SUMMARY OF VPS COMPETITION RULE CHANGES FOR 2023-2024

# of Digital Entries increased to 4General Provisions
The Vienna Photographic Society (VPS) sponsors monthly competitions.  Only members of VPS
with dues paid in full may enter the competitions.  The competition Classes are:  Novice and
Advanced.  The competition categories for digital entries are: 
 Open Digital for Advanced,
 Open Digital for Novice, and
 two Digital Monthly Theme categories for all classes, and
 Open Digital Art for all classes. 
Open Digital Art
This category is reserved for images that clearly depict “altered reality”.  They may be of any subject,
and should show an obvious change in natural color, form or shape or some combination of all
three.  Images altered to look like a painting, pencil drawing, or abstract would fit in this category.  All
images must be original, as well as any incorporated elements, including textures. Original artwork
or computer graphics may be incorporated as long as the original photographic content
predominates. Images may not be entirely computer generated. Creative digital filters, that
manipulate existing photographic pixels to produce effects such as brush strokes and surface
texture, are permitted.  High Dynamic Range (HDR) images without further changes would not be
appropriate for this category.
New Theme Designation – “Realistic”
The Competition manager may designate any theme for any month as “Realistic”.  This means the
post processing for this theme is limited so the realism of the image is preserved:
Spot removal, contrast and level adjustments, conversion to monochrome, color and saturation
adjustments, and cropping are permitted. Focus stacking, HDR composites, stitched panoramas and
other procedures that combine multiple images of the same scene are allowed.  Combining multiple
exposures of a changing scene is not allowed. Minor cloning to remove trash, powerlines, etc. is
allowed.  Other techniques used to remove, rearrange pictorial elements, or add image elements or
textures not in the original scene are not allowed.
All Images Rule – This rule applies to all images, digital or print, submitted in any competition
category:
·       All photos entered in a competition must be taken by the person submitting the photo. In
categories where composites or other digital manipulations, are allowed, all work, including added
textures and other elements must be created by the submitter. Images processed using
generative fill are unacceptable.
For all the “Open” competition categories and all regular themes in the Theme category, the above
“All Images Rule” is the only post processing rule.  Any software may be used as so long as any
elements added to the original image are created by the submitter. Monthly Digital Theme topics are
selected by a method approved by the Board.  Topics for the monthly Digital Themes will be
included in the competition schedule posted on the club’s Web site.

While we are meeting virtually because of Covid-19, you may submit up to 4 digital images (instead of just 3) on a competition evening, and no more than 2 images in any one category.

New Competition Category—Open Digital Art

We have removed the Digital Art Theme designation, and created a new competition category – Open Digital Art.  This category is reserved for images that clearly depict “altered reality”.  They may be of any subject, and should show an obvious change in natural color, form or shape or some combination of all three.  Images altered to look like a painting, pencil drawing, or abstract would fit in this category.  All images must be original, as well as any incorporated elements, including textures. Original artwork or computer graphics may be incorporated as long as the original photographic content predominates. Images may not be entirely computer generated. Creative digital filters, that manipulate existing photographic pixels to produce effects such as brush strokes and surface texture, are permitted.  High Dynamic Range (HDR) images without further changes would not be appropriate for this category.

With the Digital Art Category addition, we now have 4 competition categories:

·       Open Prints  (suspended while meeting virtually)

·       Digital Monthly Themes (2 /month)

·       Open Digital

·       Open Digital Art

All Images RuleThis rule applies to all images, digital or print, submitted in any competition category:

·       All photos entered in a competition must be taken by the person submitting the photo. In categories where composites or other digital manipulations, are allowed, all work, including added textures and other elements must be created by the submitter.

For all the “Open” competition categories and all regular themes in the Theme category, the above “All Images Rule” is the only post processing rule.  Any software may be used as long as any elements added to the original image are created by the submitter.

New Theme Designation – “Realistic”

The Competition manager may designate any theme for any month as “Realistic”.  This means the post processing for this theme is limited so the realism of the image is preserved:

Spot removal, contrast and level adjustments, conversion to monochrome, color and saturation adjustments, and cropping are permitted. Focus stacking, HDR composites, stitched panoramas and other procedures that combine multiple images of the same scene are allowed.  Combining multiple exposures of a changing scene is not allowed. Minor cloning to remove trash, powerlines, etc. is allowed.  Other techniques used to remove, rearrange pictorial elements, or add image elements or textures not in the original scene are not allowed.

