Competition Rules

September 2024 - May 2025
Approved by the Board of Directors

Section 1: General Rules

A. The Competition Committee of no less than three members is responsible for conducting club competitions, and developing, interpreting, and enforcing the Competition Rules of the Coastal Camera Club (CCC).

B. The Club President appoints the Competition Chairperson. For the 2024-2025 Program year, Paul Sylvia is the Chairperson and may be contacted via email at competition@coastalcameraclub.com or psylviaphotography@gmail.com.

C. Monthly Competitions will be held from September through April. A Year End Competition will be held the second Wednesday in May.

D. Members in good standing may enter CCC competitions.

E. The Competition Committee will place members into one of three levels (1, 2, or 3) for competitions. New club members will be placed in Level 1 unless additional information (e.g., professional photographers, PSA, acceptance in juried exhibits, other recognition, awards, and/ or portfolio review) indicates placement in Level 2 or 3. The usual progression is Level 1 to Level 2 to Level 3.

    1. Progression to the next level will be determined at the completion of the competition year based upon the member having demonstrated the ability to     compete at a more advanced level. In making this determination, factors such as average scores, awards, and number of entries will be considered.
    2. A member may request a return to their previous level.

F. Competition Types:

    1. PROJECTED DIGITAL COMPETITIONS are competitions where the digital image* submitted by the member is scored using the projection of that image. No prints are used in scoring.
    2. PRINT COMPETITIONS are competitions where a member submits a print that is scored after viewing in a light box or other even lighting. Anyone submitting a print for competition must also submit a digital image* for members to view the digital image* on our projection screen. The judges score only the print, not the projected image.
    3. *DIGITAL IMAGES refers to the jpeg images that must be supplied for both types of competitions no later than 11:59 pm EST on the Wednesday of the week prior to the scheduled competition.

G. The competition schedule for the entire program is published on the CCC website at least one month prior to the start of the competition program.

H. Each month a member may submit up to two images, with no more than one image per category for that month.

I. A print or digital image that has placed in CCC competitions in any form may not form the basis of a new competition submission in the same or in a new form, and may not be re-entered in a
Monthly Competition. A different version of the same original photo may not be entered in the same monthly competition. A print or digital image that has NOT placed may be re-entered in another competition.

 

Section 2: Competition Categories

Competition Categories: There are six (6) Competition Categories available each month. They are:

1) Open Color: The photograph is not monochromatic.

• All elements need to be the photographer’s own work.

• HDR, stacking, stitched, and composite images are allowed.

• Vignettes are allowed.

• Borders/digital frames are not allowed except a thin white border may be added to separate the background of a dark image and the boundaries of an image from the black background of the competition software.

• The final result must begin with an original image or series of images that were captured or made by the maker either digitally or on film.

 

2) Open Mono: The photograph is monochromatic: Limited to B&W, Sepia (colors of browns), or Cyanotype (bluish colors).

• All elements need to be the photographer’s own work.

• HDR, stacking, stitched, and composite images are allowed.

• Vignettes are allowed.

• Borders/digital frames are not allowed except a thin white border may be added to separate the background of a dark image and the boundaries of an image from the black background of the competition software.

• The final result must begin with an original image or series of images that were captured or made by the maker either digitally or on film.

 

3) Assigned Pictorial: (Color or Monochromatic): An Assigned Pictorial image expresses the “TOPIC” of the month.

• All elements need to be the photographer’s own work.

• HDR, stacking, stitched, and composite images are allowed.

• Vignettes are allowed.

• Borders/digital frames are not allowed except a thin white border may be added to separate the background of a dark image and the boundaries of an image from the black background of the competition software.

• The final result must begin with an original image or series of images that were captured or made by the maker either digitally or on film.

 

4) Nature: Nature photography is a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures.

All allowed adjustments must appear natural.

• Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history. Human elements (hand of man) to include humans, shall not be present. Photographs of human created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are not allowed, as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement.

