About Competitions

Petersfield Photographic Society is affiliated to the Southern Counties Photographic Federation and participates in the SCPF annual league competition for prints and projected digital images (PDIs). All the current year’s competitions are listed in the programme. At the end of the season, the club selection committee chooses sixteen ‘seal’ images (eight prints and eight PDIs) to compete in the SCPF league. The images will then be judged against entries from up to seven competing clubs in the same league as Petersfield. The two highest-scoring clubs will move up a division whilst the two lowest-scoring move down.

The selection committee also selects six prints and eight digital images from seal winners to represent the club in the annual SCPF exhibition.

You can find out more about the league on the SCPF website.

Scoring

For club competitions, there are two classes: advanced and standard. Seals are awarded for 8½ marks or more out of a maximum 10. At the end of the season, club trophies are awarded to the member with the highest total marks of the three competitions for each category. In the event of a tie, there is a ‘count-back’ using the highest marks attained for each print/PDI.

Members’ PDIs/prints scoring less than 8½ marks may only be re-entered once more in club competitions.

No PDIs/prints which have gained 8½ marks or more (or equivalent in other clubs) may be re-entered into any further advanced or standard class competitions.

PDIs/prints which have previously been accepted for SCPF competitions/exhibitions are ineligible for any further SCPF competitions/exhibitions.

Rules

  1. The winner in the standard print and PDI class will automatically go up into the equivalent advanced class in the following season. The committee will then decide if it is necessary to invite runners-up to go into the advanced class. 
  2. The person obtaining the lowest total score in each advanced class league will compete in the equivalent standard class league in the following season. 
  3. The committee reserves the right to adjust this system where and when they deem it necessary, but with sufficient notice to the membership. 
  4. Images scoring fewer than 8.5 marks may be re-entered once more in club competitions. This must be in a subsequent season, but can be as either PDI or print. 
  5. No prints/PDIs which have been awarded a seal (or equivalent in other clubs) may be re-entered into any further seal awarding competitions. 
  6. Prints/PDIs which have been entered in club competitions may also be used in other non-seal awarding specialised competitions and vice versa. 
  7. The same image may not be used as both a print and PDI in the same season in club competitions. 
  8. All PDIs and prints which gain seals throughout the season will be considered for selection for the SCPF competitions and exhibition in the following season. 
  9. All PDIs and prints for competitions should be submitted to the relevant competition secretary by the pre-notified due date. 
  10. No text should be added to the image using an image editing programme, nor anything that identifies the author. 
  11. Source images must comply with the following points: 
    • Images entered must be entirely the work of the photographer. 
    • Composite images are permitted provided all component images meet 
    • this requirement. 
    • The use of frames, filters and other manipulation tools is accepted. 
    • Use of third-party images including clipart and royalty-free images is not 
    • permitted. Use of part-images which are included in image editing 
    • programmes (eg, skies) is not permitted. 
    • In accordance with PAGB rules, all images used in the creation of another image must be the original photography of the author. All submitted images must be entirely the author’s own work, including all layers of composited images and all editing.

Digital images must be submitted as follows:

  • Size: maximum width 1600px and maximum height 1200px
  • File type: JPEG–highest quality
  • File naming convention: Author Name_Image title.jpg (note single ‘_’ and spaces permitted in author name and title; eg, Fred Bloggs_Bird on a stick.jpg)
  • Colour space: sRGB

PDIs may be submitted on CD/DVD or by email to the PDI competition secretary.

SCPF Leagues & Competitions

Each season the club enters PDI and print images into SCPF League competitions and an exhibition to compete against other clubs. These images are chosen from images awarded seals in club league competitions and photo challenges in the previous season.

For the SCPF league competitions, clubs are arranged in leagues of normally eight clubs. Each club hosts judging evenings for PDIs and prints and invites a class three judge to score the images. Each competing club in the league has its scores totalled before being placed in score order. The top scoring club receives eight points and so on down to the bottom scoring club receiving one point. Club members are free to attend judging at all clubs in their league.

After all eight rounds have been completed, points are totalled to complete the league. Countback is used if there is a tie. The top two clubs are promoted and the bottom two clubs are demoted. This ensures a variety of clubs compete with one another each year.

The images in the SCPF Exhibition are also marked and awards are made to the best. Petersfield Photographic Society members have received several awards at past exhibitions.