 

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General Provisions

Vienna Photographic Society (VPS) shall sponsor monthly competitions.  Only members of VPS with dues paid in full may enter into the competitions.  The competition Classes are:  Novice and Advanced.  The competition categories for digital entries are  Open Digital for Advanced, Open Digital for Novice, and two Digital Monthly Theme categories for all classes.  There is also a Prints category for all classes.

Members may submit four (4) images per competition with no more than three (3) being digital, i.e., to submit four images one must be a print.  Any combination of category is allowed with the maximum of two (2) images per single category.  For example: one Advanced Open Digital, one Digital Monthly Theme and two Prints may be submitted or two Advanced Open Digital, one Digital Monthly Theme and one Print..  Members cannot submit entries into two different classes, i.e., a member is either Advanced or Novice..

All entries, other than digital entries, must be submitted no later than 10 minutes before the scheduled meeting time on competition night to be eligible for presentation to the judge.  Digital entries must be submitted by midnight Eastern Time the Sunday before the competition.  Digital entries may not be submitted earlier than the Thursday after the first meeting of the month.

Monthly Digital Theme topics will be selected by a method approved by the Board.  Topics for the monthly Digital Themes will be included in the competition schedule posted on the club’s Web site and will be announced in the Focal Points newsletter.

The judge for the evening will be the final arbiter on whether an image meets the criteria of the theme. 

For a monthly competition to be held in any category there must be two (2) or more participants entering that category and a minimum of three (3) images.  If the minimum is not met, the judge may critique the images, but no awards will be given.  There is no maximum number of entries in a category.

At the end of the VPS year, a final annual competition shall be held.  All images having received a first, second, third or honorable mention award in any class of any category in one of that year’s monthly competitions will be eligible to compete in that category for the image of the year award.  For the end-of-the-year competition, it is not necessary that there be more than one participant in any class or category in order for the competition to be held in that class or category.  

Assignment of Members to Classes

The two (2) classes of competition are as follows: 

Novice for entrants who are relatively inexperienced in still photography in the medium of exhibition or members with moderate experience who feel that they are not ready to compete at a higher level.  Entrants may not have competed at the Advanced level during the current competition year. 

Advanced, for the more experienced exhibitors.

Any member may elect to exhibit in the Advanced Class.  However, upon doing so, the member becomes ineligible to compete in the Novice Class during the current competition year.

At the end of each year, the Vice President for Competition shall determine which members have earned fifteen (15) or more points and at least one first place award in a category.  Those members will be promoted to the next higher Class.  For advancement purposes, points are accumulated from year to year.

A member who has entered fifty percent or more of the scheduled contests in one year and has not earned any awards at an advanced level may return to the next lower class upon written request to the Vice President for Competitions and with concurrence of the Board.  A member who has entered fifty percent or more of the scheduled contests in two years and has not earned more than two awards at an advanced level may return to the next lower class upon written request to the Vice President for Competitions and with concurrence of the Board.  Any member reverting to a lower level will be promoted to the next higher class upon earning ten (10) or more points at that lower level. 

All promotions based on number of points earned take place at the end of the competition year.

Awards

  The number of awards given is based on the number of entries in a category.  If more than 11 entries are received, additional awards will be Honorable Mention awards.  An honorable mention award will be added every five additional entries after the twelfth entry.  Entries are unlimited.  The table below illustrates, but does not limit, the awards.[1] 

 

Number of entries

Number of Awards

Awards to be given, if no ties

3– 5

1

1st Place

6 – 8

2

1stand 2nd Places

9 – 11

3

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places

12 – 16

4

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places and (1) Honorable Mention

17 – 21

5

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places and (2) Honorable Mentions

22 – 26

6

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places and (3) Honorable Mentions

27 – 31

7

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places and (4) Honorable Mentions

32 - 36

8

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places and (5) Honorable Mentions

37 - 41

9

1st, 2nd, and 3rd Places and (6) Honorable Mentions

 

Point System

Image competition points will be given based on the number of awards in the category as follows:

            o First Place – the number of awards

            o Second Place – the number of awards minus one

            o Third Place – the number of awards minus two

            o Honorable Mention – half the points awarded to third place

For example, if there were 20 entries in a category, the first place winner will receive five points; the second place winner will receive four points; the third place winner will receive three points and each of the winners of the honorable mention will receive one and a half points.  Thus, winning in a competition in which there are more entries will increase the number of points awarded.