• Photographs of animals or plants that are constrained or in an unnatural environment such as zoos, aquariums, controlled environments, photographic game farms, rescue leagues, cages, butterflies in butterfly houses, or any other situations where human intervention is required for survival are not allowed.

• Infrared images and UV, either direct-captures or derivations, are not allowed.

• Textures or substituted backgrounds are not allowed.

• Techniques that add, relocate, replace, or remove pictorial elements except by cropping are not allowed.

• Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the pictorial content, or without altering the content of the original scene, are permitted including HDR, focus stacking, and dodging/burning. Techniques that remove elements added by the camera, such as dust spots, digital noise, and film scratches, are allowed. All allowed adjustments must appear natural. Color images may be converted to Black and White.

• Scientific bands, scientific tags, or radio collars on wild animals are allowed.

• Borders/digital frames are not allowed except a thin white border may be added to separate the background of a dark image and the boundaries of an image from the black background of the competition software.

• The final result must begin with an original image or series of images that were captured or made by the maker either digitally or on film.

 

5) Creative Artistry: Images must represent an altered reality, meaning an image is noticeably different from a scene normally viewed through a camera lens. These images should display skill in imagination and originality. There is no requirement that the final Creative Artistry image be recognizable or represent any specific object. An image may be abstract (unrecognizable images and/or items), or an image may include images and/or items that create imaginary scenes.

• The final result must begin with an original image or series of images that were captured or made by the maker either digitally or on film.

• The intent is to encourage members to learn photo manipulation and various post-processing tools and techniques.

• There are no restrictions on the processes used to create the final Creative Artistry image.

• Judges are instructed to evaluate, critique, and score Creative Artistry entries for their overall photographic impact, not for the amount of manipulation required to achieve the effect

6) Multi-Scapes : Landscape photography involves capturing an image that embodies the spirit and the beauty of the outdoors. Multi-Scapes broadens the traditional definition of landscape photography to include images of the sea, sky, skylines and much more. Multi-Scape photography can include, but not be limited to the following topics.

Multi-Scape Examples:

• Cityscape/Urban - images that capture scenes within a city or town.

• Architectural – images capturing photographs of the exterior of buildings and similar architectural structures. This can be architecture found in all environments from urban to rural.

• Seascapes – Images depicting the sea, ocean or other waterway as the main subject of the photograph.

• Nightscapes – images containing large swaths of the sky

• Star Trails – images that focus on the path starlight creates in the night sky over a time.

• Intimate Landscapes – images that show a smaller selection of a larger scene, for instance, a waterfall, or a single tree in the midst of a forest.

• Sunset and Sunrise – images that capture the beauty and drama of the sky and landscape.

• Natural or grand landscapes: While these landscapes may have people, animals or architecture present in the photos, the primary focus of the photograph is natural scenery.

Multi-Scape Image Requirements:

• Images can be color or monochromatic.

• Hand of Man is allowed. For instance, photographs can include roads, utility poles, wires, and structures such as barns, stables, or homes among the landscape. Architectural or cityscape/urban photography will prominently feature man-made objects such as buildings, roads or bridges.

• Photographs can include humans and animals as incidental to the image, such as cattle in a distant pasture in a farmland landscape, or a human in the scene to illustrate scale.

• HDR, stacking, stitched, and panorama’s, are allowed.

• Composites are allowed.

• Infrared images are allowed.

• Vignettes are allowed.

• All elements need to be the photographers own work.

• Borders/digital frames are not allowed except a thin white border may be added to separate the background of a dark image and the boundaries of an image from the black background of the competition software.

• The final result must begin with an original image or series of images that were captured or made by the maker either digitally or on film.

 

Section 3: Digital and Print Submissions

A. Print and matting requirements for images submitted in PRINT COMPETITIONS are as follows:

1. All print entries MUST be single MATTED. Un-matted entries will NOT be accepted, nor will double (or more) mats or dry mounted prints.

