after competitions begin.

Top

Open Digital, Nature, Photo Travel, and Photojournalism Sections

• Members may submit one digital image for each such competition.
• Digital images must be submitted using the form and in accordance with the rules published on the Web Site. Currently these require:
  • The image should not exceed 1400 pixels in width or 1050 pixels in height and must be in .jpg format.
  • b. Image title is limited to 35 characters.
  • c. A few characters (*?:” </>\|’#) are unacceptable in a title.
  • d. Images must be submitted before the published deadline (normally midnight of the Sunday before a Wednesday competition).
• While our software will correctly interpret color space tags like Adobe RGB during competition, the winning images will be shown on the Web Site where almost all software will assume the image is in sRGB format. These winning images will appear best if converted to sRGB before submission. 2020-2021 Competition Year Rules and Etiquette 5

Top

Print Sections

• Dimensions: (mounted and/or unmounted)
  • Minimum: One dimension of the print must be at least 9".
  • Maximum: No dimension of the print or mount may exceed 20".
• Mounting:
  • Prints may be submitted either mounted or unmounted; however, entries delivered by mail will not be accepted.
  • Print mounts must not have any hanging devices such as hooks, wires, clips or other attachments which could potentially damage another person's print during handling. Prints which are deemed to pose a hazard to other prints will be removed prior to competition.
• Identification: The back of all prints or mounts must be marked in the upper left corner with the maker's name, competition class and image title.
• While prints must be brought to the competitions, digital images of the entries must be submitted before the published deadline (normally midnight of the Sunday before the Wednesday competition). Failure to submit a digital image of an entry by the published deadline disqualifies that entry

All Sections

• Judges shall make concise and useful comments on all images entered
• In theme competitions, judging will depend not only on photographic merit, but also on how well the image fits the assignment.

Open Digital, Nature, Photo Travel, and Photojournalism Sections

• Judges shall review, prepare comments on, and judge all digital images between the time that image entry closes and the time that the competition begins.
• During the competition, the judge shall comment on each digital image as it is shown. After all of the images in a particular Class have been shown once, the images receiving awards in that Class will be announced and images in the succeeding Class will be shown.

Print Sections

• Prints will be judged from a distance of 5 feet.
• Prints will be judged only during the competition. Digital images of competing prints will not be used to judge the competing prints.
• Prints may be shown in the lightbox as many times as required for the judge to select all prints receiving awards.
• When a judge “passes” an image, the judge should explain why it was passed
• In awarding First, Second, and Third places, the judge should explain his/her choices.

• The function of the Rules Committee shall be to review all rules relating to Club competitions, advancement in class, awarding of competition points and any other related matters as shall be submitted to it for consideration. Recommendations of the Rules Committee shall be submitted to the Executive Board for its consideration as soon as possible, but no later than the May Board meeting.
• The Committee shall be chaired by the immediate Past President or his designee and will include the current President, Vice President, Recorder, Section Chairmen and one at-large member appointed annually by the Chairman.

• Entries that do not meet the Conditions of Entry may be declared ineligible.
• The presiding officer shall be responsible for any interpretation or decisions regarding the rules, if the need for such interpretation or decision arises in the course of a competition and before the winners are announced.
• If a member believes that an image, which has been awarded points in a competition, violated any applicable rule, that member may challenge the award by utilizing the following procedure:
  • Notice that the challenge is being made must be given to the President, no later than 72 hours after the close of the competition in question.
  • The specifics of the challenge, including the precise rule alleged to have been violated and the particulars of the alleged violation, must be given to the President, in writing or by e-mail, no later than seven days after the close of the competition in question.
  • The president may conduct such investigation regarding the alleged violation as he or she considers appropriate, including asking to see the “as shot” film or digital image. Failure on the part of the maker of the image to cooperate with such investigation may be considered to be adequate grounds for disqualification of the image. The President should consult with the Chair of the Section involved, and may consult with any other persons at his or her sole discretion.
  • The President shall be the sole judge of whether or not the alleged violation has occurred. If the President determines that the rule has been violated, the points awarded in connection with that image shall be withdrawn and, if possible, other winners advanced accordingly.
• Except in the case of a successful challenge, as outlined above, all results of competitions and awards are final when they are announced at the meeting during which the competition occurred.

Regular Section Competition points will be awarded for First, Second, Third and Honorable Mention (HM), depending upon the number of entries.

Place	Point Value
1st Place	4 Points
2nd Place	3 Points
3rd Place	2 Points
Honorable Mention (HM)	1 Point

The total number of places to be awarded will be 40% of the number of entrants rounded to the nearest whole number, with 0.5 being rounded up, e.g., 13 entrants would be calculated as: 13 x 0.4 = 5.2 or 5 total places with First, Second, Third and 2 Honorable Mentions, while 14 entries would be calculated at 14 x 0.4 = 5.6 or 6 total places with First, Second, Third and 3 Honorable Mentions.

