Competition summary
During our season we run a number of competitions for members. Our usual events are as follows.
- Four competitions for prints - black & white or colour, traditional or digital, home or trade processed. Pictures must be mounted, with maximum mount size 50cm x 40cm; the longest side of the print must be at least 17.5cm.
- Four competitions for digitally projected images: three for any subject and one on a nominated theme.
- Final contests for prints and projected images, for which members may enter a maximum of two photographs in each medium - from their entries in the season's relevant competitions. (Numbers may be reduced if there are large numbers of entries.)
- A Panel competition, where individual members can enter a panel of six prints, either colour or black and white, on a theme of their own choosing. Entries are assessed on photographic merit, relevance to the chosen theme, and how the prints work together as a panel.
- A 'team challenge' competition, where teams of three members are asked to enter a panel of six prints on a subject set by the Club. Entries are assessed on their photographic merit and on the success in illustrating the subject. Early in a calendar year we allocate the volunteer entrants to teams to create broadly similar experience levels in each group. The judged competition evening is then usually the first meeting the subsequent New Year, so teams have roughly eight or nine months to complete the project. Mixing people like this has been a tremendous contributor to getting to know other members, to learn from each other and hopefully having some fun as well. Oh, and it very often produces some of the best photos we see in the Club!
Certificates and trophies are awarded to winners of many of the season's events. A specific award is made to 'starters' at the Club to encourage our newer, less experienced, members to take part in our competitions.
Competition rules
Full rules of the competitions are available to members from the Competition Secretaries at any meeting. You may also download the Competition Rules from our Downloads page. These now include our guidelines on photo sizing and other requirements for digital image competitions.
Nature photography definitions
Sevenoaks Camera Club competitions do not have specific sections for nature work. However some external contests that we enter, such as those of the KCPA, do. The restrictions on what is and isn't allowed in a nature shot are quite tight and if doing this sort of photography you may want to check out the nature photography definition on the KCPA website. These are common to the FIAP, PAGB and RPS as well.
If your nature photo does not comply, we would not be able to enter it in the nature category of an external contest, no matter how good it is, so prevention is a good idea! (Non-compliance with nature rules would not necessarily prevent a photo being entered in an open or general section: the nature restrictions only apply in nature categories.)