2. The matted print must be mounted on smooth rigid backing material, such as foam board.

3. The print, mat, and backing board must be secured to prevent slippage.

4. Maximum mat dimension on any one side is 20”.

5. Allowable mat colors are white, off-white/ecru, and black.

6. Single mats with standard cutout shapes, including oval and round, are allowed.

7. Framed images or images with glass fronts are not allowed.

8. No signatures, copyright symbols, or watermarks on the image or mat are allowed.

9. Submitted prints must have a completed CCC label (available on the CCC website) attached to its back (upper left hand side).

 

B. Digital images must be submitted in both types of competition and MUST conform to the following requirements:

1. Maximum image size may not exceed 2880 pixels on the horizontal or 1920 pixels on the vertical. The minimum size may not be less than 800 pixels on the longest side.

2. Size of image: Maximum of 3 mb

3. Color Space: sRGB

4. File name should be the title of the image.

5. Image title should not contain any special characters.

6. File Format: All files must be in JPEG format, with either a .jpg or a .jpeg file extension.

7. Submission deadline of digital images for all competitions: NOT later than 11:59 pm EST on the Wednesday of the week prior to the scheduled competition.

 

C. Image Review:

1. A panel of Competition Committee members will review the images uploaded to the monthly contests within 24 hours after the contest deadline for submitted entries close. The photo analysis team will report to the Committee Chairperson any possible non-conformance with a category rule for further research and review by the Committee Chairperson or his/her designee.

2. The photo analysis team upon review of submitted competition images may request a copy of the photographers original image should the need arise to compare the original to the submitted image for verification and acceptance in any submitted categories.

3. Once the submittal page closes and the images have been reviewed, members found to have non-conforming images will be notified and given the opportunity until 6:00 PM the Friday prior to the competition date to withdraw the image or enter the image in an appropriate category, if available. Changes to the contest page can only be performed by the competition Committee Chairperson or his/her designee. If an image is withdrawn for whatever reason, the image may be used in a future competition provided it meets the category requirements.

 

Section 4: Scoring and Judging of Competitions

A. There will be three judges for monthly competitions, comprised of two or three member judges and up to one non-member judge.

B. In case of ties when two or more images receive identical scores, duplicate awards (multiple first through third place) will be assigned, except for the Year End Competition, in which case ties for first place will be broken.

C. Three non-member judges will judge the Year End Competition.

D. The following minimum points will be used when determining placement, regardless of the number of entries submitted for a category:

1st Place     22 points
2nd Place   20 points 
3rd Place    18 points

E. Members who are judging will not submit images in that month’s competition.

F. Members, who volunteer in the Print Studio and know the identity of the photographer by virtue of having assisted in printing the member’s image, will score the entry 0. In that case, the other two scores will be averaged for the third score.

G. Judges will not be told or shown the identity of the photographer. If the judge is positive he or she knows the photographer of an entry he or she is judging, the judge will score the entry 0. In that case, the other two scores will be averaged for the third score.

H. After the competition there will be an opportunity for the judges to make comments. Also, there will be a time for members to ask questions and request an evaluation of their images from the judges.

 

Section 5: Grievances

A. Any competition related grievances, such as for procedural issues or an image believed to be inappropriate for the category, MUST be made to the Competition Committee Chairperson within seven days after the competition.

B. During the investigative phase, the Competition Chairperson or her/his designee (in the case of an extended absence) will review the grievance and, if another member is involved, that member will be given an opportunity to respond.

C. During the decision phase, the Competition Committee will review the grievance, responses and other relevant documents and then decide on the matter. The Competition Committee Chairperson will report back to the member initiating the grievance and other members, if any, who were impacted in the case of score/award changes.

D. Except in unusual circumstances, grievances will be resolved within two weeks from the date the grievance is received.

E. The decision of the Competition Committee is final. No further grievance can be filed during the competition year with regard to the challenged image unless new information becomes known that was not known at the time of the original challenge.

