LPC Competition Rules

A printable pdf file of the LPC competition Rules can be seen here.

1. PURPOSE

Competitions are held to:

  • Encourage members to participate in photographic competition,

  • Provide education opportunities for improvement,

  • Promote the photographic arts in Loudoun County, and

  • Reward members' photographic achievements.

2. COMPETITION YEAR

The competition year begins with the entries submitted and judged in September and ends with the year-end competition in May or June.

3. LEVELS AND ADVANCEMENT

Valid levels for competition are:

  • Novice: Less experienced photographer

  • Intermediate: More experienced photographer

  • Experienced: Very experienced photographer

Rules for entry level and advancement are:

  • New members may start at any level at which they feel comfortable competing.

  • Members who accumulate 40 points within the competition year may require advancement to the next higher level (note this may occur mid-year).

  • At any time during the competition year after participation in two competitions by new members, the Contest Coordinator can assign individuals to a higher level if their results are clearly not in line with the level in which they are competing. Additionally, and at any time, if a member has not accumulated 40 points during the competition year, but both the member and the Contest Coordinator agree that the member should be more appropriately competing at a higher level, the member may be assigned to that higher level.

4. CATEGORIES

A. Color

B. Black & White (Monochrome) – Includes single color toned images (e.g. sepia toning)

The number of categories may be expanded or contracted if justified by member interests.

5. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

1. Only paid members may submit entries for competitions.

2. Number of entries:

  • Members at Novice and Intermediate level may submit a maximum of four (4) entries for any one competition. No more than two (2) entries may be in a single category (Color, B&W).

  • Members at Experienced level may submit a maximum of two (2) entries for any one competition. No more than one (1) entry may be in a single category (Color, B&W).

All Submissions

  • All entries must be submitted at the same level.

  • Digital submissions must be received by 11:59 PM on the Monday prior to the competition.

  • For print competitions:

  • An entry is ineligible if it has previously won a ribbon in an LPC competition.

  • The Contest Coordinator (or the President in the case of disputes regarding the Contest Coordinator’s entries) or the judge reserves the right to eliminate any entry which does not follow the rules, does not conform to the competition theme, or is deemed inappropriate.

  • Images entered must have general appeal and must not be objectionable to the general membership. Nude images are not suited for the family-oriented nature of the club's membership.

  • Images must have been captured using a digital or film camera. Scanned images are not permitted.

  • All images must have been taken by and be owned exclusively by the member.

  • Specific themes may allow for the addition or removal of certain restrictions. Any changes will be defined with the theme.

Print Submissions

  • Prints must be accompanied by a digital submission. (See 5.14.)

  • Prints must be received by 7:00 PM on the day of the competition.

  • The entry roster must be filled out and signed for all entries. (Roster available at club meetings)

  • Prints may be produced commercially or by the photographer.

  • The minimum size of the print (not including matting) is 5 by 7 inches.

    Print and mat requirements for print competitions:

  • Cover window mats are required. Cover mats may be white, gray or black with a minimum border of 1 inch along all sides. The border width may vary from side to side (e.g., museum weighted mats).

  • Double mats (multiple layers of mats) or floating mats (where print does not touch mat) are allowed based on Mid Atlantic Photo Vision (MAPV) rules.

  • The maximum outer dimensions including mat are 16 by 20 inches. Exceptions are: i. Panorama mats may not exceed 20 by 24 inches with no set ratio.

  • Square image mats may not exceed 16 by 16 inches.

  • The minimum window opening of the cover mat is 4.5 by 6.5 inches (e.g., a matted 5 by 7 inch print).

  • Matted images must be clearly labeled on the back with the photographer's name, level and category. This may be done with a sticker, Post-it note, or by printing legibly on the back of the mat.

  • Prints may not be framed or placed in a poly bag.

  • Prints may be signed, but the signature must be covered prior to judging.

Digital Submissions

  • Files must be in JPG format with sRGB color space.

  • The metadata “Artist” (i.e., “Creator”) field must identify the photographer.

  • The metadata “Description” field must be blank.

  • The metadata “Title” field should be populated for judging and is strongly encouraged.

  • The metadata “Title” field must not identify the photographer.

  • Watermarks are not allowed.

  • There are no size constraints for digital submissions. Consider that judges may wish to zoom an image to maximum resolution.

  • There is no restriction on the amount of or type of computer manipulation performed on the image. However, all manipulations and source material (e.g., cloned sources) must be made by and owned by the photographer.

  • Post processing, manipulation of the image is left to the discretion of the photographer, but it should be the photographer's judgement that the final image represents the work of the photographer and not that of another artist. Regardless, the judge has the final opinion on whether the use of post processing was suitable for the subject. Disputes regarding flagrant misuse of origin of content will be handled as defined below in Section 7.4.

  • Submissions must consist of a single final image. Use of multiple separate images to create triptychs, grids, or other multiple separate image prints are not permitted except in special cases such as a triptych themed competition, etc.

6. Right to Use

By submitting images to competition, you agree that Loudoun Photo Club may use the submitted image(s) for exhibit during competition and for promotional purposes in print form and online venues (e.g., the LPC web site, Facebook group, etc.).

7. JUDGING

A. The Contest Coordinator will select the judge(s).

B. If the judge does not show up for the competition, a substitute judge will be selected by the Contest Coordinator. The substitute judge shall be someone not exhibiting in the contest categories they are judging. This may necessitate selection of multiple judges.

C. The judge(s) will be given the name and description of the competition theme. The judge has the authority to disqualify any entry that does not satisfy the requirements as interpreted by the judge.

D. If any dispute of origin of content arises, all images will, for the duration of the competition, be given benefit of the doubt and place as judged. Proof of original content may be subsequently required. If origin cannot be adequately verified, image awards will be given to their successor. Non-awarded images will not subsequently be awarded a ribbon by this action.

E. Judging will be based on four (4) elements, each of which will have equal weight. They are:

  • INTEREST – Defined as the impact, the appeal, and the significance of the subject, and the way it is presented by the photographer.

  • COMPOSITION – The arrangement of the image's objects to show what the photographer wants you to see. It is the organization of the visual elements, such as lines, shapes, framing and perspective.

  • TECHNIQUE – Employs the mechanics of photography. The photographer's use of depth of field, focus, exposure control and flash to express his/her perspective.

  • PRESENTATION – The quality of the printing and matting to present a clean, professional presentation of the image.

F. The Best in Show winners will be selected from among the first-place winners for that competition month.

G. In June or July, the first-place winners from previous months that competition year will compete for Photograph of the Year. Eligible entries may be expanded to include other prints at the discretion of the Contest Coordinator.

8. POINTS AND RIBBONS

  • A minimum of three images must be entered in any individual combination of level and category for that level and category to be judged separately. If there are less than three entrants, they will be grouped with another level in that same category. If there are still an insufficient number of entries, then that category will be grouped with another category.

  • PLACE POINTS are awarded to the monthly competition entries.

  • Additional Honorable Mentions may be awarded so that the total number of ribbons awarded is ¼ of the entries (rounding up) with a maximum of 2 Honorable Mentions ribbons awarded per category.

    Ribbons will be awarded as follows:

Number of Entries

The following points table will be used for Novice and Intermediate levels.

The following points table will be used for the Experienced level.

9. AWARDS

  • One Photographer-of-the-Year award will be given to the member with the most points during the competition year. Eligibility for this award requires entry in a minimum of three competitions.

  • Print-of-the-year will be selected by member vote from all 1st place winners during the competition year or from any eligible prints as determined by the Contest Coordinator prior to the competition.

  • Competition year-end awards will be made at a club social function during June or July.