COMPETITIONS RULES

1 - The Committee may make such additions or amendments to these rules as it considers to be for the benefit of the Club and its decision as to the intended interpretation of any rule shall be final.

2 - Competitions are open only to "paid-up" full members. Associate members are not eligible.

3 - Existing full members are either beginners or advanced workers in prints or slides or both. A new member with little or no photographic experience will be a beginner. A new member, whose work is considered by the Committee to be of an acceptable standard, will be required to compete in the appropriate advanced sections.

4 - A beginner who achieves a first place in either the Paul E Damen Shield, Joan Hildreth Trophy, or Thurgood Shield competitions may, subject to the approval of the Committee that the quality of the competition was of the requisite standard, become an advanced print and or slide worker as appropriate.

5 - The dates of all competitions and the subjects for any set-subject competitions shall be decided by the Committee and announced in advance. Details will normally appear in the Club programme.

6 - For most competitions the Committee shall appoint an external judge. Other competitions may be judged either by a Club member, a group of Club members formed as a Panel or the entire membership of the Club. Members judging as individuals or in a Panel cannot enter the competition they are judging. When the entire membership judges a competition, members will abstain from marking their own entries. In all circumstances, any decision made by any "judge" shall be final.

7 - To allow time for adequate preparation and to ensure a prompt start to the evening, the title of each entry must be submitted to the Competition Secretary by the date announced (normally not less than one week before the competition). Later submissions will not be accepted.

8 - Each entry must have been exposed by the member but films may be commercially processed.

9 - To encourage the production of new work, each entry may be submitted once only in competition for the same trophy.

10 - A member may not submit more than three entries for each competition. This number may be varied under special circumstances by the Committee. Entries to each competition must be numbered in order of preference. If, in the opinion of the Competition Secretary, the total entry will result in a extended evening then, with the agreement of the President, an appropriate number of lower preference entries will be removed from the competition.

11 - For the PauI E Damen Shield, the Joan Hildreth Trophy and the Thurgood Shield competitions, the judge shall award marks out of twenty for each entry. For all other competitions, the judge shall award first, second and third places together with as many "highly commended" awards as are considered to be merited.

12 - In a set-subject competition, the judge may decline to mark an entry considered to fall outside the scope of the subject.

13 - Ted's Tankard becomes the personal property of the winner. For all other competitions, winners hold their Trophies until required for the following year's competition. If two, or more, members tie for first place in the Paul E Damen Shield, the Joan Hildreth Trophy or Thurgood Shield competitions then the trophies shall be awarded to them jointly and held by each of them for a proportionate period.

14 - The Committee reserves the right to retain work for competitions.


ADDITIONAL RULES FOR PRINT COMPETITIONS

15 - Prints may be produced by traditional processing or be computer generated.

16 - Prints may be commercially printed.

17 - Prints must be mounted. There is no minimum size. For the Barbara "Small print" Trophy the maximum size, including the mount, is 80 square inches. For all other prints the maximum size, including the mount, is 20 inches by 16 inches.

18 - Prints must show the member's name and a distinctive title on the back of the mount. The title may also appear on the front of the mount. Prints not adequately identified may be disqualified.

19 - Computer generated prints must be the author's work.


ADDITIONAL RULES FOR SLIDE COMPETITIONS

20 - Slides must be mounted in standard 2 inch by 2 inch mounts, preferably between glass. The picture area may be any shape or size within the limits of the mount.

21 - Slides must be "spotted". When held in the hand for viewing the spot must be positioned in the bottom left hand corner of the mount.

22 - Slides must bear the member's name and a distinctive title. Slides not adequately identified may be disqualified.

23 - Computer generated slides must be the author's work.

DIGITAL IMAGING

The Ware & District Photographic Society does not have any specific rules relating to Digital Imaging. The Committee has taken the view that it should encourage all forms of picture production and that Digital Imaging is just another stage of that process.
Providing the copyright of the final picture and any images used in it's creation is the work of the photographer, it has never been felt a matter of concern. The Committee actively encourages any form of picture taking/creation.