For classes with 8 or fewer entries, First, Second, and Third shall be awarded.

Judges shall be awarded two points in the section judged.

Each section is divided into classes or levels of expertise, with new members starting in Class B. There are three ways in which a member may advance to a higher class within a section.

Total Accumulated Points

Advancement from Class B to Class A requires the accumulation of points equal to twice the number of annual competitions held in each section. Advancement from Class A to Salon Class requires the accumulation of points equal to six times the number of annual competitions held in each section.

Section	# Competitions	B to A	A to Salon
Open Digital	8	16	48
Nature	6	12	36
Color Prints	4	8	24
Monochrome Prints	4	8	24
Photo Travel	6	12	36
Photojournalism	4	8	24

New members begin in Class B. Members advance to the next class based on the points accumulated in that section, as given in the table above. The total points may have been accumulated over any number of years. All advancements are made at the end of the club year in which the accumulated points meet or exceed the criteria listed above.

Most Points in Class for the Year

The member with the most points in any one year in Class B or Class A in any section advances to the next level in that section.

Achieving “Star Ratings” in PSA Exhibitions

In a given section, achieving two Stars in PSA-approved exhibitions places/advances a member into Class A. Similarly, achieving three Stars in these exhibitions advances a member to Salon Class.

Awards will be given as follows:

• For advancing to next higher class in any section.
• For the winner and the first runner-up of the most points in each class within each section for the Club year.
• Special Awards for accumulation of total points, in all classes, sections and other specified competitions: 25, 100, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 points.
• All images which have won points in regular competitions during the Club year are eligible to compete for “Projected Image & Print of the Year” in their respective sections.
• An award for “Overall Image of the Year” will be presented to one of the six first place “Image of the Year” section winners.

The following rules apply to both Short and Long Essay Competitions:

• Any number of members may collaborate on an essay, but no member may be involved in more than one entry.
• Essays that have won points in previous competitions are not eligible for re-entry.
• Entries must be submitted at least one week before the competition to the Essays
• Competition chair and must display on the club’s equipment.
• Essays will use the club’s equipment on the day of the competition.
• Dissolve effects, animations and/or transitions and other program effects may be used in a presentation. Specifically, images may consist of multiple elements, such as montage and collage effects. Video clips may also be used.
• Any treatment of dialogue or script may be embedded in the presentation, but any voice must be that of a Club member (music excepted).
• The maker’s name may appear on the screen.
• No limit on number of images but at least 90% of the display time must be images made by the entrant(s).

Top

Long and Short Photo Essay Competition

The long essay is restricted to 30 minutes or less. The short essay is restricted to 5 minutes or less.

Top

Awards for Special Competitions

Competition points for the Long Photo Essay and Short Photo Essay competitions will be awarded as follows:

Place	Long Photo Essay	Short Photo Essay
First	24	12
Second	18	9
Third	12	6
Honorable Mentions*	6	3

* Honrable Mentions are awarded if at least 7 entries. Any number at the Judge's discretion

Points apply only to total lifetime accumulation of points. Points for team efforts may be divided between members at their discretion.

Judges shall be awarded three points for Long Photo Essay and two points for the Short Photo Essay

"Image of the Year" by Section

Any image receiving points during regular club competitions shall be eligible. The “Image of the Year” and three honorable mentions will be awarded in each section.

Top

Overall "Image of the Year"

The overall "Image of the Year" shall be selected by the year-end judges from among the six section “Image of the Year” winners.

Top

Rookie of the Year award

The Rookie-of-the-Year Award will be given to the new member who accumulates the most points in the regular sections of Club competitions during the current Club year. This excludes points earned in photo essay competitions. Members are eligible during the Club year in which they join and the next Club year. A member may receive the award only once.

Top

Rookies Only Competition

The purpose of this annual event is to showcase the photographic talents of new members. Regular competition points are not awarded.

Members joining for the first time in the previous or current club years are encouraged to submit up to two entries in each of the two categories of the special Rookies Only Competition:

• Projected Images: (Digital jpeg files - either digital captured or scanned)
• Prints: (Color or Monochrome)

There are no limits on subject matter or when the image was taken; however images that placed in any previous club contests including Rookies Only Competition are not eligible and should not be entered. This competition will be held in late spring at a new member meeting and all Club members are welcome to attend. The winners will be shown and awards presented at a subsequent regular club meeting. The competition will follow general club rules for competitions (such as deadlines for entry, labeling and maximum/minimum print or digital file size, etc.) with the exception that two entries are allowed per person per contest. Entries will be paired so that a single person can win only one place in each contest. The total number of places per contest will be determined by the number of entrants per contest using the regular contest formula. Judging will be by experienced camera club photographers.