F. Grievances are not permitted against member judges or outside judges.

G. The Competition Committee has the mission and authority to conduct a competition following CCC rules and may try to resolve complaints informally before it reaches the final stage of the grievance process.

H. Due to the potentially sensitive and confidential nature of grievances, and to protect the identity of members submitting the grievance and involved directly or peripherally, all communications regarding the grievance MUST be channeled through the Competition Committee Chairperson or her/his designee.

I. A report of all grievances filed, and actions taken will be made by the Competition Chairperson at the next monthly Board of Directors meeting following the competition.

J. The Competition Chairperson will report a summary of the grievance and the resolution to members in the next E-newsletter. The person(s) raising the grievance and the member against whom the grievance is filed shall not be identified to the membership.

 

Section 6: Year End Awards and Recognition

A. The Year End Competition will be comprised of images from the eight monthly competitions, organized by Digital and Print Levels (1, 2, and 3) and each of the six competition categories Assigned Pictorial, Nature, Multi-Scapes, Open Color, Open Mono, and Creative Artistry. Awards will be given for First, Second, and Third Place. Selection of images will be based on the following criteria in each Level (1,2, and 3):

All images awarded 1st Place

Level 3 images 25 Points or greater

Level 2 images 24.5 Points or greater

Level 1 images 24 Points or greater 

B. All ties will be broken.

C. In a closed scoring session after the general meeting, three judges will choose two “Photographs of the Year” (one print and one digital) from among the End of Year First-Place category winners in Levels 1, 2, and 3.

D. In addition to the above awards, the Competition Committee will determine three “Photographers of the Year,” one each from Level 1, 2, and 3, based entirely on total accumulated points of images having placed (First, Second, or Third) in all monthly competitions for the program year.

E. In order to offset any disadvantage to a member who served as a judge for a monthly competition and was therefore not able to compete, the average of the judge’s total accumulated points during the year will be multiplied by the proportion of images in which the member placed, and that number will be added to the judge’s total accumulated points for images that placed. If the judge regularly submits two entries per competition, this number will be added twice to arrive at an estimate of the accumulated points the member would have earned had he or she entered the competition. Example: A member enters two images in each of seven competitions and judges one competition (and therefore cannot submit two images that night). This member has a total accumulated point value for images that placed first, second, or third, of 1800. The average of points received for the 14 submitted images is 230. Of the 14 images entered during monthly competitions, 7 placed first, second, or third (50%). So, the estimate of the accumulated points the member would have earned equals 1800 + (0.5)(230)(2), which equals 2030.

F. Photographers will receive a “Versatile Photographer” award if they have placed first in at least one category, and first, second, or third in five out of the six categories. Other awards may be made at the discretion of the Competition Committee.

G. Awards will be announced at the annual Awards Banquet, if applicable. Due to the Covid Pandemic and other situations that might occur, options, such as Zoom meetings, and/or CCC Bulletins may be utilized in place of an awards banquet, if deemed necessary.

Section 7: Exclusion from Competition

A person may be precluded from entering competitions, for all or some period, if he or she violates the competition rules in a manner that goes against the integrity of the process. The decision to recommend that a person be precluded from competing will be made by a majority vote of the Competition Committee and presented to the Board of Directors for final decision.

 

Section 8: Rules for Photo Submittals by the Competition Chairperson and Photo Analysis Team

The competition chairperson and the photo analysis team members will be required to enter their submitted images prior to the general membership. They will be given 72 hours from Friday –Sunday ending at 11:59 pm on Sunday. The time date stamp will start on the following Friday after the completion of the prior competition to enter next month’s competition. A time date stamp will be required to verify the submitted images were entered within the allotted time. If an image or images are found to be entered after the allotted time, it will not be accepted. This will be verified during the monthly review by the competition chairperson and the photo analysis team members.

Allowing the above rule will maintain the integrity of the competition, giving no one an advantage over anyone else.

A bulletin will be sent out notifying the general membership when the monthly competition is open for their submitted photographs.

Rev. 04/06/2024