OPS members are invited to participate in a range of competitions throughout the season. Competition entries are assessed by an invited judge, who is usually an active member of another camera club and holder of recognized awards from The Royal Photographic Society or the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain. Trophies are awarded and the winner of each round will receive a gift voucher from either our sponsor T4 Cameras or our supporter Jessops. Photographers of all ability levels are encouraged to enter, primarily to receive feedback from the judge and compare their work and the comments received to other entries.

Competitions - Definitions

• Open - Projected Image Competition
• Open - Monochrome Print Competition
• Open - Colour Print Competition

Annual

• Take 5
• Panel Competition (projected images and prints)

Bi-Annual

• Ward Trophy (Audio Visual using Single/Multi 35mm or Digital Projector)

General - All Competitions

• Members must have paid the annual subscription for the current season before entries will be accepted for any club competition.
• The content of all entries must be the work of the photographer - the competition secretary reserves the right to refuse any entry that might be considered likely to cause offense.
• No image, or very similar image, shall have been used previously in the same competition [see below for definition of ‘competition’].
• The same image may only be used in any given season in only one of the league competitions, i.e. the Open Projected Image Competition, Open Monochrome Print Competition or Open Colour Print Competition. o Any digital manipulation must be by the photographer.
• All entries may be processed and/or printed by the photographer, trade processed and/or printed, or produced digitally unless otherwise specified in the individual competition rules.
• A maximum of three entries per member will be permitted in each competition unless otherwise specified below. The third title on the member's submitted list may be withdrawn if entry is too large.
• All photographs must be entered by the competition deadline specified in the programme. Late entries will not be accepted under any circumstances and the competition secretary has no discretion to vary from this rule.
• Any entry that does not satisfy the rules or the ‘spirit of the rules’ as determined by the committee, shall be excluded.

• The author of each image entered in a regular club competition will have the option to supply supplementary information, limited to a maximum of 8 words per image, to be read out with the image title. The supplementary information must be strictly limited to matters of fact relating to the subject and production of the image and can be excluded at the discretion of the Internal Competition Secretary.

All competitions will be split into two Groups A & B. Group A is for experienced club photographers (use Exp in titles) and Group B is for newer members (use Nov in titles). Each group will be scored separately and will have their own league and winners. The judges will be advised to comment and mark accordingly. Members will nominate which group they wish to be in at the start of the season for the whole season, but the Internal Competition Secretary, at their sole discretion, can reallocate (but only at the start of the season) a member from group B to A if they feel that is more appropriate.

General - Projected Image

• Each competition will feature 35mm slides and digital files; each format projected sequentially
• Each competition will have a winner, second and third place named by the judge; the judge may award up to 4 Highly Commended.

35mm Slides

• Slides shall be no larger than 35mm format.
• Slides may be glass mounted for protection.
• Slides must be correctly spotted and bear the title and photographer’s name.
• Entries, accompanied by a completed entry form shall be submitted to the Internal Competition Secretary at least seven days in advance of the competition date.

Digital Files

• Entries must be .jpeg or .tiff format and full details of how to submit are available on the website at www.oxfordphotosociety.co.uk (look for Entering Digital Competitions in the competition guide on the home page) or from the competition secretary.
• Files will be judged at actual size up to a maximum size of 1400 pixels wide and 1050 pixels high and submitted files should not exceed this size.
• Files may be submitted on CD or memory stick no later than seven days in advance of the competition date.
• A completed entry form of titles shall be submitted to the Internal Competition Secretary at least seven days in advance of the competition date.

General - Prints

• Prints, including mount, shall be no larger than 40 x 50 cm.
• Prints shall be mounted on card and bear the title and photographer’s name on the back.
• A completed entry form shall be submitted to the Internal Competition Secretary at least seven days in advance of the competition date.
• Each competition will have a winner, second and third place named by the judge; the judge may award up to 4 Highly Commended.
• Prints shall be presented to the Internal Competition Secretary, one week in advance of the print competition.

• In the event of a large entry competitions with 3 entries per person, at the discretion of the Internal Competition Secretary, the third entry will be shown and scored without comment from the judge, in order to manage time.

Competition marking

Judges will be asked to comment on each picture and award a mark from 20.

Following this assessment judges will be asked to place entries as follows (these placings do not attract additional marks):-

• First Place
• Second Place
• Third Place
• Up to four highly commended

In the league competitions, these marks will be accumulated over the year, to give results for the annual trophies. At the end of the year, the highest 9 marks (from a possible 12) for each entrant will determine the final total.

COMPETITIONS

Open Projected Image League Competition

• All entrants will compete in a single group.
• All competitions will have an ‘open’ subject and will be scored from 20
• Entries may be colour, monochrome, duotone etc.
• The season’s competition will consist of four rounds.
• The winner of each round will receive a gift voucher from either our sponsor T4 Cameras or our supporter Jessops
• End of year totals will comprise the highest 9 marks from the possible 12 awarded
• A winner’s trophy will be awarded at the end of the season.

Open Monochrome Print League Competition

• All entrants will compete in a single group.
• All competitions will have an ‘open’ subject and will be scored from 20
• Monochrome is defined as B&W or a single toned print.
• The season’s competition will consist of four rounds.
• The winner of each round will receive a gift voucher from either our sponsor T4 Cameras or our supporter Jessops
• End of year totals will comprise the highest 9 marks from the possible 12 awarded
• A winner’s trophy will be awarded at the end of the season.

Open Colour Print League Competition

• All entrants will compete in a single group.
• All competitions will have an ‘open’ subject and will be scored from 20
• Entries will be full colour, B&W with any additional colour(s) or duotone/tritone etc
• The season’s competition will consist of four rounds.
• The winner of each round will receive a gift voucher from either our sponsor T4 Cameras or our supporter Jessops
• End of year totals will comprise the highest 9 marks from the possible 12 awarded
• A winner’s trophy will be awarded at the end of the season.

Take 5

• A projected image competition open to all members.
• A maximum of five images per member will be permitted.
• All entries must be new work and not previously used in any competition.
• The first three places will be announced.
• Club members will judge the competition, scoring each image between 1-5 points. Panel Competition [Slide & Print]

• Separate projected image and print competitions open to all members.
• Each set of pictures should explore and represent a stated theme.
• A maximum of two sets per member will be permitted; sets can be presented as
  • three 35mm slides
  • a single triptych digital image
  • a panel of two to six prints
• Please note the overall number of entries may need to be reduced on the night, if the volume is not manageable.
• Slides should be marked Left, Centre and Right to show the position in which they should be viewed.
• Prints should be supplied with a display plan to show the position in which they should be viewed in two rows.
• Entries will not be scored and the following trophies will be awarded to the winners:
  • Slides - Trevor Jones Medal
  • Prints - Club Cup

Ward Trophies [Bi-Annual Single & Multi Projector Audio Visual]

On Hold