Disqualifications after judging

If an image is disqualified after judging has taken place, the awards and points awarded for all other images remain the same.  For example, if there were originally 17 entries in the competition resulting in five awards, the disqualification of an unribboned image does not change the number of awards given., i.e., all other competitors retain their ribbons and the points they were awarded.  If the image disqualified is a winner, the awards given other winners in that category do not change.  The points are just not awarded to that image.  For example, if the image disqualified had received a second place award, the third place winner does NOT receive the points for second place.  This is done because there is no ranking within honorable mention awards.  

Rules for Categories of Competition

Any images receiving an award may not be reentered in any other category in any subsequent competition in that year or any subsequent year except the end of year competition in the year the award was made.

Images can be disqualified if deemed in inappropriate taste by the unanimous decision of the Vice President for Competitions, the head of the Digital Projection committee and the President.

Prints  -

 A.  Provisions:

1.  All prints must be from images photographed by the entrant.

2.  All prints must be mounted on a firm, white backing.  The backing must be strong enough to allow the print to stand upright in the light box without “crumpling”.  The prints do NOT need to be matted but may be matted.  The image does not need to fill the entire sheet of paper and the paper does not need to be the same size as the backing.  However, the paper on which the image is printed should not be larger than the backing to which it is attached.

3.  The name of the entrant, the title of the print and arrows indicating "This End Up" must appear on the back of the mount.  Entries should have the number corresponding with the number on the sign-up sheet written at the top right near the designation arrow with a circle around it.  This can be done in pencil or on tape in order not to mar the back of the image.

4.  Neither the name of the maker, nor the title of the print may appear on the face of the print or mount.

5.  A mount may contain more than one image, but all of the images on the mount will be judged as a single entry.

6.  Entries that are framed, or have attached hardware, or have anything that might cause damage to other images will not be eligible for competition.

7.  Neither prints nor mounts may exceed 24 inches in height.

8.  Any images receiving an award may not be reentered in subsequent monthly competitions in that year with the exception of the end of year competition.  .

Digital – NOVICE and ADVANCED  

A.  Provisions:

1.  All images must be original work by entrant.

2.  The submitted file may not exceed 2 MB.

3.  The image may not exceed 1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels tall.

4.  Any images receiving an award may not be reentered in subsequent monthly competitions in that year with the exception of the end of year competition.  Images receiving an award may not be entered in any subsequent year except an image that received an award in the Novice category in a prior year may be submitted in the Advanced category.  If it also receives an award at the Advanced level it may not be reentered in any subsequent competitions with the exception of the end of year competition.

Digital – Theme

A.  Provisions:

1.  All images must be original work by entrant.

2.  The submitted file may not exceed 2 MB.

3.  The image may not exceed 1920 pixels wide and 1080 pixels tall.

4.  Any images receiving an award may not be reentered in subsequent monthly competitions in that year with the exception of the end of year competition nor in any subsequent years. 

B.  The subject matter for this category will be announced in advance.  The judge for the evening will be the final arbiter on whether the image meets the criteria of the theme.

End of Year Awards

For the end of the year competition only images that received awards during that competition year will be eligible.  There will be no maximum number of entries allowed for any member.  All eligible images may be entered.  The number of awards in each Class/Category will be determined as in the monthly competitions.

Also to be awarded at the end of the year competition is a "Best of Show" award.  All entries, Novice and Advanced, and in all categories will compete on an equal basis for this award.  


[1] The algorithm for determining the number of honorable mentions to be awarded is:  If the number of entries is greater than 11, subtract 7 from number of entries.  Divide the resulting number by 5, ignoring any remainder or fraction.  The result is the number of honorable mentions.

 



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